The Inner Gamer Podcast

This week on The Inner Gamer, we’re breaking down the big shifts in how we play, pay for, and perceive our games. First, we spend some time in Pokémon Pokopia, the life-sim spin-off that might actually be the best-crafted Pokémon experience in years. It’s Animal Crossing meets Minecraft, but with a surprisingly emotional "Ghibli-esque" heart. Then, we tackle the tech controversy of the year: Nvidia DLSS 5. Is "Neural Rendering" the next great leap for graphics, or is it just an "AI Slop" filter that erases the hard work of game artists? We dig into Jensen Huang’s defense and why the community is revolting. We also dive into the discovery of Sony’s dynamic pricing. From hidden tags in the API to personalized discounts based on your play habits, we discuss how the PlayStation Store is changing the "social contract" of game pricing and what it means for your wallet. Finally, we recap SXSW 2026. With the Austin Convention Center under construction, the festival went "decentralized." We talk about the new city-wide vibe, the "AI Apocaloptimism" panels, and the VR games with no dialogue trees. Show Notes: 00:45 - Housekeeping 1:42 - Pokémon Pokopia Review: The Best Pokémon Game in 30 Years? 48:58 - Why DLSS 5 is Gaming’s Most Polarizing Tech 1:17:07 - Sony’s Dynamic Pricing: Why Your Games May Cost More Than Your Friend’s 1:43:25 - Is SXSW Still Worth It? Our 2026 Austin Retrospective 2:29:45 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

What happens when a legendary horror franchise finds its footing by looking backward? This week, we dive into Resident Evil Requiem, exploring why its tight, 10-hour dual-protagonist campaign is a masterclass in modern survival horror—and a perfect fit for gamers with a busy schedule. We also strap on our hover-skates for a review of High on Life 2, discussing how Squanch Games is navigating its new era and whether the controversial new traversal mechanics help or hinder the "Big Pharma" satire. Then, we shift gears to the extraction shooter wars. We share our hands-on impressions from the Marathon Server Slam, questioning if Bungie’s bold, neon-soaked UI is a work of art or a usability nightmare compared to the more grounded Arc Raiders. Finally, we trace the 8-year secret history of Valve’s Deadlock—from its "Neon Prime" sci-fi roots to its current status as a Steam chart-topper—and explain why this MOBA-shooter hybrid is poised to dominate the industry in 2026. Show Notes: 0:51 - Housekeeping 3:00 - Capcom Listened: Why RE Requiem is the Best Since RE4 23:25 - High on Life 2 Review: The Skateboard & The Slump 39:49 - The Uncertain Future of Bungie’s Marathon 1:17:49 - The Silent Rise of Deadlock: Why You’ll Be Playing This Soon 1:39:50 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

In this episode, we’re breaking down a week that has fundamentally shifted the tectonic plates of the gaming industry. First, we tackle the "Dream Team" success of Edmund McMillen’s Mewgenics—a 14-year labor of love that proves deep, uncompromising design still wins. We also check in on the "Indie Renaissance" with the undercover alien chaos of Roadside Research and the friendship-ending, $8 orbital-laser mayhem of Super Battle Golf. Then, we shift to the "Big Two" and the strange decisions coming out of the corporate boardrooms. With Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond departing Xbox and Bluepoint Games officially shuttered by Sony, the leadership of console gaming is in a total state of flux. Why is PlayStation pivoting to a stylized Horizon live-service game that fans didn't ask for? Can the "New Guard" at Microsoft find a soul for Xbox? It’s a discussion about creative risks, corporate safe-bets, and why the most exciting things in gaming right now aren't coming from the names you expect. Show Notes: 0:46 - Housekeeping 2:51 - 14 Years to Success: Why Mewgenics Matters 42:41 - Super Battle Golf: 8 Players, 0 Rules, Pure Chaos. 1:04:54 - Paper Masks & Profit: Why Indie Sims are Saving Gaming 1:21:04 - PlayStation is Closing Studios. Phil Spencer is Out. Is Console Gaming Dying? 1:58:53 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

In this episode of The Inner Gamer, we dive into the high-stakes world of modern hero shooters and the indie revolution of 2026. First, we tackle the polarizing launch of Highguard—discussing how its "PvP Raid" loop is surviving a rocky start through a massive Episode 2 update. Then, we flip the script to look at LORT, the breakout co-op roguelite from ex-Fortnite devs that proves small teams can build global hits on a budget. We also share our hype for the neon-drenched rhythm-brawler Dead as Disco before closing with the biggest news of the year: the total reboot of Overwatch. With the "2" officially dropped, 10 new heroes on the horizon (including Jetpack Cat!), and the "Reign of Talon" story arc, is Blizzard finally doing enough to fend off Marvel Rivals?Show Notes:00:43 - Housekeeping02:30 - The Most Polarizing Game of 2026: Our Highguard Deep Dive40:48 - LORT Early Access: The Risk of Rain 2 Successor We’ve Been Waiting For?59:03 - Dead as Disco: The Most Stylish Game of 2026?1:17:05 - Did Marvel Rivals Save Overwatch? The 2026 Roadmap Explained.1:41:21 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

We kick things off by mapping out the 2026 gaming calendar—not with rankings, but with a realistic survival guide. From early-year sequel grinds like Nioh 3 and Resident Evil Requiem, to spring’s speed-and-stealth energy with Forza Horizon 6 and 007 First Light, and all the way to an end-of-year showdown between Fable and Grand Theft Auto VI, we talk through when these games hit, which ones demand your time, and where busy gamers might actually squeeze them in. Along the way, we call out wildcards, potential shadow drops, and the titles we’re most excited—and most scared—to make room for.From there, we pivot into a deep-dive discussion on South of Midnight, a game with one of the most striking art styles and soundtracks in recent memory, but a gameplay loop that struggles to keep up with its ambition. We debate whether incredible vibes, music, and world-building can carry a repetitive “walk, fight, repeat” structure, and ask the tough question: would this experience have been better as a short animated series than a full-length game?We close the episode with two heavy conversations: first, a brutally honest look at Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and whether hyper-realism has crossed the line from immersive to exhausting, especially for players with limited time. Then we zoom out to the industry level, breaking down Ubisoft’s massive shakeup—cancelled games, creative restructuring, controversial AI initiatives, and a stock crash that raises real concerns about the publisher’s future. Is this a painful but necessary reset, or the beginning of the end? As always, we leave it to you: which games define your 2026, how much realism is too much, and is Ubisoft still worth believing in?Show Notes:0:46 - Housekeeping2:36 - GTA VI, Fable, and the 2026 Games We Can't Miss59:31 - South of Midnight: A 10/10 World in a 6/10 Game1:26:09 - Is Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 TOO Realistic to Be Fun?1:45:36 - Ubisoft at the Crossroads — Can They Still Win?2:09:35 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

Welcome to our first episode of 2026! In this episode we kick off with our official Game of the Year for 2025. Each one of us has our top 10 list and we explore all of our favorite games from 10 to our #1 game of the year. At the end, we aggregate the picks to reveal our official Game of the Year for 2025 which may surprise you!After Game of the Year, we talk about a fun $20 game we played over the holidays called Jump Space. It's a great co-op space game that feels like Sea of Thieves in space.There is even more news out about subscriptions for gaming. With the cost of RAM increasing, NVIDIA is leaning into GeForce Now. We look at what the future would look like if everything we do starts to go away from owning things to simply paying a subscription for everything. Lastly, we have a spoiler-filled conversation about Ghost of Yotei. Brett beat the game of the break and it surprised him after nearly 60 hours of gameplay. Find out why in this diverse discussion.Show Notes:00:53 - Housekeeping01:54 - The Inner Gamer Game of the Year 20251:51:04 - Jump Space Review2:11:31 - Beyond Game Pass: Everything Will be a Monthly Subscription2:33:39 - Ghost of Yotei Surprised Me (SPOILERS)3:12:51 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

It's our last episode of the year! We'll back back in 2026 on January 13th, 2026 with our Game of the Year episode.In this episode, Jason reviews Dying Light the Beast. It's darker, more intense and hugely open. It follows Kyle from Dying Light 1 and highlights what happened to him after the events of the first. It also features up to 4 player co-op and it looks like the guys may join in and play with him too!We recap The Game Awards 2025. It was so fun to see Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sweep the awards with the most ever game awards. Lots of great games got awarded during this showcase. We also saw a ton of new reveals from Forest 3 to Highguard to a new Old Republic game and even a fresh new Divinity game! Some were exciting and others were leaving some to be desired. Overall, it was a great awards show that we had a blast watching.We also have a discussion on how high the memory prices have gone up thanks in part to AI. It leads to a full discussion on the growth of artificial intelligence and the fears of the future with the hardware scarcity. Brett also plays Two Point Museum and talks about how its a masterclass in sim simplicity. It starts off with some easy mechanics and slowly builds you into a master at management. The simplistic artstyle and well-designed layouts add to the masterful design. If you haven't dove into a Two Point game, this one is a perfect entry!Lastly, we recap our Fantasy Critic scores to see who won with picking which games not only would come out this year, but would score well.Thank you all for listening this year! We look forward to seeing you again in 2026!Show Notes:1:19 - Housekeeping3:25 - Dying Light the Beast Review: Unleash the Monster Within31:23 - The Game Awards 2025: Recapping the Winners and Best Reveals1:28:22 - The Crypto Crisis is Back: Memory Prices Are Insane1:55:01 - Two Point Museum: A Masterclass in Sim Simplicity2:20:08 - Fantasy Critic 2025: Who Won?2:26:57 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

In episode 436, Brett joins the Earth Directorate on a planet-hopping adventure in The Outer Worlds 2. Conspiracy is rampant and you must find and stop the people responsible. This game features a ton of player choice and the ability to shape your character in a variety of ways to suit your playstyle.Brett also finished all 8 episodes of Dispatch and it continued to impress. The ending hit the landing and this is definitely a game you shouldn't miss playing in 2025. It brings back the magic of Telltale Games in a modern, cutting edge way.Jason revisits Red Dead Redemption 2 and digging into the mechanics of this game from eating and all the other survival mechanics we look at what Grand Theft Auto 6 could do and how much realism is too much? What do we want Grand Theft Auto to do so we have fun and don't feel like we're doing work again?Lastly, we review the nominees for The Game Awards 2025 and discuss our favorites. We also throw in some game predictions for the big "world premieres" we come to expect from The Game Awards. Get hyped!Show Notes:1:02 - Housekeeping2:36 - The Outer Worlds 2 Review: When Choice Matters31:08 - Dispatch is a Must Play of 202544:19 - The Balance of Fun and Work in Rockstar Games1:10:41 - The Game Awards 2025: Nominees and What to Expect1:53:38 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

Embark Studios is back and this time it's their shiny new extraction shooter called Arc Raiders. This is a long-anticipated game from Brett who fell in love with The Finals, also made by Embark. This is their next game which takes you topside from Speranza to loot and extract back with valuable resources. Fight Arc Robots and maybe enemy raiders (or befriend them) and make it out alive with all your gear. It's amazing multiplayer and you won't want to miss this.Next, we talk about our review of PowerWash Simulator 2. It's more PowerWash Simulator but with a lot of new features such as attachments, extensions and various types of cleaning tools. It also features over 35 new levels of varying sizes plus co-op!Steam quietly dropped 3 new hardware announcements. No big press event, no showcase just a simple under 3 minute video showcasing the Steam Machine, the Steam Frame and the Steam Controller. Did they quietly just take over the platform war?Lastly, Austin talks about why he thinks western gaming is dead. They've lost their way and eastern gaming is alive and well. What happened? How can western companies bounce back? Show Notes:1:07 - Housekeeping1:48 - Arc Raiders Lives Up to the Hype34:21 - PowerWash Simulator 2: A New Level of Polish53:36 - Did Steam Just Quietly Take Over the Platform War?1:22:46 - Western Gaming Is Dead1:56:58 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64

You may not have heard of Dispatch but after this podcast you surely will wish you had. Dispatch is a new interactive narrative from former Telltale Games devs about superheroes in a modern day office setting. It's one part Suicide Squad and one part The Office. AdHoc Studios shines in delivering animation that looks just like the best TV shows out there as well as some stellar writing and voice acting. We review Episodes 1-4 with no spoilers but hope that you jump out there and buy it because this is perfect for casual gamers. Bite sized chunks that are easy to digest and keep you wanting more!It was Spooktober this past month, so Brett reviewed Choo Choo Charles from Two Star Games and talked about how one hit from that team couldn't help them in their recent flop with Cuff Bust. There's still a chance for redemption...but is it too little too late?Austin plays Silent Hill f and although the game looks great and plays well, he can't seem to get into it to finish it. It's a fun game for some people but for him it's not quite hitting the mark, despite the solid atmosphere and interesting story.Jason and Brett both play Outlast Trials. We missed this game when it first dropped but now with a new "Invasion" update we're in it and loving every bit of it. This game is dark, it's bloody and full of chaos but it's a blast to play with friends. 4 player co op and the new PVP mode where you can play as another player makes for a fun time.Lastly, we revisit Battlefield 6. Season 1 dropped with a new map, lots of new updates, a battle pass, a new mode and several gadgets and weapons. They also finally dropped the free to play Battle Royale now called "RedSec." It's great and we can't wait for you to hear all about it.Show Notes:1:10 - Housekeeping2:49 - Dispatch: A Superhero Story for Busy Gamers24:28 - Choo-Choo Charles to Cuff Bust: The Rise and Stumble of Two Star Games42:37 - Silent Hill f Review1:03:57 - Is The Outlast Trials Still Worth Playing in 2025?1:20:57 - Battlefield Redsec Battle Royale and Season 11:51:57 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show.Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits:"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.netWoman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64