4Player Podcast

In a surprise twist this week, Nick and Brad are joined by 4Player alumni, David Liao, to talk about video games, e3, and nipple tape. It might be misleading to mention that Nobunaga himself, Travis Granger, is a guest but he does makes a brief appearance and truly makes this episode feel like a stroll down Memory lane (for about 1 minute). We talk Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Outer Wilds, and more!

E3 2019 is old news and we are back in the studio and ready to talk about video games that are out in the wild NOW! Nolan finally got his grubby little hands on Cadence of Hyrule and as expected, it is delightful! What IS surprising however is that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is finally out and has somehow managed to surpass our (admittedly low) expectations! Brad is quite taken by the game and his inner Castlevania geekness is on full display. Nick revisits Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and we talk about the design inspiration behind two BIG upcoming titles.

E3 may be over but there is still plenty to discuss considering our final day was spent in meetings seeing big games like Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2, Pokemon Sword/Shield, and more! Krispy and Ed join the LA team to discuss the last few games of the show plus our thoughts on the current state of the big show in 2019.

On our 2nd full day of E3 2019, we attended some exciting appointments and got some hands-on time with some BIG games! Perhaps most importantly, we got to sink our teeth into the 'Final Fantasy 7 Remake' demo which managed to squash any remaining doubt we may have had. We also played a significant demo of Remedy's new game, 'Control' and Nick played an fun match in 'Bleeding Edge!' With that said, some of the biggest surprises of the day came in the form of 'Journey to the Savage Planet' and 'Wolfenstein Youngblood.'

Our first day on the show floor of E3 2019 is at an end and we have so much ground to cover. We of course cover our reactions to the Ubisoft, Square-Enix, and Nintendo Press Conferences which featured some juicy announcement and reveals. Watch Dogs Legion is finally revealed and we talk about all of big news surrounding the unveiling of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake! From our time on the show floor, we cover our impressions of some E3 underdogs like Biomutant, Code Vein, Outer Worlds, and more!

E3 2019 is upon us and the first day of press conferences is over. Microsoft and Bethesda both showed up with some pleasant surprises which were simultaneously overshadowed by the things that were missing and the relentless wave of marketing speak that left us scratching our heads. The day was telling to be sure but it featured some truly surprising cameos and some a few super exciting new IPs that have our undivided attention. We also cover the latest episode in the ongoing Devolver Digital "Press Conference" saga...

It is the week before E3 and with two weeks since our last show, we are absolutely bursting at the seams with exciting game industry news! Everything from the big Death Stranding reveal to the Watch Dogs Legion leak to the surprise announcement of Baldurs Gate 3! Strangely enough, on top of all that, we all ended up playing games set in SPAAAACE! They may all share a common thread but Observation, Void Bastards, and Outer Wilds all offer wildly different experiences.

There's a lot to unpack this week thanks to new releases on opposite ends of the development spectrum. While RAGE 2 hasn't hooked us yet, the game shows promise thanks to fun combat and the usual open world hooks. On the other end of the spectrum, Druidstone, the next game from the talent behind The Legend of Grimrock, manages to do a lot with a smaller budget. Nick goes to bat for Days Gone now that he's spent a lot more time with it and the group addresses some juicy news involving From Software and George R. R. Martin.

Where to begin. We talk in depth about two new games that couldn't possibly be more different: A Plague Tale: Innocence has you avoiding The Inquisition and hordes of flesh eating rats in the Middle Ages while Hypnospace Outlaw simulates the 90's internet experience by tasking you with modifying content on the ugliest websites imaginable. In the wake of Detective Pikachu, Krispy was inspired to bust out Pokemon Let's Go and as we close in on E3, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake emerged from the shadows...

For our 600th show, we decided to try and get out ahead of the inevitable leaks before E3 2019 with our own set of predictions! The show this year is shaping up to be interesting at the very least thanks to Sony's decision to sit this one out but Microsoft, Nintendo, and various other third parties seem poised to jump on this opportunity to fill the void they left. We cover all of the exciting projects that have been confirmed but not revealed and even talk about the possibility of new hardware making it's first appearance!

The first saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to it's dramatic conclusion in Avengers Endgame! This 22 film epic has become a cultural phenomenon and a major topic of conversation here over the last 10 years. In this edition of 4Player Plus, we take a deep dive into this final chapter and talk about everything from Time Travel to Thors Hammer to... the plot of NBC's new show Manifest?

Despite middling reviews, Nick showed up determined to give a slightly different take on Sony's latest Triple-A Exclusive, Days Gone. Brad gives us the breakdown of SteamWorld Quest and tries to articulate why the game seems underwhelming despite sounding like an excellent idea on paper. In the news, we discuss Valve's new VR headset, the horrifying new Sonic the Hedgehog movie that exists, and we speculate that From Software's next game is in fact a Souls-ian Pirate game called Booty Patrol.

After an unexpected week off, we are back with an episode packed full of impressions and news! While Nick and Krispy have been impressed by Mortal Kombat 11, Brad and Nolan have been hooked on a new indie Metroidvania called Supraland. With Dreams out in Early Access, Brad shares his experiences and struggles like crazy to accurately explain the creator tool set. On top of all that, we also talk Katana Zero, new PS5 details, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, and a lot more!

Red Dead Redemption 2 was one of last year's best games. It struck a cord with a lot of us here at 4Player and now that the dust has settled, the time has come for us (with help from our Patreon supporters) to take a deep dive into the game! We talk about everything from the underlying themes to Rockstar's mechanical design philosophies to the emergent moments that made it one of the most memorable gaming experiences of the generation! SPOILER ALERT - While we did not set out to spoil the game from top to bottom, there are quite a few discussions involving major plot points or surprise emergent moments. Please Note - There were a couple minor technical hiccups involving unstable internet connection that resulted in Krispy sounding like a Robot... I left it in for comedic effect.

We may be talking even more Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice this week but the generosity of a beloved Community member also introduced Krispy to an awesome new Indie game called Pathway. As hype for the upcoming release of Mortal Kombat 11 rises, Nick busted out Mortal Kombat X to reacquaint himself with the franchise. We also talk our hopes and concerns for the impending reveal of Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order this weekend and the rumors circulating about the next new project from Guerilla Games!

This week's show goes to some truly unexpected places. Of course, Brad returns to the couch to finally give his impressions of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice but we also answer some hard-hitting questions about terrible pastries, voluntary "limb" modifications, and the lies that good people tell. We also assess a bunch of Nintendo rumors including new Switch hardware and potential leaks coming out of Best Buy ahead of E3!

After skipping a week in favor of a fun community night, we return to the fold with an episode packed full of impressions and news. Everyone on the couch has spent a decent chunk of time with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Chris Davis finally has his chance to talk about The Division 2 just as Nick starts to get hooked on the first one. Of course, there's also a ton of news to talk about thanks to Google's Stadia, The Cadence of Hyrule, and Gearbox's awkward announcement of Borderlands 3!

In our first bonus podcast of 2019, we ask an important but not entirely serious question: Is Capcom back? After a couple years of achieving impressive critical and financial success (thanks to games like Monster Hunter World and Resident Evil 7), it's time to start asking ourselves whether this is a happy accident or the start of an upward trend for the company. We react and respond to questions and talking points submitted by our paid supporters on Patreon and Twitch in an effort to sort out our feelings on the subject! Our next episode will be in early April and will be serve as a Spoiler-filled Post Mortem on Red Dead Redemption 2! Check back for your chance to help curate that discussion!

As you all know, we answer the important, life altering questions on our show. For instance, this week we debate whether or not straws have holes and I think we came up with a definitive answer. Perhaps more importantly, we talk about Devil May Cry 5 which has proven to be a very divisive game within our group. Brad introduces Baba is You while Nick and Nolan try their best to convey their disappointment in Resident Evil 6 but only manage to make it sound more appealing.

We are on the cusp of a whirlwind month of high profile game releases... This week however... is rather quiet. That won't stop us though! Nintendo finally announced their introduction to the VR space this week with Nintendo Labo VR and Capcom is on cloud 9 now that early reviews have ensured that Devil May Cry 5, at the very least, will prove to be a substantial critical success! In other news, Nick finally feels the pull of Monster Hunter World and Krispy is loving his time with Slay the Spire!

We may only have a Skeleton crew on hand to record the show this week but that can't stop us from taking deep dives into hot new games like Slay the Spire and Metro Exodus! Brad jumps at the opportunity to rave about the recent Monster Hunter World event starring the titular character of the Witcher series, Geralt of Rivea! In the news we explore THQ Nordic's bizarre PR Snafu and Nintendo's big reveal of Pokemon Sword and Shield; In true 4Player fashion, this unfolds into an unexpected tangent that takes you to the deepest, darkest corners of the internet...

This week's show can only be described as a disaster. We lost power mere moments after going live and were forced to record the show out of order, in the dark, while streaming to Twitch from our phones! But as they say, "The show must go on!" Despite all that, we managed to crank out some good discussion of Metro Exodus and Chris Davis FINALLY got to share his thoughts on Ace Combat 7! Of course, we also reminisce briefly about Reggie Fils-Aimé now that he has announced his retirement from Nintendo!

It's Valentines Day at the 4Player "offices" but we care not; Instead, we raise our glasses to Nolan and Ed who both recently celebrated Birthdays! On the gaming front, we talk more about the hot (but charming) mess that is Kingdom Hearts 3 and Krispy gives his initial impressions of the new demo for Daemon X Machina. Of course, Nintendo dropped a bunch of exciting news at their recent Nintendo Direct including the reveal of a remake of Link's Awakening and Team Cherry tickled our balls with the announcement of a Hollow Knight: Silksong!

After more than a decade of waiting, Kingdom Hearts 3 is a real live video game that is available to purchase! It maintains it's charms but ends up being a bit of a mixed bag in our eyes thanks to some... questionable production choices. Additionally, the group shines a light on Wargroove, a love letter to classic Advanced Wars, and talks early impressions of Apex Legends and the potential implications it poses for the future of the Titanfall IP.

What a show we have for you this week! Not only is Resident Evil 2 Remake out turning heads in the wild but Nolan and Krispy spent some quality time in the demo for Anthem over the weekend! In the second segment, Patrons dug deep for some truly thought provoking (and informative) questions and the news is full of intrigue thanks to some unfortunate Metroid Prime 4 news, Batman rumors, and more!

With our 2018 Awards show behind us, it's back to business as usual but that means a TON of impressions and news that we haven't had a chance to talk about! Nick and Nolan talk about the games they played at PAX South including some exciting titles (Days Gone, Katana Zero, Tunic, and more!), Brad praises Ace Combat 7, and Nick revisits two more major entries in his Resident Evil series run! The news is also full of big news related to Bungie, Mortal Kombat 11, and some... unsettling news involving Randy Pitchford and Gearbox.

Our 2018 Game of the Year discussions continue with another set of 12 categories! While last week was very gameplay focused, the categories covered in this episode are a bit more narrative focused. Of course, we also wrap up the episode with the #11 award which will lead directly into our Personal Top 10 games which will be released in the coming weeks! In Part 2 of 2018 Award Show, we cover our personal choices in the following 12 categories: Best Looking Game Best Storytelling Best World Building (Lore) Best New Character Best Ensemble Cast Best Character Relationship Best Video Game Moment Biggest Surprise Biggest Disappointment The Asterisk Award Biggest Regret The Number 11 Award The soundtrack samples included in this episode are brief but you can find the full albums for purchase online: Frostpunk - Check out the soundtrack on YouTube! Wandersong - Available for purchase on BandCamp!

2018 is officially wrapped so our Award season has commenced! We are hard at work on our personal Top 10 lists of course but the podcast this week is all about celebrating the best AND worst that 2018 had to offer. In Part 1 of 2018 Award Show, we cover our personal choices in the following 12 categories: Best World / Level Design Best Sequel / Most Improved Best New Gameplay Experience Best Game Feel Best New Enemy Design Best Boss Fight Best Multiplayer Experience Best "Comfort Food" Best Game Outside of Our Comfort Zone Most Addictive Best Debut (New IP) Best Game Nobody Played Tune in next Tuesday (1/15) night at 8PM (CST) for Part 2! The soundtrack samples included in this episode are brief but you can find the full albums for purchase here: Chasm - Available for purchase on Bandcamp Far Cry 5 - Available for purhase on iTunes, Amazon, etc.

Prepare yourself for the most comprehensive list of 2019 games (ordered alphabetically) that you can expect to find on ANY podcast! In this episode we talk our way through a list of almost 200 games that are expected to hit in the coming year! We cover everything from the smallest indie to the hypest triple-A production across all platforms. 2018 was a hell of a year but 2019 is coming out of the gate very strong as well! It is a lot to take in so we have provided a link below to the doc that we used when recording the episode. Enjoy! 2019 Preview Show - List of Games

The great cannibalism debate of 2018 continues in our final show of the year! Brad is out this week but Chris Davis takes his place on the couch to talk Dusk and God of War! Nolan brings CrossCode, the last NEW game of the year for our show, and the game proves to be both traditional and mysterious at the same time. Nick played more Ashen and Return of the Obra Dinn and Krispy talks about his early experiences with Celeste now that he's had a chance to take it for a spin. See ya in 2019 folks!

In this penultimate episode of 2018, we dive deeper into some of the best games of the year including The Return of the Obra Dinn and Monster Hunter World. Nick also recommends Ashen as it just might be yet another sleeper hit in an already stellar year. Krispy bites off a bit more than he can chew when World of Goo comes up and an innocent question about Santa suddenly takes a very dark and very unexpected turn.

It's definitely starting to feel a lot like Christmas. A Christmas Miracle does occur on this week's episode but that's not what I mean. No, I am referring to the overwhelming number of games that we find ourselves trying to play before the year comes to a close! We take a look at Super Smash Bros Ultimate of course but it's games like Darksiders 3 and Monster Boy that are truly vying for our time and money. That's not all though. Nick shares his thoughts on the new Devil May Cry 5 demo and the news is jam packed full of important headlines you won't want to miss!

It's the most wonderful time of the year. A time when the gaming community comes together to reap the fruit of all of Geoff Keighley's hard work. All kidding aside, the Game Awards have become another high profile celebration of the gaming industry that also happens to be jam packed with surprise announcements! This episode was recorded directly following our live commentary of the show and recaps all of the big announcements, the disappointments, and of course... the awards!

We hope our stateside listeners enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday! Now that we are back, the day has finally come for Brad to speak highly of Spyro the Dragon! That's right, the new Spyro Reignited Trilogy has established itself as the new "Gold Standard of Baby Games." Nolan talks about his early impressions of the Red Dead Redemption 2 Online Beta, Nick revisits Resident Evil 4, and Chris Davis talks about.... Hitman 2 (or is it 1?). Of course, the Video Game Awards are quickly approaching as well so the news is dominated by rumors of impending game announcements!

With Nick out on leave to have his shins extended, Ed joins the fray this week! While Red Dead Redemption 2 is still top of mind for many, there is plenty more to talk about thanks to the recent release of Tetris Effect in PSVR and the continued excellence of Astro Bot: Rescue Mission! Of course, Nolan talks about his early experiences with Hitman 2 and the group reacts to the bizarre trailer for Detective Pikachu and Sony's shocking decision to skip E3 2019!

It's November already and as the holidays approach, we have more and more games to talk about! Nolan and Krispy talk about their puzzling experience with the beta of Fallout 76, Brad introduces the couch to 7 Billion Humans (from the creators of World of Goo), and we take another look at Red Dead Redemption 2 now that most of us have crossed the 40-hour mark. There is also plenty of drama afoot at Blizzcon and Square-Enix in the news segment.

The highly anticipated release of Red Dead Redemption 2 is finally upon us and as expected, there is A LOT to talk about. Of course, it's not all cowboys and train robberies this week since Brad brought Witcher Tales: Thronebreaker and Nolan played the demo of Mutant: Year Zero! We also introduce our new Supporter Spotlight for November and discuss some big news involving Super Smash Bros Ultimate and the upcoming Witcher show from Netflix.

It's almost Halloween and we're running on a SKELETON crew this week! It may be a 3Player Podcast but Nick, Brad, and Krispy hold down the fort with a bunch of impressions from the games we recently played for our 12-hour Halloween Spook-tacular including Visage, The Conjuring House, Paranormal Activity, and more! Keep your eyes on The Persistance as well as it seems like a PSVR game that more people should be paying attention too. With that said, The Return of the Obra Dinn just might steal the spotlight as it could be one of the biggest surprises of 2018!

Brad found his killer app for Playstation VR in Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. Krispy talks about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Blackout, the newest competitor in the fierce Battle Royale market. Nick and Nolan talk about two very different Assassin's Creed games (Odyssey and Rogue). The group discusses the latest Rockstar controversy and the hot button issue of "Crunch Culture" in the gaming industry.

Between the contested release of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, our first Supporter Spotlight (KNCSito), and some fun/colorful questions from our Patrons, it's safe to say that this episode definitely goes places. Brad brings Wandersong to the table, a possible contender for feel-good game of the year, and Krispy went way back to the Gamecube days to finally play the horror classic Eternal Darkness! We also revisit the forgotten history between Microsoft and Obsidian in the wake of some surprising news!

Valkyria Chronicles 4 may be a near carbon-copy of the 2008 original but that doesn't stop it from finding a few ways to surprise us. The game remains one of the most interesting strategy RPGs on the market! Nolan revisits Dragon Quest XI and Nick gives another update on his big series run now that he has started Resident Evil Code Veronica! It's a big news week though so we talk at length about the legal drama playing out in the Witcher's neck of the woods and the exciting new Harry Potter RPG that is rumored to be in development at Warner Bros! Discord - http://discord.gg/4player Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/4player

The release of Valkyria Chronicles 4 and the terrible news coming out of Telltale Games ensured that we had plenty to talk about this week. Nolan tries his best to describe The Gardens Between and Brad revisits the early days of Devil May Cry but despite our best attempt at staying on topic, this episode eventually devolves into Bowsette talk thanks to our lovely Patreon supporters! Fear not though, you can also expect a dash of Dragon Quest XI, Resident Evil 3, and The Messenger!

This week we talk about how little things like relentless tool tips threaten to spoil an otherwise fun adventure in Shadow of the Tomb Raider! Nolan shares his first impressions of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age as well as Frostpunk: Fall of Winterhome, a free expansion to one of his standout titles in 2018! There's also plenty of juicy news and some fun questions to answer in the 2nd segment!

Nick and Krispy dive deep into SPOILER territory to talk about what worked and what didn't in Spider-Man (PS4). Insomniac has delivered a game that is true to the source material while also blazing a new path ahead for this popular hero. We talk about the surprise villains, the thrilling action set-pieces, and the human moments that make this a game worth experiencing! ** SPOILER WARNING - If you have not finished the story of Spider-Man on PS4, you may want to wait until after you have finished to listen**

With Spider-Man from Insomniac Games finally out in the wild, we take a (spoiler-free) deep dive into the game to find out what makes the game so successful! Brad spreads hype for Judge Eyes, a new take on the popular Yakuza series, and Nick talks about his time thus far with Resident Evil 3: Nemesis as his series run continues. In the news, we cover the recent Netflix/Witcher casting news as well as some big news that dropped in this week's Nintendo Direct. This Week on the Show: Feedback from our last episode Spider-Man (PS4) Judge Eyes Resident Evil 3 Nemesis Netflix / Witcher Casting News Nintendo Direct News Link Dump: Discord - http://discord.gg/4player Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/4player

We recently sent Ed to PAX West in Seattle Washington to play as many games as he could get his grubby little hands on. Luckily, he took this mission to heart and returned to us with a bevy of games to talk about! No, seriously... look at this list: Metro Exodus Spider-Man Bless Unleashed Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Shift Quantum Darksiders 3 Joggernauts Church in the Darkness Mowers and Throwers Sinner Projection Buildings Have Feelings Too Sparklite Indivisible Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Retimed Mirror Drop Never Give Up Overload The Gardens Between Dauntless Star Control Origins Hellpoint Planet Alpha Genesis Alpha One Praey for the Gods Hitman 2 Pathfinder: Kingmaker

Do you like games? We hope you like games because we have a LOT of catching up to do now that 1998 Month is behind us. August was jam packed full of great releases such as Donut County, The Messenger, and Yakuza Kiwami 2! Of course, there was also an abundance of new and awesome Metroidvania and Roguelike games to get into such as Dead Cells, Chasm, and Guacamelee 2! Can't decide where to invest your dollars? Maybe we can help.

The end of August approaches so our lovely jaunt down memory lane also comes to a close. 1998 month has been great fun and even educational in many ways so for one last time, we dedicate an entire podcast to that beloved year. This week we talk Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, Mega Man Legends, and more! In the 2nd segment, we look back at or personal experiences with the Sega Saturn, PC gaming, and the Gameboy.

We have crossed the halfway point of 1998 month but our spirits remain higher than ever! Fallout 2 finally sunk it's hooks into Nolan and Nick, believe it or not, has now played Banjo Kazooie for the first time! Brad recounts his recent themed broadcast that pit Mystical Ninja against Brave Fencer Musashi and Krispy talks up Tactics Orge: Let Us Cling Together now that he's had some time with the game. We also take a look back at the glory years of the Nintendo 64!

In our first full podcast of 1998-Month, we take a look back at some of the games we busted out for Multiplayer Night including Rival Schools, Bushido Blade 2, and more! Brad has been playing Medievil off the stream, Nick plowed through both scenarios of Resident Evil 2, and Nolan shares his take on Fallout 2 and Suikoden 2! On top of all that, we look back at the legacy of the Sony Playstation console! [download] This Week's Discussion Topics: Feedback from our Last Episode Medievil Fallout 2 Resident Evil 2 Suikoden 2 Playstation Retrospective and more... Link Dump: Join Our Free Community Discord Learn More About 1998 Month You are invited to join our FREE community Discord - Download the app to your phone and use it to keep in touch with other members of the community and the podcast crew as well! Don't forget to help our cause by subscribing to the show via your preferred content subscription service (iTunes, SoundCloud, RSS, etc). Click here to Learn How to Subscribe! Enjoy the show? Let us know how you feel about the topics discussed in the comments below! We'll address your comments and questions during the first 10 minutes of next week's podcast! Involvement with the show via the comments automatically enters you in the monthly giveaway as well!