Beyond

Rumor has it, Sony’s doing a State of Play next week, which seems more likely than not based on the timing of previous years’ presentations, so we run down a list of predictions of what we expect to see. Ghost of Yotei seems like a safe bet, as does Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Live-service is a bit of a touchy subject for PlayStation at the moment, but Bungie’s Marathon and Haven Interactive’s Fairgame$ are both in the works the last we heard. On the third-party front, Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta Triange: Snake Eater Remake has been aligning itself with Sony since the jump, and we expected it’d drop last fall, but there’s still no release date. Midnight Walk is that creeply-looking platformer that’s coming to PS5 and PSVR2 alike, and it’s expected sometime this year. And of course, there are a number of soulslike and soulslike-lookalikes including Where Winds Meet, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Hell is Us, Phantom Blade Zero, Ballad of Antara and The First Berzerker Khazan, and we reckon at least one of those will make an appearance. Anything’s possible, but we’re less convinced we’ll see anything from Housemarque, and Xbox has been putting more stuff on PlayStation, with the recent announcement of Forza Horizon 5 and Age of Empires 2 coming to PS5, but where will that get revealed? We have our reservations we’ll see anything related to Silent Hill Townnfall or Silent Hill F, and it seems too soon for Marvel’s Wolverine, Project Robot or more of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, but we’d love to be wrong. And of course, a Bloodborne Remake or Remaster would be nice, but we’re not holding out breath. In other news Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is out this week and Max and special guest Ronnie Barrier have lots of good things to say about this open-world RPG that’s more often than not just as much a medieval life simulator, but for anybody after a fast-paced action game, this ain’t it. 

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This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Ronny Barrier, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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This week, we’re taking a minute to talk about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which has a lot going for it, but also a lot working against it. Between Ubisoft’s financial woes, two delays, a bunch of other big games including but not limited to Ghost of Yotei, plenty of backlash online, and the fact that it’s yet another big open-world Assassin’s Creed game, it might not stick the landing. But hey, what’s wrong with yet another big open-world Assassin’s Creed game? We haven’t really gotten one of those since Valhalla in 2020, and it’s not like they’re putting out Far Cry games as quickly as they used to. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws were both technically big open-world Ubisoft games, but they didn’t quite scratch the same itch. Anyway, there are a bunch of big video game movies and TV shows coming out in 2025, like A Minecraft Movie and The Last of Us Season 2, plus some more later on, and then some that are supposedly in the works but which may never come out.This week, we’re taking a minute to talk about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which has a lot going for it, but also a lot working against it. Between Ubisoft’s financial woes, two delays, a bunch of other big games including but not limited to Ghost of Yotei, plenty of backlash online, and the fact that it’s yet another big open-world Assassin’s Creed game, it might not stick the landing. But hey, what’s wrong with yet another big open-world Assassin’s Creed game? We haven’t really gotten one of those since Valhalla in 2020, and it’s not like they’re putting out Far Cry games as quickly as they used to. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws were both technically big open-world Ubisoft games, but they didn’t quite scratch the same itch. Anyway, there are a bunch of big video game movies and TV shows coming out in 2025, like A Minecraft Movie and The Last of Us Season 2, plus some more later on, and then some that are supposedly in the works but which may never come out.

This week’s show is Max Scoville, Mark Medina, Brian Altano, and is produced by Tayo Oyekan.

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This week Max is out on assignment and Akeem is filling in as host! We’re talking about Sony’s gamble on live-service games: with the cancellation of two unannounced titles, is it going well for them? Our review for Dynasty Warriors: Origins is in and we dive deep into the details with Jada. Plus the legendary Shuhei Yoshida’s thoughts on PlayStation’s live-service push. Beyond!

This week’s show is Akeem Lawanson, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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This week, we’re talking about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, which is about.. Well, you can kind of figure it out from the name alone. Nick Maillet had a chance to go hands on, and shares some of the crazy stuff he encountered. The mainline Like a Dragon/Yakuza games are wacky enough under normal circumstances, but it sounds like Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is basically Like a Dragon: Blood Dragon in how overboard it’s willing to go. In other news Hideo Kojima sounds very tired, and Halo is probably coming to PlayStation 5 this holiday season, which is great for everyone. We also run down a few upcoming games that might not immediately be on your radar, including Date Everything, the sandbox dating sim in which you romance inanimate objects come to life, Hell is Us, a creepy looking third-person action game that’s taking some cues from the film Annihilation and the books it was based on, Baby Steps, which looks like open-world QWOP, or Mudrunner with a man instead of a truck, and Light No Fire, Hello Games’ fantasy-flavored follow-up to No Man’s Sky.

This week’s show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Nick Maillet, Nick Limon, and is produced by Jobert Atienza.

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Happy New Year! 2025 kicks off with a bunch of news out of CES, and it seems like Sony announced basically everything except games, from feature film adaptations of Horizon Zero Dawn and Helldivers 2 to a Ghost of Tsushima anime series to an immersive and probably weird-smelling experience in The Last of Us. Meanwhile, in the interest of not having a ton of game news to discuss, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest games that’ll be celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2025, weighing in on how those game franchises are doing a decade later, and speculating on how they might get some recognition this year. The big one, obviously, is Bloodborne, which Sony seems to be teasing - or at least acknowledging - a bit more than usual. The Witcher 3 just got big a sequel reveal at The Game Awards, Fallout 4 was followed up by Fallout 76, but anyone who’s excited about the Prime Video series might be waiting around for a while for Fallout 5. Metal Gear Solid 5 may very well be the last proper Metal Gear game we ever get, but that could always change, but at least Hideo Kojima is cooking up a new tactical espionage game with Physint. Undertale is gradually getting a sequel with Deltarune, Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege are alive and well, Until Dawn’s just got a remake and has a movie on the way, but Batman fans hoping for a conventional Arkham game haven’t gotten much love since Arkham Knight.

This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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It’s the holidays, which means spending time with loved ones, and probably getting into an argument with them too. So, we’re deciding on Beyond’s Top 10 PlayStation Games Ever, but we’re doing it in a stupid, convoluted way that will result in a list that no one, including us, agrees with entirely. Spoiler alert: this was an excuse to talk about some games we love for an hour. Hopefully we name at least one game you like, but if you don’t, don’t worry, it’s all made up and nothing we decide is legally binding or official in any capacity. We had fun making this episode, we hope you enjoy watching it! Happy holidays from all of us to all of you!

This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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We sure do have a lot more games to look forward to than we did a week ago, huh? The Game Awards had quite a few big reveals, especially for PlayStation fans thanks to Naughty Dog finally letting the equally poorly behaved cat out of the bag and showing off Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the first brand new IP since The Last of Us. Considering it’s been well over a decade since that was unveiled, it’s something to be excited about. A deep-space adventure set on distant planets is arguably more uncharted territory than the actual Uncharted games, which is awesome, plus it combines bubble-era anime and early 80s synthpop. Other major reveals include The Witcher 4, Team Ico mastermind Fumeto Ueda’s Project Robot, the Like a Dragon Team’s Project Century, and FromSoft’s multiplayer survival-centric spin on Elden Ring, Nightreign. As for our very own awards, we have the winner of IGN’s best PlayStation game of 2024, which probably won’t come as much of a surprise, and the winners of our very own Beyondcé awards. Finally, Jada shares her PlayStation wrapped stats, and odds are, she played more video games than you. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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#GOTYwatch

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Some of the last big games of 2024 have finally dropped, including the open-world dress-up game Infinity Nikki, which is currently a PS5 console exclusive, and Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, which is currently Xbox console-exclusive, but which will be hitting PS5 next year. Both of these games are great in their own ways, and they’re each doing some new things that make them fun in ways we weren't expecting. Skydance’s Behemoth is also out for PSVR2, which promises Shadow of The Colossus-like monster fights. Meanwhile, Aliens: Dark Descent isn’t new, but it’s new to PlayStation Plus this month, and it’s an extremely nerve-racking survival horror spin on real-time strategy, and finally Entropy Survivors takes the Vampire Survivors formula but gives it a considerable visual bump, plus some cool physics-based power ups, plus a frog with a mech, which is pretty neat. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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Between Nintendo Switch’s impending successor, Valve’s Steam Deck and its ilk, and Phil Spencer casually announcing an Xbox handheld is in development, portable gaming is in the midst of a revival. If recent rumors are to be believed, Sony will soon be following suit. So, what can be learned not just from the success of current handheld devices, but also Sony’s previous ventures into the pocket-sized gaming space? The PlayStation Portable and PS Vita were both wonderful devices, but a variety of factors kept them from achieving the same success as Nintendo’s handhelds. Speaking of last-gen Sony, the PS5 has gotten some 30th anniversary themes, which allow the startup and system noises to be changed, but sadly, it’s just for a limited time. Will we see more themes for the PS5 menu anytime soon? It’s award season, so we’ve got some categories to announce for our own very special award show, The Beyondcés, and Jada’s got her work cut out for her with a mountain of games to Platinum before the year is through. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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Have you ever been asked by your family during the holidays what a Kingdom Hearts is or why Solid Snake is in fact, not a snake? This week we answer those questions and many more in this very special holiday episode of Podcast Beyond. We also talk about why younger gamers aren't familiar with Metal Gear Solid anymore, why Brian is glad he bought a bad Unicorn video game, Max's emails to his mom about his job and Kojima, and Jada's thoughts on this year in RPG's. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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Following the announcement of The Game Awards 2024 nominees for overall game of the year, the big debate right now is should Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion be eligible? Yes, it’s great, but Elden Ring won this award in 2022, and not only is Erdtree not playable without the base game, it requires a substantial amount of amount of legwork (and a big of eggwork) to even access. Aside from that there’s other Elden Ring rumblings, with talk about Sony acquiring FromSoftware’s parent company Kadokawa. Meanwhile, Capcom reports Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess underperformed due to lack of buzz, and Square Enix promises not to half-ass the Highwind airship in part 3 of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, whatever they decide to call it. We also got to play some upcoming games: Max previewed Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind (which is from the team behind the recently-released Tetris Forever, which we also discuss) and Jada checked out Dynasty Warriors Origins. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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00:00 - Intro

01:21 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake Pt 3 Info

12:15 - Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Underperformed

14:09 - FromSoftware’s parent company Kadokawa acquisition rublings

29:09 - Max previewed Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind

43:59 - Jada checked out Dynasty Warriors Origins

55:10 - Should DLC Be Game of the Year

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In a recent investor call, Sony’s finance and IR chief Sadahiko Hayakawa announced that we should expect a major first party single-player game release at least once a year from the 2025 fiscal year onward, which is awesome news! However, aside form Ghost of Yotei, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach and Insomniac and Marvel’s Wolverine, that leaves lots of room for speculation about which of PlayStation’s numerous game studios will make an announcement next. There have been rumors and possibly in-game clues that Naughty Dog’s next project may be in the realm of fantasy, and things have been quiet over there since The Last of Us: Part I. Even quieter has been Bend Studio, whose last project was Days Gone, and quite a few days have gone by since that was released. Meanwhile, there’s also Santa Monica Studio, Housemarque, and Media Molecule, just to name a few. In other news, Sony patents a rewind button which probably sounds a lot cooler than it is, Akeem is getting weird in PSVR, and Jada reviewed LEGO Horizon Adventures, which sounds just fine. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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The PlayStation 5 Pro has finally arrived (or arrives very shortly) and we’ve got IGN’s reviewer Michael Higham joining us to break down how much of an improvement this mid-gen hardware refresh actually is, from enhanced performance modes to PSSR upscaling, Sony has definitely released a powerful machine, but it might not be enough of a leap to justify its pricetag. In other news, Wolverine’s creative director has left to oversee Perfect Dark instead, and Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart’s game director and creative director are taking over the much-anticipated gamification of everyone’s favorite adamantium-plated Canadian. In lieu of any concrete information about Wolverine, we have a list of outlandish demands of features the game should include, as well as some beloved Marvel characters Beyond community suggested. Monster Hunter Wilds is shaping up to be a behemoth of a game, and Jada shared some of what got her the most excited during her time with the beta this weekend. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Michael Higham, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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Call of Duty is here and we’re enjoying it! In fact IGN gave it great scores across the board so far with a 9 on the Campaign where you get to take pictures of Bill Clinton, and an 8 for the Multiplayer which feels pretty fun this year, Zombies hasn’t been scored yet but we talk about it a lot because Jada is having a great time with it full of Zombie raves, Bowling parties and other zany easter eggs that have been hidden in it. Jada also does her best to explain her early thoughts on Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the lore behind it, and Nick Maillet steps in front of the camera to discuss his review of Life is Strange: Double Exposure which he also gave a 9! We also discuss the shutdown of Firewalk Studios and Neon Koi by Sony and the removal of the Resume Activity button on PS5. So Join Max, Jada, Akeem, and Nick as we dive into yet another week of excellent game releases.

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It’s true! The remake of the 2011 game heaps on a ton of new content that makes it one of Jada’s favorite entries in the series to date, as indicated by her 9 out of 10 review score. How can SEGA and Team Sonic keep this momentum going with future games? Meanwhile, Insomniac is hard at work at something, but that something isn’t story DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and maybe that’s okay? At the very least, the wallcrawler’s last PS5 outing is coming to PC as well. Jada got hands on with LEGO Horizon Adventures, and says it’s more of a Horizon game than a LEGO game, Max is nuts for Squirrel With a Gun, Brian makes some noise about A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, and Akeem is cutting through the fog in Silent Hill with his newly unlocked chainsaw. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet.

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Tis the season… No, the OTHER season. That’s right, it’s that time of year when everything is covered with bats and skeletons and fake cobwebs and other macabre and ghoulish decor. So, we took the opportunity to reach out to our listeners and have them share the stuff in video games that’s terrified, creeped out, haunted, startled, or otherwise scared the crap out of them. It’s an excuse to talk about some of our favorite games, from tried and true survival horror franchises like Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Dead Space, to older favorites like Condemned: Criminal Origins, Cold Fear and Alien: Isolation, to games that we don’t think of primarily as horror, but which definitely have one foot in there, like Bloodborne (of course) and BioShock. What game has scared you the most? Share your video game scary stories in the comments. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. 

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Wow! That episode title uses a lot of words to list just three games, but those three games are all some of this year’s most anticipated releases. We’ve all gotten to delve into Silent Hill 2’s long-awaited remake courtesy of Layers of Fear studio Bloober Team, Persona and Shin Megami Tensei developers ATLUS’ brand new JPRG, Metaphor Re:Fantazio, and Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero, which is basically the 4th entry in the Budokai Tenkaichi series that fans have been asking for since 2005. Video games! You couldn’t find a more drastically different bunch of games, but they all have a whole lot to offer, whether you want to have the crap scared out of you, make the protagonist take a crap, or hear Chi-Chi talking crap about Super Saiyan hair. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Akeem Lawanson.

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The limited edition 30th Anniversary PlayStation 5 hardware that was announced last week went up for pre-order, and statistically speaking, you probably weren’t able to get one. On top of maybe TOO limited quantities of the very cool retro-style versions of the PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, PlayStation portal and both DualSense and DualSense Edge, the whole online pre-order system turned out to be something of a disaster. People waiting in queues for an hour or more, just to be told everything was out of stock. Or worse, being able to add stuff to their card, but blocked from purchase by technical problems. Considering how much of a mess the launch of this generation was thanks to scalpers, you’d think Sony would’ve handled this better. Actually they did, but only in Japan, where pre-orders of the highly sought-after special editions were limited to PSN account holders with more than 30 hours logged playing games, which presumably helped make things a bit more orderly. We also scratch our heads about the pricing of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, which is only ten bucks for people who own the game on PS4, which mysteriously doubled in price overnight on the PlayStation Store. And like, we get it, but also: c’mon. In other news, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ delay into next year puts in a literal Samurai Shodown with Ghost of Yotei, and that probably isn’t great for either game. We also reflect on how it’s going to be difficult to narrow down what this year’s game of the year will be. Despite a handful of really good games, there don’t seem to be any clear crowd-pleaser standouts.

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The latest PlayStation State of Play happened, and the Beyond crew broke down the biggest PS5 news and trailers from the event. There were various PlayStation 5 titles revealed, the biggest one showcased was Ghost of Yotei, which takes place in 1603 and is releasing in 2025. PlayStation is releasing various remasters, like Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and Lunar Remastered Collection. Sega is apparently bringing back the whole movie tie-in trope with a special DLC coming to Sonic X Shadow Generations coming in the form of Keanu Reeves voicing Shadow, a special level and movie-accurate skin, which will be included in the digital deluxe edition. And more games were shown off on the #PS5Pro, including FF7 Rebirth, Horizon Forbidden West, The Last of Us Remastered, Jedi Survivor, Spider-Man 2, The Crew, Stellar Blade, Assassins Creed Snake Eater, Resident Evil Village, and many more. Listen in or watch as Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Nicolas Limon discuss all these and more in a very special #PlayStation State of Play #PS5 episode of BEYOND!

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Now that the dust has settled on the PlayStation 5 Pro’s underwhelming reveal and overwhelming price tag, let’s actually discuss what it would take to get us seriously interested. Sure, Grand Theft Auto 6 at 4K 60FPS would be nice, but is it realistic? Will Rockstar save that for the inevitable PS6 version? We read some of the Beyond community’s thoughts on the matter. Speaking of PlayStation 6, we know basically nothing about the next generation of consoles, other than there will be one, and that it’ll feature an AMD chip, after Sony’s deal with Intel allegedly fell through. This would suggest backward compatibility, which is a blessing and a curse, considering the PS5 is still getting a lot of cross-gen games that also come to PS4. Meanwhile, they don’t make fall/holiday video game release lineups like they used to, and we wax nostalgic about a graphic showing all the amazing games that hit PlayStation 2 back in 2001… And maybe their timed exclusivity had more to do with the PS2 hitting the market a year before Xbox and GameCube than anything Sony was doing. Finally, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster rises from its grave looking better than the last time we saw it, but showing its age in other ways. Beyond is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and Akeem Lawanson.

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After months of leaks and rumors, Sony finally revealed the PlayStation 5’s mid-gen refresh, the PS5 Pro. The 8-minute technical presentation from Mark Cerny spent its first three minutes singing the base PS5’s praises, and then highlighted the “big three” improvements the new model boastsl: a larger GPU, advanced ray tracing, and AI-driven upscaling. This new tech was showcased in a montage of side-by-side comparisons featuring some of the PS5’s most popular games, and while there’s some subtle but noticeable difference seeing how these games look running on new tech, nothing really blew us away… at least, until the price was announced. The PS5 Pro launches November 7th with an MSRP of $699 in the US, €799 in Europe. Bear in mind, the stand and the disc drive are sold separately, and the base PS5 isn’t getting any price cut that we’re aware of, which is usually what happens to consoles mid-generation. So many of the PS5’s games so far have been backwards compatible that it’s hard to justify a new console to begin with, let alone a more powerful one. We’re all riding high on Astro Bot, and while that game is gorgeous and technically impressive, at no point did it seem like more powerful hardware would improve the experience. As for what upcoming games can truly take advantage of the PS5 Pro, that remains to be seen. Grand Theft Auto 6 is obviously a big huge deal in 2025, and it’ll undoubtedly sell some PS5 Pros, but aside from Insomniac’s Wolverine game, so much of Sony’s first party lineup is still under wraps, which makes it hard to get excited about this thing, let alone justify spending money on it.

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Astro Bot is finally here, and surprise! It’s awesome! Simon Cardy joins us to discuss his review of Team Asobi’s full-sized follow-up to Astro’s Playroom, which is a rock-solid 3D platformer jam-packed with references, easter eggs and playful nods to thirty years of PlayStation history. We do our best to avoid spoiling any of the fun surprises, but really, it’s impossible to spoil the best part of this game, which is just the unadulterated joy of playing it for yourself. Anyway, if that was all that was going on, it’d be a good week for Sony, but we just got word that Concord had such an underwhelming launch that Sony is pulling the plug indefinitely, taking the game offline, and offering full refunds to the people who did actually buy it. This is part of the ongoing issue across the industry of live-service games not being able to sustain themselves. What’s next for Concord, a free-to-play relaunch, or is it just gone for good? We’ll have to wait and see.

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We’re back to our normally scheduled Beyond program, and would you look at that! A few massive games came out for us to talk about. Star Wars Outlaws is full of high highs and low lows, and as much as we were hoping this would be Watch Dogs with Womp Rats or “Assassin’s Greedo,” its game design cherry picks mechanics from the Ubisoft’s stealthy open-world action adventure formula in odd ways. Still, zipping around that galaxy far, far away on a souped-up speeder bike with your alien Muppet sidekick is awesome when it clicks. Meanwhile, Mitchell reviewed Black Myth Wukong and thought it was great out of ten, but anyone thinking it’s a soulslike may want to adjust their expectations. Meanwhile, Concord may have launched with more of a bang than whimper, but Jada’s having a blast, which has us questioning the future of Sony’s latest live-service that’s been long in development. Oh yeah, and there’s some news too: the PS5 and a variety of accessories get a price hike in Japan, the Dualsense Edge now works on PC with the Accessories app, LEGO Horizon’s release date may have leaked, and Foamstars goes free-to-play. This week’s episode features Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and Mitchell Saltzman

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Beyond and hello! Welcome to a very special gamescom edition of IGN’s weekly PlayStation show. This week, a whole bunch of the IGN team is in Germany covering the show, including Max, Brian, and our producer Nick, so putting together a regular Beyond episode was a little tricky. Instead, we’ve pulled together a bunch of our interviews about upcoming PlayStation games. We kick things off with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which we just learned is coming to PS5 next year. Then, Mouse: P.I. for Hire, which is sort of like if Cuphead was a first-person shooter about a rodent detective. To cap things off, we’ve got a trio of upcoming games based on some of our favorite movies that take place on barren, sandy desert planets: Starship Troopers: Extermination, Dune Awakening, and Star Wars Outlaws.

We’ll be back with a normal episode next week, but we hope you enjoy some of what the team produced at Gamescom.

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This week, it was announced that Stellar Blade sold a million copies, which has us optimistic we’ll see a sequel to ShiftUp’s much-discussed hack and slash. Something we definitely won’t be seeing is a PlayStation presence at gamescom 2024, which definitely doesn’t have us feeling particularly optimistic about Concord, the multiplayer FPS that Sony’s publishing that same week. A massive video game event with hundreds of thousands of attendees sure seems like a good spot to demo a brand new live-service game, but hey, what do we know? Helldivers 2 launched just fine without. Then again, is it fair to compare Helldivers 2 and Concord? They’re both Sony-published multiplayer live-service games that are hitting PS5 and PC day and date, but they’re clearly very different. One is a shameless knockoff slash heartfelt love-letter to Starship Troopers, a 27-year-old cult classic, that has a very clear idea of what kind of video game it is, while the other seems to be equal parts Guardians of the Galaxy and Overwatch, but combined in a way that’s ambitiously blending an ongoing narrative with multiplayer live-service. In other news, after all our grousing and moaning during the Ubisoft Forward post-show about Ubisoft’s failure to acknowledge Beyond Good & Evil in any way… they just released a 20th Anniversary 4K remaster of the game, with a bunch of bonus content and quality of life improvements. Why wasn’t this announced during that week when everybody was making big announcements? We don’t know. But here’s what we do know: Elden Ring is a good video game, so we’re gonna talk about that, and if you’re avoiding Shadow of the Erdtree spoilers, don’t worry, you’re probably farther along than most of us. Which is your favorite farming spot, Ball Hill or Bird Cliff? Sound off in the comments. This week’s Beyond is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin and one-man band/producer/panelist, Tom Jorgensen.

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This week, we’re joined by the wonderful Jared Petty, formerly of IGN, currently of Limited Run Games, to talk about (among other things) Tomba! Special Edition. Who is this pink-haired feral child, and why is he biting all those pigs? We had questions, and Jared had some answers. Plus, Jada ventured into No Man’s Sky in VR and was very impressed, further highlighting just how much Hello Games managed to transform that game since it launched way back when. On a more serious note, we got word that Meta has shut down Ready At Dawn, the studio responsible for some beloved PlayStation games, including the ambitious and underrated The Order 1886, as well as some PSP bangers like God of War: Chains of Olympus and Daxter. Meanwhile, Bungie had a massive round of layoffs amid restructuring, which has us discussing the unrealistic expectations and unsustainable business models of the games industry. On the bright side, Krafton, publisher of PUBG and The Callisto Protocol, has scooped up Tango Gameworks, along with the Hi-Fi Rush rights, so maybe we haven’t seen the last of that rhythm-based hack-and-slash.

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This week, Jada makes her return to the hosting chair along with Taylor Lyles, Cam “Final Mix” Hawkins, and Kevin Diaz to talk about the biggest games coming out of China Joy 2024 and Sony’s China Hero Project. Ganes like Lost Soul Aside, Exiledge, AI Limit and many more that are building momentum as we get closer to their releases. We also talk about other games that showed up at China Joy 2024 not directly from Sony with new teasers and trailers including Monster Hunter Wilds, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, and Phantom Blade Zero. There was also a new teaser for Season 2 of The Last of Us tv series on Max, to discuss and theorize who Catherine O’Hara will be playing and what storylines could be expanded on beyond what we got in the games. And oh yeah Astrobot and his controller are almost here so we had to talk at least a little bit about one of our favorite up-and-coming mascots of PlayStation. We also acknowledge the PSVR2 PC adapter and hope that will help entice more people to play and make more things that are PSVR2 compatible. There is also a new segment called Out This Week highlighting all the games coming out this week that we are excited for like Twin-Stick shooter Cygni: All Guns Blazing, Volgarr the Viking 2, Steamworld Heist 2, and of course Cat’s Quest 3 where you can take over the Purribean, I’m not sure if that's a tagline for the game but either way that's the pun I’m going with in this description for it. Finally, we do a lightning round of what we’ve been playing recently.

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This week, we’ve got plenty to talk about. Jada just reviewed Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, the open-world souls-like action RPG from the studio behind Ashen. She breaks down the combat, both ranged and melee, as well as traversal, how the world is laid out, and the novel approach of earning bonus experience by chaining together combos. We also delve into bosses, as well as what’s up with that little rat dog. Concord had its first Beta this weekend, and we discuss our early impressions of Firewalk’s relatively budget-priced but still pay-to-play live-service shooter. Will it have the same success as Helldivers 2, or attract disgruntled Apex Legends and Overwatch players? We’ll have to wait and see. Jada also spoke to Neil Jones the developer of, Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield, about the upcoming indie narrative runner. We also have time to weigh in on other stuff we’ve been playing, including Chants of Sennaar, Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, Alaskan Road Truckers, and yes, Elden Ring’s expansion, Shadow of the Erdtree. Have you heard of it? This week’s panel is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin and Brian Altano with special guest Neil Jones. 

Presented by Wendy’s Saucy Nuggs

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:17 - Concord First Impressions

00:14:35 - Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Impressions

00:32:17 - Wendy's Saucy Nuggs Featuring Unnecessary Inventions

00:33:37 - Aerial_Knight's We Never Yield Interview with Neil Jones

00:50:56 - Brian likes Elden Ring

01:04:04 - Chants of Sennaar, Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, Alaskan Road Truckers Discussion

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Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is one of the more expansive expansions in recent memory, which has just pondering what exactly the sweet spot is for add-ons to games we love. Is waiting two years for a $40 expansion to a $70 game better than waiting five or six years for a full sequel? Regularly updated live-service games like Destiny 2 and Final Fantasy XIV have no trouble keeping existing players interested, but how do you attract new players when a game’s been going for over a decade? Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was nearly an expansion for GTA III before Rockstar made it a standalone release, and we got some wonderful expansions to Grand Theft Auto IV with The Lost & The Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, and then GTAV’s story DLC was allegedly scrapped to focus on the more granular and lucrative updates added to GTA Online. Meanwhile, plenty more great games got their start as DLC, like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Halo 3: ODST and Hollow Knight: Silk Song… Though that last one is still MIA. In other PlayStation-adjacent news, Astro’s Playroom has been getting some free sneaky little updates ahead of the release of Astro Bot, including some indication that someone working at Sony actually remembers that Bloodborne exists and that people love it. The Shapes is a new line of collector-grade action figures from Spin Master, featuring some familiar faces from God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, and Horizon Forbidden West. We got a couple little updates on the Watch Dogs movie we forgot was in the works, as well as the Metal Gear Solid movie that’s been in the works for almost 20 years. This week’s episode features Max Scoville, Jada Griffin and Matt Kim.

Presented by Wendy’s Saucy Nuggs

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Capcom had a few surprises for us with this week’s Next showcase, including the full reveal of Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster, the second time the 2006 survival-action-horror game has gotten a fresh coat of paint. Apparently a deluxe remaster is a little more involved that your run-of-the-mill HD upscale, but not quite on the same level of a remake, like Capcom’s recent Resident Evil do-overs. Whatever the case, it looks great, and we’ll happily jump back into Frank West’s shoes for some zombie mayhem when the Deluxe Remaster drops in September, and for anyone not excited about the news, rest assured Resident Evil 9 IS in development, so chill out. Aside from re-visiting the familiar to varying degrees, Capcom is also showing it’s not afraid to try something new, as demonstrated by Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, an interesting hybrid of tower defense, real-time strategy and escort mission that’s surprisingly hard to explain, which is somewhat unusual in this day and age of established game genres checking boxes of what kind of mechanics they involve. Kunitsu-Gami drops in a few weeks, and while July isn’t particularly packed with big releases, it does have some coming up, like Final Fantasy XVI’s Dawntrail expansion, First Descendant, Zenless Zone Zero, Flintlock: Siege of Dawn, College Football 25, and Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Game. This week, Beyond is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin and Logan Plant.

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Arise, once again, Tarnished! FromSoftware’s long-awaited DLC expansion to Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree is almost upon us and Mitchell Saltzman joins us to give his spoiler-free thoughts on why it’s yet another 10 out of 10 review score for IGN. Obviously, FromSoft games are challenging from the jump, but it should be no surprise that an expansion for people who know their way around The Lands Between packs a punch for even the highest level players. Plus, we run down a couple games from the various Summer events that caught our eye, including Kunitsi-Gami: Path of the Goddess, which takes a novel approach to tower defense with an aesthetic somewhat reminiscent of Okami, as well as Starship Troopers: Extermination, which takes a more conventional approach to tower-defense, but with 16-player co-op in first-person, which should be more than enough to set it apart from Helldivers 2. Mixtape looks like a gorgeous whimsical indie adventure to let us relive our mischievous teenage glory days to the tune of a great soundtrack, and Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta Triangle Remake Eater has a gross mechanic that sounds like something Kojima would’ve dreamed up. This week’s Beyond is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin and Mitchell Saltzman.

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Welcome to another very special episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show. Today we’re taking a look back at our past coverage of Horizon Forbidden West, including a review discussion plus a spoiler-filled breakdown with some of the developers from Guerrilla Games. So, if you haven’t finished the game, this might ruin the ending, and if you haven’t played the game at all, it probably won’t make any sense. You have been warned!

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This year’s Ubisoft Forward didn’t have much in the way of surprises, but it did have a ton of gameplay of two games that we’ll actually get to play in just a few months, Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Outlaws in particular looks like a game we’ve been waiting our whole lives for, an open-world sandbox that lets us explore the grimiest corners of the most wretched hives of scum and villainy. It’s a premise we almost got in Star Wars 1313 and Amy Hennig and Visceral’s Project Ragtag, but both those got canceled. Unlike some past Ubisoft gameplay demonstrations, what we’ve seen of Outlaws seems like it’ll actually be representative of the game that’s coming out in August, so here’s hoping it delivers. Meanwhile, another much-demanded project is Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which takes Ubi’s flagship stealth adventure series to Japan, and in addition to the awesome setting, it looks like it’s introducing a number of ambitious gameplay systems and mechanics. We got a few updates on what’s coming soon to this year’s Prince of Persia games, The Lost Crown and The Rogue Prince of Persia, but we also got the somewhat underwhelming announcement that the remake of The Sands of Time, which was originally slated for 2021, won’t be out until 2026 - is that the first big game with a release date that far off? Beyond Good and Evil 2 was nowhere to be seen, which is unsurprising but still disappointing, and sadly, we got no updates on what’s going on with Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell remake/reboot, or the Ghost Recon series. Oh, and there was no Far Cry, but we hope the next one has dinosaurs.

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Join us for "Beyond Battle Royale: Clash of PlayStation Titans," at IGN Live, where we dive into an epic debate to determine the ultimate PlayStation character. Hosted by Max Scoville, this special edition of Beyond brings together Max, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, and you, the fans, to help the Beyond squad decide once and for all who reigns supreme in the PlayStation universe. Watch as characters like Kratos, Aloy, and Nathan Drake are pitted against each other in a showdown. Let’s crown the king or queen of the PlayStation All-Stars!

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Welcome to a very special episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show. Today we’re taking a look back at our past coverage of Ghost of Tsushima. Today’s discussion is a breakdown of Ghost of Tsushima’s opening moments, which is spoiler-free - but you’re probably going to get more out of it if you’ve played the game - plus, the game rules, so get on that.

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After weeks of rumors and speculation and a couple leaks, Sony finally kicked off the summer gaming event season with a State of Play presentation, and while it didn’t exactly feel on par with some of the full-blown Showcases of years past, there was some cool stuff shown off.

Join Akeem, Jada, Nick and Daemon as they unpack what was revealed. For starters, we got our first look at Firewalk’s FPS Concord, which is a 5v5 multiplayer FPS that leans heavily on a narrative that unfolds week after week. It’s got plenty of charm, but it’s hard to ignore how much of it resembles a Guardians of the Galaxy-flavored Overwatch-like. Meanwhile, we’re actually getting an officially licensed Marvel-flavored third-person Overwatch-like with Marvel Rivals, which is coming to PlayStation 5, starting with a closed beta in July. Until Dawn is getting a full remake for PS5 and PC this fall, and God of War Ragnarok will also be hitting Steam in September. We got a good look at some other games where you hit big epic monsters with cool weapons in new gameplay from Where Winds Meet, our first glimpse of Ballad of Antara, and Capcom’s first gameplay from Monster Hunter Wilds, which looks like more Monster Hunter in all the right ways. Speaking of monsters and Capcom, Resident Evil was sadly absent, but we got some more Silent Hill 2 Remake gameplay courtesy of Konami and Bloober Team, and it’s shaping up to be here just in time for Halloween. Shockingly, Sony remembered the PlayStation VR 2 exists, and showed off some gameplay from Skydance’s Behemoth, an epic medieval fantasy action game, as well as Alien: Rogue Incursion, an action-horror game from the Creed: Rise to Glory team. Dynasty Warriors Origins will let you shout “Die, you nasty warriors” at a whole lot of dudes with great hair and long flowing robes, while Infinity Nikki will let you run around a big whimsical open world having great hair and wearing long flowing robes.

Did you know this is the fifth installment in the Nikki series? Well, it is, and it’s getting a beta on PS5 sometime soon. Now, arguably the reveal that had everyone the most excited was Astro Bot, a brand new full-fledged 3D platformer featuring the little PlayStation mascot who could (and sometimes does) taking the charming formula from the PS5 pack-in Astro’s Playroom, and expanding it across 80 levels, with tons of new enemies and abilities, and probably some great #Sony easter eggs. Astro Bot is coming to #PS5 and the #PlayStation5 owners can rejoice.

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Hello and welcome to a very special episode of Beyond! Today, we’re taking a look back at some of our past coverage of God of War: Ragnarök. For starters, a spoiler-filled deep-dive on the game with director Eric Williams, followed by some 1-on-1 interviews with the cast, including Kratos himself, Christopher Judge. Spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t played Ragnarök… get on that. Otherwise, enjoy!

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It’s the time of year when Sony usually holds its big Summer Showcase presentation, giving us a look ahead at what’s coming to PlayStation in the coming months. As of this recording, there’s no official word on if or when such a showcase will be happening, but we figured it’s worth running down what we definitely expect to see and what we don’t think will make an appearance. Assuming they’re still slated for 2024 releases, we’re due for a closer look at the Snake Eater remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta, and a release date for Bloober Team’s Silent HIll 2 remake. On the first-party front, an actual reveal of the PVP multiplayer first-person shooter Concord would be nice, and maybe a release window for Death Stranding 2. Will PSVR 2 get any kind of love at all? We’re skeptical. As much as we’d love to see more of Grand Theft Auto 6 or Insomniac’s Wolverine game, or get word of a Bloodborne remaster, those seem extremely unlikely, but hey… we’ve been wrong before. This week’s Beyond cast is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin and Brian Altano.

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Join us as we explore how Naughty Dog created the terrifying Rat King and revisit an interview with director Neil Druckmann and narrative lead Halley Gross.

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Once upon a time, video game consoles were defined by their exclusive game lineups… these days, that seems like less of a sure thing, and with the rising cost of game development, it’s not hard to see why. Between a simultaneous PC release making Helldivers 2 PlayStation’s fastest-selling game ever, to Square-Enix aggressively exploring a multi-platform strategy, to Xbox Game Studios games like Sea of Thieves topping PS5 sales charts, it sure looks like more publishers are ditching the idea of keeping their games on just one platform or device. On a semi-related note, back in our day, video game controllers were small enough for little kids to play them, and now they’re too darn big! But really, maybe Nintendo’s on to something by offering teeny-tiny Joycon, but also a Switch Pro Controller. Meanwhile, the DualSense is practically twice the size of the first three generations of DualShock controllers, could there be a market for a smaller controller? Animal Well is, well, a game about animals at the bottom of a well, and that’s all well and good. Little Kitty Big City is the latest adorable indie game that has entirely too much NPC dialogue for its own good, and if you don’t mind reading the Elden Ring manga is easily the funniest interpretation of a FromSoft game this side of Prepare To Try. Podcast Beyond this week is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Akeem Lawanson.

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Helldivers 2 is a hit, and thanks to its simultaneous PlayStation 5 and PC release, and not only is it the best-selling game of 2024, it’s Sony’s 7th most profitable game in dollar sales, just a couple months since it launched. So, what could go wrong? Well, with Arrowhead Studios’ shooter riding high, some powers-that-be at Sony decided to make the announcement that playing Helldivers 2 on Steam would soon require a PlayStation Network account. Unsurprisingly, the community was not happy about this news, and once again mobilized against a common enemy, though this time, it was unfortunately the game’s Steam reviews. Following this backlash, and the revelation that Helldivers 2 was now made unavailable in 177 territories where PSN isn’t supported, Sony reversed its decision. Live-service games are high risk endeavors to begin with, and Helldivers 2 managed to stake its claim to the time and money of gamers amidst some steep competition. Why mess with it? In other news, Elden Ring is still very good, but you might not be as good as you remember, so it might be prudent to get in fighting shape before Shadow of the Erdtree drops in June. The Fallout Prime Video series is probably better if you know some Fallout lore, but it’s not a requirement, and we discuss the pros and cons of an adaptation that’s directly translating an existing story from another medium, like HBO’s The Last of Us, or one that tells a brand new story in an established universe, like Fallout, and potentially the upcoming Death Stranding movie from A24, as well as the Netflix Horizon series. Most importantly, does Ray-Man wear socks? And how does he eat? We had fun this week, we hope you did too.

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This episode, we’re chatting about Sand Land, the open-world (“sandbox”) action RPG based on the late and great Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s manga. While it’s got exploration and melee combat and sidequests, at its core Sand Land is all about its vehicles, which are playable and heavily customizable versions of some of Toriyama’s coolest creations. We reflect on the toyetic kitbashed aspect of the game as well as the charm of cel-shading compared to realistic graphics. Plus, Stellar Blade’s new game plus patch and Fallout 4’s next gen update both dropped, the former jam-packed with bonus costumes and added content, the latter with technical hiccups and confusing issues for PlayStation Plus subscribers. A couple other recent games caught our attention, Another Crab’s Treasure, which swaps the grim and gloomy trappings of your usual soulslike for colorful undersea fun, while still maintaining a solid challenge. Then there’s Botany Manor, which feels like a game full of Resident Evil puzzles without any of the horror stuff, and Nour which is a pretty and colorful food toy game thing where you throw snacks around. This week, it’s just Max Scoville and Brian Altano. Congratulations, you have read this whole episode description!

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Stellar Blade is finally upon us! The verdict? The long-awaited and surprisingly controversial PS5 exclusive from Shift Up solidly delivers on its promise of a visually stunning action game, though it falls short of greatness in a few other areas. IGN’s reviewer Mitchell Saltzman joins us to have a nice spoiler-free chat about what he loved about the game, and what didn’t blow him away. We break down what makes the combat so satisfying, the awesome boss fights, the many collectibles and costumes, but also some of the frustrations, like wonky platforming, convoluted backtracking, and a nothing-burger cast of characters. This week podcast Beyond is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and Mitchell Saltzman.

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This week, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU creative director, Surgent Studios founder and former assassin Abubakar Salim joins us to discuss his upcoming Metroidvania, and the journey from starring in a video game to developing one. Meanwhile, more PS5 Pro details leak, including its cool codename, “Project Trinity,” continuing the Matrix-esque naming convention started with PSVR’s “Project Morpheus.” Video game monsters are rarely rooted in practical effects, but Stellar Blade’s Naytibas began as clay sculptures from Hee-Cheol Jang, whose previous work includes Bong Joon Ho’s creature features The Host and Okja. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sales aren’t anywhere near its predecessor’s, which isn’t that surprising when you dig into the different circumstances they released under. If demo downloads are any indication of sales, Stellar Blade should do well, Ratchet & Clank’s Bouncer weapon has been added to the 2016 game in honor of its 8th anniversary. Finally, some cool games are hitting PS+ this month, including Dave The Diver, Animal Well, Nour and Misma Chronicles. Podcast Beyond is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and this week features special guests Abubakar Salim and Max’s disruptive epoxy-stealing toddler.

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We just got a brand new trailer for Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s open-world action adventure set in the beloved galaxy far, far away. Specifically, it’s set in the grimy criminal underworld between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, hitting some similar beats to 1996’s beloved (but no longer canon) Shadows of The Empire. As much as we’d love revolutionary leaps and bounds in game design, we’re totally fine if this is one of Ubisoft’s patented “climb the tower, clear the outpost” Assassin’s Creed Far Cry Watch Dogs-likes, since the subject matter does a lot of heavy lifting. In other news, Bloodborne Kart is now Nightmare Kart and it’s out at the end of next month (but only on PC) and the most-played PlayStation games of 2023 were mostly from a few years earlier, people just kept playing them. Helldivers 2 gets yet another war bond this week, Democratic Detonation, just in time for those no-good Automatons striking back with a vengeance. This week, Beyond is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano and Matt Kim. We had fun, we hope you did too.

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We would love Sony to make a successor to the PlayStation Portable and PS Vita, but does it make sense? On the one hand, portable consoles are all the rage, between Nintendo Switch’s record-breaking success and a Switch 2 (or whatever it’s called) waiting in the wings, Valve’s surprise entry into the gaming hardware race with the Steam Deck and now, Xbox head Phil Spencer talking about how he’d love a dedicated way to take Xbox on the go. So, there’s demand for new dedicated portable PlayStation device, but there’s also a lot of competition. Does it make sense for Sony to hop on the bandwagon, or rest on the PS5’s laurels and stick to home consoles, plus the occasional weirdo accessory. The PlayStation Portal was sort of portable, and it was technically a PSP, was Sony testing the waters? Hmm. In other news, a new feature in the PS App is being beta-tested that would let you take in-game lore on the go, letting you access stuff like journal entries, character databases, and that sort of thing through your phone or mobile device. Not something we were demanding, but cool nonetheless, and definitely a fun way to supplement games we’re playing when we’re not actually playing them. Helldivers 2 got a patch that adds blizzards, sandstorms, and makes fire hurt more. Stellar Blade’s demo just dropped, and it’s undeniably a good-looking game, but the discourse around its protagonist’s appearance makes it hard to be remotely critical of any other aspects like the story, creature design, mechanics or combat. Still, that won’t stop us from stumbling across this week’s most explosive minefield. In other news, Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League’s first DLC is here, and Jada and Akeem have strong feelings, good and bad, about how it handles DC’s clown prince of crime: Captain Boomerang. Just kidding, it’s about… The Joker. Ha Ha Ha Why So Serious? Hey if you read all this, thanks for sticking around. How do you feel about little neckties?

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This week, we’re eatin’ good! Two massive sprawling open-world action RPGs just dropped, Dragon’s Dogma II and Rise of the Ronin but… which one is worth your time? Join Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and Mitchell Saltzman as they compare and contrast Capcom and Koei Tecmo’s latest contributions to the run-around-and-fight-stuff genre. Ultimately, both games are packed with tons of great gameplay, mechanics, systems, features, moments, all that good stuff you’d expect from an open-world game, but they both offer dramatically different experiences, so it’s really just a matter of taste. Meanwhile, Jada checked out a bunch of cool games at the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, including Tales of Kenzara: Zau, Hyper Light Breaker, Little Kitty Big City, Luna Abyss, The Sinking City 2, Dungeons of Hinterburg, Angerfoot, and South Park Snow Day, and she also got to try out some unconventional means of interacting with games at the ALT.CTRL.GDC exhibit, which showcases unusual game controllers.

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There’s plenty to talk about this week! The leaked PlayStation 5 Pro specs have Max and Brian speculating about who exactly needs a mid-century modern mid-generation refresh, aside from people who want the best possible console experience for Grand Theft Auto 6. Mostly, though, the thing we’re most excited to talk about is Dragon’s Dogma 2. Reviews are out, and the consensus is this new chapter improves upon what made the first game great, but what does that mean for people who didn’t play the original when it came out in 2012? Capcom’s long-awaited sequel to the cult-classic action RPG might have a lot in common with FromSoftware’s Dark Souls and Elden Ring games, but the moment-to-moment gameplay is extremely different, largely in part to more more of an emphasis on unpredictable emergent moments, chaotic battles, and wacky antics thanks to the unique pawn system. Meanwhile, Brian played through Alone In The Dark, the reimagining of the survival-horror classic, and while it falls short of the experience provided by Capcom’s excellent Resident Evil remakes, it’s still a good time for anyone who prefers puzzle solving in a spooky house to just shooting monsters in the head.

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Helldivers 2 kicks ass. This isn’t news, obviously. You probably know that already and you’re probably one of the millions of players spreading democracy throughout the galaxy at this very moment. That said, WHY is this game such a hit? Join Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and Akeem Lawanson as they unpack the many charms of Arrowhead’s cooperative bug-zapper bot-blaster hit that seems to be Sony’s secret weapon in the ongoing war of live-service games that seems to dominate the gaming space more and more every year. But, there are other games to talk about! Unicorn Overlord is Vanillaware’s answer to Nintendo’s Fire Emblem for non-tendo players, and it applies the studio’s trademark painterly aesthetic to the turn-based tactical strategy genre that seems to have plenty of Ogre Battle DNA. Speaking of Unicorns, because we were, Brian gives an impromptu review of Unicorn Princess, which probably wasn’t designed with any of us in mind, but that still doesn’t mean children should have to play a game about picking up garbage in order to appease Unica the Unicorn or whatever. Because the uphill battles of adulthood and parenting aren’t enough, Max has been playing Expeditions: A Mudrunner game, which is a game about making clunky old slow trucks drive slowly up little hills so you can look for rocks, and if it sounds tedious, that’s because it is, but in a way that’s oddly soothing and enjoyable. Are you still reading this? Does anybody read these? Do you think the truck game sounds like fun, or would you rather just zap the space bugs and mean robots? It’s nice that we have so many options when it comes to video games.

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What’s happening in the video game industry? The BEYOND crew discuss the recent layoffs happening in the games industry, including Sony announcing a significant amount of layoffs hitting PlayStation. The #PlayStation layoffs affected 900 staff members, with Jim Ryan issuing a statement about the situation - but what does it all mean? Max, Brian and Akeem break it all down, plus touching upon the EA Games layoffs that hit 670 workers. This also led to EA sunsetting a few games, and announcing it’ll be moving away from future licensed IP. The BEYOND crew also dive into the updates heading to Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 on the #PlayStation5 with the addition of New Games Plus content on the #PS5, as well as exploring the rumored PS5 Pro. Not to mention the potential of PSVR2 having PC compatibility - what will it mean for PlayStation in the VR space moving forward? Plus, Respawn’s canceled Star Wars FPS was rumored to be about a Mandalorian bounty hunter, much like Lucasarts’ Star Wars 1313. Sadly, it seems like games about intergalactic bounty hunters have a hard time getting made, even beyond Star Wars: Metroid Prime 4 is in development hell, the original Prey 2 was shelved, and High on Life came out, but not without its share of controversy. Is the genre cursed? All this and more in this episode of BEYOND!

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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is almost here, and the reviews are in! Michael Higham joins us to discuss his thoughts on the game (which he scored a 9 out of 10, something we totally forgot to mention on the show) and there’s a lot to say about this massive installment in such a beloved series - which we’ll do while steering clear of story spoilers as much as possible. We discuss new additions to combat, like Synergy Abilities, and how the expanded roster shakes up the experience when swapping between Cloud, Tifa, Barrett, Aerith, Yuffie, Red XIII and the rest of the game. Mostly, though, we praise Rebirth for turning us loose in a mostly open-world Gaia that feels leaps and bounds more ambitious than Remake’s Midgar. While there are plenty of fun minigames, they’re not all winners, which is ultimately a minor nitpick - especially considering how much fun Queen’s Blood is - it’s safe to say this is one of the biggest games of the year, and one we’ll be thinking and talking about for quite some time. Podcast beyond is Max Scoville, Nick Limon and Jada Griffin with special guest Michael Higham.

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In this episode of Beyond, we dive deep into the thrilling possibility of Xbox games launching on PlayStation platforms, marking a potential shift in the console wars as we know them. With rumors swirling about Hi-Fi Rush, Pentiment, Sea of Thieves, Starfield, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle making their way to the PS5, we unpack what this could mean for gamers everywhere. Phil Spencer's recent comments hint at an exciting future for Xbox, and we're here to analyze every detail ahead of the planned business update event. Plus, we discuss the unique case of Bethesda's PS5 exclusives prior to the Xbox acquisition, exploring the implications for future cross-platform releases.

We also shine a spotlight on Helldivers 2, delving into the game's 'unspoken' co-op etiquette and what it adds to the gaming experience. Additionally, get our first impressions of Skull & Bones as Travis takes the helm for its review, and join Brian as he navigates the world of Yakuza. Don't miss our preview of Fanfest 2024, where we tease what to expect from the full days of trailers, exclusive reveals, and interviews. It's an episode packed with insights, speculation, and excitement for the future of gaming across consoles.

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Sony’s second State of Play of 2024 was a feast of details on the next chapter of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII revival, not the least of which was the confirmation of the game's demo (which you can download now!) From games at the Gold Saucer, dolphin racing, polygonal recreations of the characters’ PS1 models, and of course, changes to the familiar story of the original, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth looks to be one of the most exciting games of the year. It’s a good thing it looks like there’s so much to do, because there will be plenty JRPGs that'll be competing for attention in 2024.

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The first PlayStation State of Play of 2024 is the topic of discussion in this episode of BEYOND! Akeem, Max, Brian and Jada break down what we saw, from titles like Helldivers 2, Stellar Blade, Sonic x Shadow Generations, Silent Hill: The Short Message, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Judas from the creator of BioShock, Metro Awakening VR for PSVR2, the PSVR 2 title, Legendary Tales, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Rise of the Ronin from Team Ninja, Until Dawn, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, a new action espionage game by Kojima, and so much more in this episode of BEYOND! #PS5 #StateofPlay

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The entire Beyond crew is finally back together again and this time, we talk about Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and how much of a breath of fresh air it is. As if the year hasn't already gotten off to a good start, we also find that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is exactly what we're looking for in a quality Metroidvania and we tell you why it's worth diving into. We also dip into more Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's plans for the future and what exactly is the deal with Dragon's Dogma 2's lack of fast travel. Join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, and Brian Altano in this jam packed episode!

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Metal Gear Solid has no shortage of memorable boss fights, but which boss is the best boss of all? Is it The Boss, or is that too obvious? This week, your regularly scheduled PlayStation discussion takes a back seat in favor of something much more esoteric and absurd, so if you’re not a Metal Gear fan, you may want to sit this one out. Join tactical espionage fanboys Max Scoville, Nick Limon and Nick Maillet as they debate this hallowed series’ iconic rogue’s gallery using the newly revamped Face-Offs function on IGN.com. Our esteemed judges will be reaching decisions by weighing a variety of extremely scientific criteria, such as how cool each boss looks, how many weird ways they can be killed, and most importantly, the age-old playground debate of who would beat whom in a fight. From infamous showdowns like Psycho Mantis and Metal Gear Rex to absurd encounters like Fatman and The Pain, this series has plenty of great bad guys, many of whom become recurring characters between games, like Revolver Ocelot, Vamp, and Liquid Snake (in one form or another) so there’s a lot to talk about, and if nothing else, this’ll help Kojima fans pass another hour or so until we get more news on Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta Triangle: Snake Eater, Death Stranding 2, and Overdose. 

Check out the Metal Gear Solid boss face-off right here: https://www.ign.com/faceoffs-new/face-off-best-metal-gear-solid-bosses

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SPOILER WARNING! We absolutely spoil stuff that happens in The Last of Us Parts 1 and 2, so if you haven’t played either of those games… Go do that before watching/listening to this week’s show. Anyway, in addition to fiercely debating the seemingly simple hypothetical question of who’d win in a fight, Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil, or Joel Miller from The Last of Us. Speaking of The Last of Us, the HBO series has found Season 2’s Abby Anderson in Kaitlyn Dever, and we also got a faint glimpse of the Gravity Rush movie, plus non-updates on Prime Video’s God of War series and Netflix’s live-action Horizon prequel show. Meanwhile, Sony and Honda showed off some new features of the AFEELA electric vehicle, which can be driven with a DualSense controller. Ya know, on stage at CES 2024 for tech demo purposes, but also later this year when the EV comes to Gran Turismo 7. Speaking of first-party PlayStation studios games, there aren’t man first-party exclusives coming out in 2024 that we’re aware of, but there are still a bunch of huge third-party PS5 console exclusives, and we’re gonna be eating good for the next few months at least. Finally, Jada flexes about the mountain of Platinum Trophies she racked up in the final weeks, days, and hours of 2023.

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Happy New Year! In this week’s Beyond, which we pre-recorded two weeks ago, we discuss how there’s a ton of potential for A24 and Kojima Productions’ upcoming Death Stranding live-action feature film adaptation to capture a lot of the game’s best qualities while leaving out some of the stuff that turned people off of playing it. In other news, we take a look back at Sony’s 2023, and discuss what PlayStation did right, and what left us scratching (or shaking) our heads in confusion and dismay. Aside from Insomniac and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the most exciting stuff happening on or around PlayStation this year was either third-party, multi-platform, or not a game at all. PlayStation Productions’ big push into movies and TV was a lot more exciting than PlayStation Studios’ offerings, which is especially frustrating when you factor in that Sony basically shipped a new console this year with the PlayStation VR2. It’s a cool high-tech hat, but even its most staunch defenders have to admit that the company that made it isn’t doing much to support it these days (or really at any point this year.)

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The Last of Us Online is officially not happening, according to a disappointing but unsurprising announcement from Naughty Dog. We reflect on how this call is ultimately probably for the best, but still a bummer, and one that is symptomatic of a larger problem in how big and ambitious multiplayer games have become since The Last of Us’ original Factions mode was released. In other news: Insomniac announced that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is getting some much-requested updates next year and the gang’s all been playing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. A Far Cry game reskinned to look like Avatar seemed like the easiest win possible, but it either plays it too safe, or doesn’t get creative enough, depending who you’re asking.

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There were a ton of incredible games to play on PlayStation in 2023, so join us as we highlight a few of our favorites from this massive year. In March, Resident Evil 4 Remake was one of the first games of the year we really got excited about, and it’s only gotten more updates since launch. Star Wars Jedi Survivor continued Cal Kestis’ journey and harkened back to some classics Lucasarts adventures while also forging its own path - and unfortunately, battling some rough technical issues at launch. Street Fighter 6 proved that Capcom still knew how to let players have a great time, and Final Fantasy XVI showed that the team behind FF14 could jam just as much epic fantasy into a single player experience. Baldur’s Gate 3 captured the fun of an analog pen-and-paper game of Dungeons & Dragons, and the hearts of both die-hard RPG nerds and first-time adventurers alike. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was yet another astounding technical feat from the team at Insomniac and Alan Wake 2 is just a flat out amazing example of games as a narrative and artistic medium, while also being fun and scary as hell. Really, this year had so many great games, what was your favorite?

Also! Hot on the heels of last week’s GTA 6 trailer leak and subsequent reveal, this week we’ve got some more substantial news to talk about - though it’s not exactly fun. For starters, the ESA has officially pulled the plug on E3, which has been on varying degrees of life support for a while now. It’s not a huge surprise but it’s still a major loss for the games industry. Meanwhile, hackers breached Insomniac Games and allegedly stole a bunch of data, including info on the upcoming Wolverine PS5 game, as well as a bunch of developers’ personal information, which isn’t a very nice thing to do.

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You’ve probably heard by now that Grand Theft Auto VI has been revealed, first unofficially (again) and then officially, by way of an incredibly slick trailer courtesy of Rockstar Games. It’s been a decade and change since GTA V was first released, so hype is understandably through the roof, but it’s worth discussing exactly HOW monumental the excitement around this trailer is. In under 24 hours, its views on YouTube alone eclipsed the combined lifetime views of trailers Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - and it’s very possible the reveal trailer for GTA 6 will have gotten more views in a day than GTA 5 got in twelve years. Considering the last game was the fastest-selling entertainment of all time, raking in a billion dollars just a few days after it launched, it’s safe to assume that GTA VI will be a milestone event when it drops in 2025. In a world where Rockstar didn’t have anything to announce this week, The Game Awards would’ve been what everyone was talking about. There’ll still be plenty to see, and hopefully some surprises, but it’s hard to even imagine an announcement that would come close to one-upping a sequel to one of the most popular games ever that’s been under wraps for ten solid years. Anyway, Tom Marks joins us to discuss a game that’ll be playable (well, it already is, mostly) very soon, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on PS5 - specifically, the all new roguelike mode, No Return. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to take the roguelike world by storm, but it sounds like a phenomenal way to get a little more mileage out of Naughty Dog’s subtly complex combat system, and maybe unlock a few new shirts for Ellie and Abbie along the way. Finally, we have the winners for last week’s first annual Beyondcé awards. Did Bluey win “Bluest Video Game Character of 2023?” Yes, yes she did. But it was a three way tie with two other blue people/animals.

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This week on Beyond, we unpack the long-rumored official reveal of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, which might cost a few extra bucks, but seems to actually have more going for it than good looks. The roguelike “No Return” mode looks like a blast for anyone who enjoys the tense brutal combat, while the new guitar free play mode will likely be fun for, well, people who liked playing guitar in the PS4 version. Meanwhile, getting developer commentary on cut content and lost levels is a neat peek behind the curtain, and over on the Spider-Man 2 front, Tony Todd continues to make public statements that may or may not tease what Insomniac has planned. Anyway, the real meat of this episode is our first annual Beyond Game Of The Year Awards That Nobody Else Is Doing, AKA “The Beyondcés” (unless that’s a legal minefield in which case we’re sorry.)

Like all awards shows, this is all completely meaningless and made-up, but in this case, especially so - but, it’s an excuse to reflect back on some of the little details from our favorite games of the year, and some general absurdity from 2023’s big wet blue greasy smorgasbord of video games, many of which had sand in them. Like all good awards shows, Baldur’s Gate 3 is nominated for almost every category, but we’re also taking time to celebrate Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1 for reasons the fighting game community couldn’t care less about and reflect on whether or not Spider-Man 2’s slime made up for its lackluster puddle graphics last gen? Is Gollum’s hair a liquid? Is grease a liquid? And hey, how about those Star Wars Jedi Survivor chickens? We go into all of this, and more, but we’d love your input as well, dear listener/viewer/reader! Hop on over to our poll and make your voice heard. If our nominations suck, throw some of your own into the proverbial hat and we’ll announce the winners next week.

Cast your vote with this legally binding Google Form!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1e-wue5y021mMtugwPedAMBRL5ZyiR_4d3wtD5zf-8z8/viewform?edit_requested=true#responses

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In honor of the PlayStation Portal, the latest addition to Sony’s ever-growing menagerie of bizarre ways to play games, we decided to hold a little tournament to pick the one true best controller. Y’know, from the dozen arbitrarily selected contestants that were randomly pitted against one another in a confusingly designed bracket. How does the DualShock 4 stack up against the original non-DualShock PS1 controller? How does that yogurt covered pretzel-lookin’ PlayStation VR Aim zapper fare against the PlayStation Portal, a brand new device that none of us have physically touched? What about that whackadoo prototype PS3 controller that looked like a banana or a boomerang? We had fun debating all of these things, so hopefully you enjoy listening. This week’s Beyond features Max Scoville, Brian Altano and Jada Griffin.

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After much discussion of PlayStation Portal, Sony’s dedicated remote play device for PlayStation 5, the reviews are in, and according to IGN’s reviewer Seth Macy, it sounds like a surprisingly well-designed accessory aside from a few odd shortcomings. Seth joins Max Scoville and Jada Griffin to talk about how Sony’s next-gen PSP is a lot more impressive if you think of it as a specialized controller rather than an attempt at a handheld device. Meanwhile, The Game Awards nominees have been announced and the Game of the Year competition is stiff, with Baldur’s Gate 3, Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Resident Evil 4 Remake in the running - plus a couple other games that don’t work on PS5. One of these games is not like the other: should remakes be allowed to win GOTY, or should there be a separate category entirely? We discuss. Meanwhile, a lot of people have their issues with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, but Seth and his Beef Lords clan are having a blast with multiplayer, in part thanks to COD’s pivot to basically being M-Rated Fortnite. Do Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Spawn and Skeletor make sense in a realistic military shooter? Not really, but when’s the last time COD multiplayer was about realism? Finally, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s ESRB rating promises a healthy amount of violence, drinking, swearwords, and “Deep Cleavage,” plus some dialogue that (in conjunction with the announcement of swimming) suggests there might be some bawdy beach party bikini antics. Beyond!

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This week on Beyond, there’s plenty to talk about! We’ve got a laundry-list of missing gameplay features in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that were present in previous games that Insomniac hopefully patches. Okay, maybe stealing The Vulture’s wallet wasn’t a feature. There are rumors of a potential Bloodborne movie in the works as well as a release date for the very unofficial fan-made Bloodborne Kart racing game, and we have strong feelings about both of these things, since they relate to Bloodborne, even though we’d love to hear about an official remaster or sequel. We’ve been playing some of the many games recently released, including Alan Wake 2, which is undeniably gorgeous, smart, and incredibly well-made, as well as Robocop: Rogue City, which is debatably none of the above, but still a ton of gruesome hilarious fun. Thirsty Suitors is the Scott Pilgrim game we didn’t know we wanted, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Own Name has erased Max’s brief bout of Yakuza franchise-fatigue. This week’s Beyond crew is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin and Brian Altano.

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We invade Kinda Funny's studio for a special Beyond and P.S. I Love You XOXO crossover featuring Greg Miller and Blessing Adeoye Jr. in our lead up to IGN vs. Kinda Funny Charity event! What's the greatest PlayStation 5 game so far? We've got a bracket of 32 games including: Astro's Playroom, God of War: Ragnarok, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Elden Ring, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Sifu, Ghostwire: Tokyo, The Last of Us: Part 1, Demon's Souls, Balder's Gate III, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and so many more! Which game will come out on top in this ultimate PS5 game smackdown?

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SPOILER ALERT!!! On this week’s episode of Podcast Beyond, Insomniac’s Creative Director Bryan Intihar stopped by to discuss everything Spider-Man 2. We explore the reveals we saw coming, the twists that caught us off-guard, the stuff that was planned for this sequel since day one and the ideas that got left on the cutting room floor. We also touch on how Insomniac Games teased the return of a major villain and how the studio approaches MCU-style crossovers with other projects like Beyond The Spider-Verse and Insomniac’s upcoming Wolverine video game. We also dig into the creative choices that veer from comic book lore, discover the suit that almost made the cut, and get the lowdown on why MJ’s role in the game packs a punch - but again, SPOILERS ahead, so if you haven’t finished this massive PS5 game, go do that!

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The Podcast Beyond crew joins Simon Cardy with a deep dive into our Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Review. There's so much to unpack here from the good, the bad, and the ugly with Spider-Man 2's technical achievements, how it differs from previous Spider-Man entries, and things we wish Insomniac improved on. This has been one of the most anticipated PS5 games of the year, and it's finally here! Could it be the best superhero game of all time, or does it just fall short? Strap in, true believers! 

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The PlayStation 5 Slim has finally been revealed and... it definitely looks like a PS5. We've got some words about the PS5 Slim's higher price point, too! But with the announcement also comes PS2's 23rd anniversary and we dive into another Memory Card episode, thinking back to our fondest and most fun moments with the console, and our favorite games on it as well as what you, the community, have to say! Lastly, we top the episode off with 3 of our favorite underappreciated and underrated Playstation games ever.

00:00:00 - Intro & PlayStation 5 Slim Revealed!

00:11:42 - Movies Coming to PlayStation Plus

00:15:02 - Community Memory Card: PS2 Memories

00:35:52 - IGN Icons Leaderboard

00:44:29 - Underrated Open-World Games & Outro

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Join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and Akeem Lawanson as we delve into another packed episode of Podcast BEYOND! We kick things off with the seismic news of Jim Ryan's upcoming retirement from Sony, examining his legacy with the PS5 and more. The conversation then shifts to Naughty Dog's troubling halt on The Last of Us multiplayer project amid some concerning layoffs. We wrap up with some lighter fare: the Adidas and Spider-Man 2 collaboration that's got everyone talking. 

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, we  discuss Sony's recent investigation following claims of a breach by a ransomware group and what this could mean for the company's systems. Next, we venture into the neon-lit streets of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty as we examine how the game has evolved over the past three years. Join us as we explore the gritty, futuristic landscapes inspired by classic cyberpunk literature and films. And if that's not enough, we also take a look at the Resident Evil 4 Remake DLC: Separate Ways and discuss what sets it apart from the original.

00:00:00 - Intro & Sony Hit with Ransomware Hack?

00:04:12 - Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty Rules

00:38:30 - 6 Things To Check Out After Phantom Liberty

00:43:50 - Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways Also Rules

00:50:40 - Outro

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Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 preview took place recently, and we jump in and break down Spider-Man gameplay, combat, city traversal and more. Akeem and our guest, IGN’s very own Benjamin Watts, share their Spider-Man 2 first impressions, what it’s like controlling the symbiote and utilizing Miles’ venom blasts and new abilities. We dive into what we could possibly expect next from #PlayStation; will we get another State of Play this year? What’s next for the #PS5? Max shares his experience with Baldur’s Gate 3, as he shares his romantic co-op experience with his wife. Baldur’s Date, anyone? Ben goes head first into Mortal Kombat One, some PlayStation Portal talk, and so much more this episode of BEYOND! 
 

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The State of Play had a number of new trailers starring some familiar upcoming games and the Podcast Beyond crew dives in! Foamstars continues to be something that looks better and better the more we see of it, and Spider-Man 2 has us more hyped than ever! Plus, we have so much to say about the new trailers for Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth and Resident Evil 4 Remake DLC. What was your favorite game of the show? 
 

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It's no secret that Lies of P has a lot of  FromSoftware DNA, specifically that of the beloved PlayStation-exclusive Bloodborne. This week Beyond's resident Bloodborne fanboys Max Scoville and Brian Altano are joined by Travis "Tie Guy" Northup, who reviewed the new Pinocchio-inspired action-RPG for IGN, and they break down what this game gets right (a lot) and what it does differently from the gothic horror soulsborne classic. We dive into the gameplay, boss fights, systems, weapon customization and general lore, keeping things spoiler-free.

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, brace yourselves, PlayStation Plus subscribers, because a price hike is on the horizon! Is there any silver lining in these cost adjustments, or are we in for the same old story with this month's "free" games? And since we're talking about big numbers, what's up with treating yourself to 19 inches of Venom? 

Also, Jada brings back exciting tidbits from PAX! From the gripping fun of 30XX to the timelessly fantastic Prince of Persia, and the engaging Dragon Quest: Adventures of Dai - we’re covering it all. But wait, Foamstars might just be the unexpected gem of the show??? Let's dive in with your host Max Scoville and show regulars Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and Akeem Lawanson! 

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In a very special post-gamescom 2023 episode of Beyond, we discuss some of the coolest games (and other stuff) we saw at the world’s largest gaming convention. While we were very happy to get new details on games like Little Nightmares 3, Neill Blomkamp’s Off The Grid, Wayfinder, Where Winds Meet, The Thaumaturge and Cyberpunk 2077's upcoming 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty expansion, PlayStation’s absence was extremely noticeable. Xbox had an awesome booth showcasing new games, but also giving some love to games that are already out. Nintendo, on the other hand, had literally nothing new to show, but still gave fans a place to congregate and get hands-on, take pictures, and generally have a good time. 

If Sony had nothing to show, this might make sense, but not only is Spider-Man 2 out next month, while gamescom was taking place, the Project Q was given an official price and title in a blog post. This week’s episode features Max Scoville and Brian Altano, as well as their dear friends Stella Chung and Seth Macy, who you can catch regularly on IGN’s Xbox and Nintendo shows, Podcast Unlocked and Nintendo Voice Chat. This week’s episode description was written 36,000 feet above Canada on very slow $27 wifi. 
 

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With half the Beyond crew off to gamescom 2023 in Germany, Akeem Lawanson and Jada Griffin hold down the fort with very special guests Kat Bailey and Parris Lilly, talking about the biggest reveals coming out of gamescom Opening Night Live! Join us for some big reveals and deep dive interviews with the devs of Tekken 8, The First Descendant, Warhaven, and reacting to a brand new trailer from Lords of the Fallen! It's an EXTRA long special gamescom bonus episode of Beyond, so you won't wanna miss this!

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00:00:10 - Intro & the PS5 Slim Was Leaked? 

00:21:10 - We've Played Lords of the Fallen 

00:36:18 - What Are the Stupidest Things You've Done in Baldur's Gate 3? 

00:50:54 - Mitchell Competed at EVO 2023! 

01:02:05 - Gran Turismo Movie Impressions & Outro

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Rockstar’s recently announced re-release of Red Dead Redemption has a lot of fans feeling seriously disappointed, with good reason. Some of the backlash is a result of high expectations, but this latest port doesn’t do Rockstar’s legacy justice. That said, what other older Rockstar games need to be playable on modern consoles while we’re waiting around for GTA 6? Max, Jada and special guest MrMidasGames share their picks. In other news, Baldur’s Gate III is shaping up to be one of the densest RPGs in ages, and its deep systems might be a bit daunting to newcomers unfamiliar with D&D rules. Despite so many traditionally turn-based games making the shift to real time combat, we’re happy Larian Studios didn’t try to reinvent the wheel (or the D20) for this long-anticipated sequel. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge was a fitting successor to the original TMNT Arcade Game, so we wax nostalgic about which beloved 80s and 90s cartoons are deserving of modern throwback video games. Plus, some amusing features have been introduced in the PS5’s latest update beta, and a discussion of usefulness of the Sony’s upcoming cloud handheld slash glorified controller, the Project Q.

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00;01;03;29 Twisted Metal

00;19;25;15 Lords of the Fallen

00;30;06;17 Remnant II

00;47;30;06 All Hail Glorbo

00;53;21;25 More News

01;04;21;14 Capcom stuff

01;13;51;00 Outro

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Get ready for a supercharged San Diego Comic-Con edition of IGN's Beyond! Join us, Max Scoville, along with Brian Altano, Akeem Lawanson, and the awesome Lisa Wallen - a stand-up comedian, Twitch streamer, and fellow weeb! We learned more about Spider-Man 2, Venom, and touch on fan-buzz regarding reused animations in the game. Then, we'll jump to the galaxy far, far away with Star Wars Outlaws - exciting new updates await! We also take a trip to Sand Land and discuss Mortal Kombat 1's Bad Superhero DLC, including Homelander, Peacemaker, and Omni-Man. We've got al our favorite highlights wrapped up in this episode, so you don't wanna miss this!

00:00:10 - Intro & New Updates on Spider-Man 2 + Venom!

00:10:23 - Star Wars: Outlaws is an Open World Game

00:19:43 - Akeem Played Sand Land!

00:29:58 - Mortal Kombat 1 Revealed Their Bad Superheroes DLC

00:40:04 - Our SDCC Highlights & Outro

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We're busy with SDCC this week, so we wanted to resurface this deep dive look at Star Wars Jedi: Survivor with game director Stig Asmussen. With everything from why we couldn't change Cal's hair color to the crazy [REDACTED] with [REDACTED], there's a lot of surprising new info we have in store for you! Join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du as they dig into what made Star Wars Jedi: survivor such a hit with its audience. 

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In this week's show, we'll dive into EA's highly anticipated Black Panther game and explore its potential to stand out among other superhero games. We'll also discuss future Marvel games, sharing our wishlist and realistic expectations for characters like Blade, Ghost Rider, and the Fantastic 4. But that's not all! We'll delve into the delightfully weird Baldur's Gate 3, a game that captures the comedic essence of Dungeons & Dragons. We'll also take a look at "The Last Hope - Dead Zone Survival," a hilarious ripoff that puts a unique spin on "The Last of Us" on Switch. 

00:00:10 - Intro & Video Game of the Year w/ Jordan Minor

00:11:02 - EA Announces a New Black Panther Game

00:19:18 - What Will the Next Marvel Game Look Like?

00:28:00 - Baldur's Gate III Lets You Seduce Bears

00:40:38 - The Story Behind Street Shark's Mandella Effect

00:44:48 - "The Last Hope" is "The Last of Us at Home" & Outro

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Jump into the world of Final Fantasy XVI with us as we pull back the curtain on what makes this game tick. From the insane boss battles to the incredibly well-realized characters and their relationships that, believe it or not, pack more punch than the actual story – we've got the scoop. And hey, if you're new to Final Fantasy or character action games, FF16 might just be your perfect starting point. It's accessible without being too hand-holdy for the seasoned players. Ever wondered if Final Fantasy XVI could bring in a new wave of fans? Or if it’s the most on-point Final Fantasy we've seen in over a decade? We sure did. After all, it's been a wild ride with the FF series, from the mixed bag that was FFXIII, the near-miss cancellation of FF14, to FF15's incomplete run, and the long wait for the rest of the FF7 Remake. But FF16? It's been different, in a good way – announced with the PS5, steady updates, and a launch just under 3 years later that's been met with a whole lot of love from fans and critics alike. But that's not all. We've got some juicy PlayStation gossip fresh from the Xbox Activision trial, and a rundown of 2023's best games so far (yes, "Final Fantasy XVI" makes the cut). So grab your controller, and let's dive in!

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But also: does it even matter? This week join Max Scoville along with IGN’s Kat Bailey and Ben Watts, plus special guest Kahlief Adams from the podcast SpawnOnMe. We frantically recap some of the highlights of the vaguely E3-shaped blob of showcases, presentations and virtual events, including: Mortal Kombat 1 striking a balance between being charmingly cartoony and disgustingly realistic, while also appealing to both hardcore and casual fighting game fans. Sidenote, which is grosser: a man being cleaved in half by a hat made out of a razor-sharp saw blade, or casually blowing a snot rocket in polite company? Star Wars Outlaws looks awesome, and we could probably prattle on about that until we’re blue in the face, but why do that when we can have a serious discussion about how successful Foamstars will be in the already crowded service game space? On a less enthusiastic note, we reflect on Sony’s recent PlayStation Showcase, which effectively kicked off the summer event season, but paled in comparison to some of the big reveals that followed. Does it matter? There are plenty of new games coming out, PlayStation 5 is selling well. 

Sure, PSVR 2 owners are being woefully neglected, and the Project Q is something nobody asked for, but it’d be nice if Sony was as willing to put on a show like some of the competition. In other news, Diablo 4 is a massive game in a year full of massive games, and we reflect upon how it’s hooking new and old players alike. As IGN’s resident Armored Core fan, Kat has strong feelings about the rapidly approaching Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. It seems to be taking a few cues from FromSoftware’s recent games, but it’s staying faithful to the original games, not trying to be a mecha-flavored Soulsborne. As IGN’s resident Yakuza (er, Like a Dragon) fan, Max has some strong feelings about the reveal trailer for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and feels it is easily the best video game trailer featuring a nude man on a beach since Death Stranding’s debut.

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In this special IGN Summer of Gaming and Capcom Showcase post-show, the Podcast Beyond team dives into their favorite game reveals of the week! From tons of surprise announcements including Star Wars Outlaws, Path of the Goddess, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth as well as a number of disappointments to talk about, so you're not gonna wanna miss out with Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Matt Kim, and Akeem Lawanson! #IGNSummerOfGaming

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In this spoiler-filled episode of Podcast Beyond, we have Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's game director Stig Asmussen along with us on a deep dive on how the game came together. With everything from why we couldn't change Cal's hair color to the crazy [REDACTED] with [REDACTED], there's a lot of surprising new info we have in store for you! Join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du as they dig into what made Star Wars Jedi: survivor such a hit with its audience. 

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Sony's PlayStation May Showcase had some excellent reveals like Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Remake, and Spider-man 2, but it left us with a lot more questions about the other first party Sony studios. Did the showcase live up to the hype of other showcases or was it a glorified State of Play? Can the Snake Eater Remake succeed without Hideo Kojima? Who is the target audience for Project Q? Why didn't we at least get a tease from other studios like Bluepoint, Housemarque, or Bend Studios? Join Jada Griffin, Taylor Lyles, Benny Watts, and Jeffrey Vega for their thoughts about the Playstation Showcase after giving it a second look. 

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Sony's PlayStation Showcase was packed full of exciting new trailers, we're here to talk about some of our favorite reveals! We saw everything from a new gameplay trailer for Dragon's Dogma II (FINALLY!!!!!! - Red, the Producer) to tons of new Spider-Man 2 gameplay, a Metal Gear Solid 3 surprise reveal, as well as a remake of Bungie's classic franchise, Marathon! There's just so much to talk about, you won't want to miss this. Join Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Akeem Lawanson for their PlayStation Showcase reactions!

00:00:00 - Intro & the Best New Trailers!

00:16:40 - Our favorite 3rd Party Trailers  

00:35:00 - Is the PSVR 2 Worth Getting Yet?  

00:41:55 - Project Q and New PlayStation Hardware

00:46:50 - Grading the PlayStation Showcase  

00:56:52 - Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta Trailer Breakdown & Outro

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In this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, we check out a fun new game from Rez Infinite developer, Enhance!  Humanity is the latest PS5 release that puts you in control of a dog made of light, guiding a stream of humans along a variety of challenging levels. It reminds us of old-school Lemmings mixed with... Snake, Katamari, and Intelligent Qube! Yeah, you have to see it yourselves. We also dive into some Zelda alternatives for PlayStation now that the gaming world is now deep into Tears of the Kingdom fever since last weekend. Can't jump into Hyrule?  Check out these other Zelda-likes that are also worth checking out!

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🎉Welcome to EPISODE 800 of Podcast Beyond🎉! From the days of PS1 to the latest PS5, from "Play B3yond" to "Play Has No Limits," we've journeyed through the entire evolution of PlayStation. We've seen the birth, rise, and sometimes fall of beloved games, consoles, and even some quirky slogans. Join Max, Brian, and Jada as they reminisce about their personal stories from back when Beyond Episode 1 premiered. 

We also take a trip down memory lane, revisiting the evolution of PlayStation with its varying consoles and slogans over the years. Join us as we get nostalgic about PlayStation classics like GTA IV, BioShock, Mass Effect, and more. We also debate the best gaming years – was it Jada's 2017 with Nier Automata and HZD, Brian's 2020 featuring The Last of Us Part 2 and Doom Eternal, or Max's 2015 that gave us Bloodborne and The Witcher 3? 

Join us for Episode 800 packed with more PlayStation memories than you can shake a PSVR Move Controller at. 
 

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This week, join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Josh Du and Mitchell Saltzman as they chat Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which is an excellent game despite its widespread technical issues and bugs at launch. We debate which lightsaber stance is superior, Crossguard or Dual Wield? What hairstyle is least stupid? Plus, Cal Kestis doesn’t exactly follow the Jedi Code, but maybe Survivor’s lack of morality system is why it’s so much fun. In other news, Mitchell interviewed FromSoftware devs about Armored Core 6, and we ponder how it’ll resonate with Dark Souls and Elden Ring fans. If you need a giant robot/mech game to keep you busy until Fires of Rubicon release date (August 25th) also recommend a pile of other giant mech games to help pass the time till Fires of Rubicon’s release date, like Titanfall 2. Jada and Mitchell went hands-on with Street Fighter 6 and have a lot of great things to say about the new beat-’em-up, story-based World Tour mode. Is it a Streetroidvania? Finally, we asked an AI to design Bloodborne 2’s boxart and tell us what it’s about, and it definitely sounds… interesting? 

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With Sony’s acquisition of Firewalk Studios, the Beyond crew breaks down the long list of AAA-games the 20+ game studios have under its belts. Xbox and PlayStation are neck and neck in regards to the amount of studios each own, and the crew goes over the top 5 studios from each and some of each’s top video game titles. Horizon Forbidden West’s DLC is out now, so the topic is: Is Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores too hot to handle? And with a Horizon 3 game somewhere on the horizon, what’re some of the improvements gamers would like to see in the sequel? A retrospective look at the God of War game release, Star Wars Jedi Survivor’s file size is massive, and the crew reminiscences on the classic PlayStation memory card screens. This and more on Beyond! - with Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, and Mark Madina rounding out the episode. 

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This week on Beyond, we're catching up on new Final Fantasy XVI reveals as well as Dead Island 2's impending release and our recent review on it! Colin Stevens joins Max Scoville and Jada Griffin, looking back on 10 bizarre PlayStation products you may or may not have owned. Also, with Dreams set to end future support, what will that mean for the community? Could they possibly have something else cooking in place of it? There's much to remember about this excellent sandbox of creativity. We trust Media Molecule is working on something great behind the scenes. 

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In this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, the crew discusses Sony's new controller patent that looks absolutely bonkers... and we LOVE it! But that isn't the end of weird hardware Sony is planning to put out. We also dive into rumors about a new Sony handheld dubbed the "Q Lite" and why we hope it isn't real. We continue the RE4 Remake madness with thoughts on Mercenaries and what's missing. And finally, if you're looking forward to new indies comping to PlayStation, Jada talks about her hands-on time with a handful of them after attending GDC! It's a packed episode full of chaos, so don't miss it!

00:00:00 - Intro & Sony's Latest Patents

00:16:33 - What's with the Sony Handheld Rumors?

00:29:32 - What's Missing from RE4 Remake's Mercenaries Mode?

00:41:20 - Why the RE4 Merchant Rules

00:46:00 - 6 Reasons the Duke is Actually Better than the Merchant

00:56:42 - Meet Your Maker & Other Indies

01:17:33 - Outro

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In this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, IGN's John Davison joins Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du to reminisce about their favorite moments of E3. Is this the last we'll ever see what was once the biggest video game event of the year? We also discuss some Souls-likes on the horizon including The Lords of the Fallen and Remnant II. Will they live up to the hype? Only time will tell. Also, what's the deal with the TMNT - The Last Ronin game? How will it compare to God of War which it is supposedly inspired by? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, it's a Resident Evil 4 Remake extravaganza! Max, Brian, and Jada have played the game from beginning to end (in Brian's case, several times), and they have some thoughts. Brian's gonna wax nostalgic about the content cut from the original game, and Max has a little game for the crew the play. Beyond!

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:15 How is Jada enjoying her PSVR 2?

00:12:18 Resident Evil 4 talk

00:27:14 Cut content from RE4

00:34:38 Max's RE4 sound effects challenge

00:38:31 RE4's Hollywood connection

00:45:35 A very long outro

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, IGN's flagship PlayStation show, our crew welcomes special guest Simon Cardy from IGN UK. We dive into the idea of a PlayStation 5 Pro and debate its potential appeal. Would a PS5 Slim be a more attractive option? Also, Max shares his experience with the upcoming, wholesome Breath of the Wild-like game, Tchia and we dive into Diablo 4 Beta Impressions. Don't miss this jam packed episode!

00:00:10 - Intro
00:03:23 - Do We Want the PlayStation 5 Pro/Slim?
00:19:13 - The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR Impressions
00:28:13 - Tchia Gameplay Impressions Look Good!
00:38:56 - Diablo IV Beta
00:47:50 - VR Not Amused & Outro

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HBO’s The Last of Us Season 1 has come to an end and the Podcast Beyond crew dives into everything that made the episode so great. The Last of Us Episode 9 takes us through the finale of Part 1’s story, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re entering SPOILER territory! But for those that have seen it, the question as to whether or not the series lived up to the game’s ending will naturally come up. Let’s talk about it! Plus, Jada has spent a lot of time with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and fills us in on her favorite things about the game. And speaking of favorites and games…? The PlayStation Store is having a big sale! While it’s easy to just list off the biggest popular games you can pick up for chicken strips, we wanted to touch on lesser known titles to make sure you aren’t missing out on some gems!

00:00:10 - Intro & The Last of Us Episode 9 Reactions

00:21:52 - Dead Island 2 is Coming!

00:28:10 - Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Impressions

00:32:00 - Akeem’s Thoughts on the PS Plus Collection Leaving

00:43:24 - Our Favorite Gems in the PlayStation Store Sale & Outro

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In today’s Podcast Beyond episode, the crew discusses the state of Sony’s properties and how many games they currently have in the works compared to their movies and shows. With the success of The Last of Us, Sony has big shoes to fill when it comes to upcoming movies and shows including the God of War movie, Gran Turismo, and whatever Gravity Rush is going to be. Also, we explore the best and the worst of quick time events and share our thoughts on them. (Any excuse to showcase some Asura’s Wrath gameplay is good enough for me! - Red, the Producer)

00:00:10 - Intro & Sony’s Games vs Movies/Shows

00:24:52 - Some of the Most Underrated PS2 Games 

00:42:00 - What Makes a Great Quick Time Event?

01:05:23 - Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi 4 is Coming!

01:09:38 - Final Fantasy XVI and the PS5 & Outro

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, the crew celebrates Elden Ring's 1-year anniversary along with the announcement of upcoming Elden Ring DLC called "Shadow of the Erdtree". Were there any other games in February we're missing? I'm sure we're good, right Akeem? And speaking of, Akeem LOVES the PSVR 2 and fills us in with some details on why he likes it more than the Meta Quest 2! We also haven't forgotten about the February State of Play and react to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League falling into the realm of Games as a Service.

00:00:10 - Intro & Elden Ring DLC Announced (HBD!)

00:16:37 - Akeem Thinks PSVR2 is Better than the Quest 2 

00:43:45 - Our Thoughts on the February State of Play

00:56:23 - Suicide Squad vs Superhero Games

01:10:49 - Max’s Crime Boss: Rockay City Early Impressions & Outro

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On the eve of PSVR2’s launch, Max Scoville and Jada Griffin are joined by Taylor Liles and Simon Cardy, both of whom have had a chance to take Sony’s next-gen virtual reality headset for a spin. Cardy talks Horizon Call of the Mountain, which unsurprisingly involves a lot of climbing, but also has pan flutes. Meanwhile, Kayak VR sounds appropriately relaxing and What The Bat is as silly as you might expect. We took Wild Hearts for a spin and it’s definitely a Monster Hunter-like, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Plus, let’s spin the wheel and pitch our most disappointing VR add-ons for non-VR games.

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Happy Valentines Day! In this episode of Beyond, the crew takes us on a look back at some of our favorite video game romances. But why stop there? We also took a deep dive into which video game characters are the worst kissers. Fair warning, it gets a bit… messy? You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, and you will definitely ask why we left out Ebrietas in our list. Jada also talks about her preview of Pacific Drive and reviewing Theatrhythm Final Bar Line… please don’t just how we pronounce that.

00:00:10 - Intro

00:05:43 - Curse of the Licensed Games 

00:27:20 - Romance in Video Games

00:39:39 - The Worst Kissers in Video Games According to Max & Jada

00:52:28 - Pacific Drive Impressions

01:06:27 - Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Review

01:11:43 - The Last of Us: Episode 5 Reactions & Outro

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has been delayed 6 weeks to April 28th, 2023! Though that means more waiting for us, we're hoping it means the game will get more love and polish with that extra time. On this episode of Podcast Beyond, we talk about improvements we'd love to see in Jedi: Survivor that would possibly turn it into a solid GOTY contender. We also dive into new PS5 updates, more DualSense Edge talk, and what happens when games-as-a-service shut down. Back 4 Blood and Knockout City were so fun! IT's sad to see them go, but what's next for GAAS? Join Max Scoville, Jada Giffin, Josh Du, and returning guest and former host Mark Medina on BEYOND!

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:57 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

00:21:34 PS5 gets a new update

00:32:26 More games-as-service games are shutting down

00:48:35 DualSense Edge talk

00:57:55 HBO's The Last of Us Episode 4 talk

01:10:19 Gran Turismo 7's PSVR 2 update

01:21:19 Outro

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Sony has recently announced that they will NOT be attending E3 2023. With Xbox and Nintendo also not making any plans on showing, what does this mean for E3 and ESA as a whole? Also, Naughty Dog says we won't be seeing Nathan Drake as part of Uncharted in future games. Uncharted as a SERIES, however, still has all of us guessing as to what's next. Let's talk about it! We also dive into great games getting stealth released out of nowhere as well as taking a deeper look into what did and didn't work between Dead Space Remake and The Callisto Protocol. TONS of interesting topics, this week, folks! Don't miss out on this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!

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Forspoken is finally here! Since its release, the internet has lit up with very polarizing reviews, but the Podcast Beyond crew also have their two cents on the subject. Forspoken is very ambitious, but is that enough to make it worth picking up day one? Max has also had time to play with the DualSense Edge! Will you be getting one yourself? It's a nice piece of hardware, but battery life still seems to be an issue. Perhaps it'll be the perfect fit for the PSVR 2 which we now know of 30 new games announced for it! How will they live up to what we've seen on the original PSVR? Finally, what was up with that ending to The Last of Us Episode 2? Stick around for a spoiler-filled quick reactions chat about it, because it was a lot to take in. BEYOND!

00:00:10 - Intro

00:01:09 - Forspoken: Is It Any Good?

00:24:33 - DualSense Edge Impressions

00:27:58 - The 30 PSVR 2 Games Announced

00:47:06 - Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Deserves a Prequel, Not a Sequel

00:58:25 - PlayStation ModLibs

01:03:58 - The Last of Us Episode 2 Reactions & Outro

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With the release of the PSVR 2 just on the horizon coming February 22, 2023, the Podcast Beyond crew get into what the different things that will make or break its release. Will the PSVR 2 be worth the wait or has the ball been dropped due to the momentum of the first generation's game releases slowing to a crawl? Plus, the release of the first episode of HBO's The Last of Us series has us all in its grips, but what does the Beyond audience think about it? Jada Griffin gives us the lowdown. And speaking of Jada, our resident trophy hunter, what game is currently on her s--- list on her quest to racking up her trophy count? Join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Brian Altano in our latest episode of Podcast Beyond!

00:00:10 - Intro

00:01:54 - Where’s the PSVR 2 Hype?

00:22:04 - Beyond Community Impressions of The Last of Us HBO Series

00:36:01 - F This Trophy: Final Fantasy Crisis Core

00:42:30 - God of War: Ragnarok Gets New Game Plus & Our Favorite NG+’s

00:51:50 - Outro

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, the Beyond crew talk about whether or not the orientation of your PS5, vertical or horizontal, might be detrimental to the lifespan of your gaming console. There have been reports that apparently keeping the PlayStation 5 upright leading to long-term problems for internal pieces in the #PS5. The #PlayStation5 is readily available in retail stores, and Max Scoville invites an actual “PS5 scalper” on the podcast to both confront and ask him how his PS5 reselling business is going in 2023 given the news. There’s a big reveal, and Akeem Lawanson discusses his disdain for PS5 resellers, along with his very own version of the PlayStation Project Leonardo controller kit. The Beyond crew then dives into a non-spoiler discussion of The Last of Us HBO series. Sony’s AFEELA is a car that’ll be in the wild, Brian Altano hates shimmying through cracks in video games, Jada Griffin breaks down the games she Platinumed over the holidays, and so much more on this episode of BEYOND!

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:00 PS5, vertical or horizontal?

00:07:00 Interview with a real-life PS5 scalper

00:10:12 Akeem buys a Project Leonardo controller

00:13:08 Non-spoiler-y discussion of HBO's The Last of Us

00:27:52 Brian hates shimmying through cracks

00:36:36 Sony and Honda introduce AFEELA

00:38:57 Jada's 3rd Annual Trophy Gauntlet

00:51:24 Outro

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Josh Du, and Akeem Lawanson runs us through some of the third-party and first-party PlayStation exclusives coming out in 2023, including Horizon Call of the Mountain for PSVR2, Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 #PS5 game, Forspoken and many more. Hitman 3 is being rebranded as World of Assassination, and the Beyond crew break down what this means for both newcomers and those returning to the Hitman franchise. With the entire Hitman trilogy soon to be in one package, this might be the time for Josh Du to hop into the slacks of Agent 47. 

00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:19 - PSVR 2  talk

00:11:43 - Other big games of 2023

00:23:55 - Hitman 3 gets rebranded

00:29:24 - Konami's mystery games

00:41:42 - PS Plus games for January 2023

00:47:11 - Outro

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, Jada Griffin talks us through on what she loved about the DualSense Edge in her hands-on preview at PlayStation HQ. Is it more than meets the eye? What are the best features on it and how customizeable is the DualSense Edge? Will it be great for accessibility? Join the crew as they ask the important questions of whether the new controller for the PS5 is worth it.

Also, with the announcement of Death Stranding 2, Josh questions whether or not he should FINALLY start playing Death Stranding. How does it hold up? And what does Brian Altano think of Callisto Protocol? As you can see, there are TONS of questions waiting to be answered in this jam packed Holiday episode.

00:00:10 - Intro

00:50:00 - DualSense Edge Controller Hands-On Impressions

00:12:42 - DS2: Should I Play Death Stranding?

00:27:09 - PlayStation Mod Libs

00:33:29 - Brian & Callisto Protocol 

00:43:34 - IGN’s Best PlayStation Characters & Outro

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Will Armored Core 6 be anything like the Soulsborne games we've grown accustomed to? How has Elden Ring's success affected FromSoftware's approach to the latest Armored Core game? In this episode of Podcast Beyond, Max scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and Akeem Lawanson dive into what makes Armored Core so different to FromSoft's most successful games. Whether you've played previous Armored Core games in the past or not, we're still very curious whether anything will change with the series, especially considering how successful Elden Ring was this year, even taking home the Game of the Year award from The Game Awards last week!

Also, Akeem has had something brewing for years now that he's FINALLY able to talk about! What's with this beef with Brian? Find out in today's episode of Podcast Beyond!

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Will gamers choose Elden Ring for 2022's GOTY, or will God of War: Ragnarok swoop in at the end of the year and take it from them? It's a question everyone's had on their minds well into 2022. Elden Ring is a massive open-world phenomenon that will stick with gamers for its unforgiving, yet memorable world with rich lore, and God of War: Ragnarok is a story for the ages that takes you across the nine realms with some of the best acting ever put in a video game. Max Scoville and Brian Altano on Team Elden Ring go head-to-head-to-head-to-head with Jada Griffin and Akeem Lawanson on Team Ragnarok as they debate their points on which game they believe deserves the crown.

00:00:10 - Intro

00:00:55 - The Great Elden Ring vs. God of War: Ragnarok Debate

00:49:50 - Outro

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The original Witcher game is 15 years old, and recently CD Projekt Red has announced that it will be getting a complete open-world remake! In this episode of Podcast Beyond, Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Colin Stevens talk about other games they think would benefit from open-world remakes as well. Also, we take a look at some hilarious Platinum-farming shovelware that requires you to... stroke a turtle? Yeah, we're as confused as you are. Wait till you see Italian Journey! You won't believe what kind of games have managed to make it into the PlayStation Store. Finally, Max comes to a realization that Bloodborne is like parenting? Utter madness. 

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In this episode of Podcast Beyond, the crew joins Eric Williams, director of God of War: Ragnarok and reveal some new information about things like easter eggs that you DEFINITELY missed, why Ragnarok breaks God of War tradition, and the story behind Ragnarok's biggest optional secret!

Join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du as we break open God of War: Ragnarok in this spoiler-heavy and incredibly fun chat with game director Eric Williams! You're not gonna want to miss this one!

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The PlayStation 5 is two (2) years old, and the Podcast Beyond crew is back, this time going through each of the PS5’s biggest features and how well they’ve held up over the years. Does the PlayStation get a passing grade for what it promised us back during its release in 2020, or have certain things simply fizzled out over the years? Join Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du as they talk about everything PS5 including the DualSense controller, Pulse 3D headset, and its high-speed SSD. 

We also look forward to 2023 and the amount of games releasing as a result of 2022’s delays. Next year is already looking out of control and we’re here for it! And finally, Brian tells us why he thinks now is the perfect time for Sony to announce a new PlayStation handheld. Could it compete with the likes of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck? Join us and find out! BEYOND!

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It’s a big week for the PS5 with God of War: Ragnarok’s release on the horizon. We talked with Simon Cardy, the game’s reviewer and dive deep into how he came to call God of War: Ragnarok a masterpiece. But that’s not all! This episode is jam packed with God of War bits  including Kartos’ history of video game cameos along with something about a stealth horror God of War vs Predator game? Anyway… BEYOND!

00:00:00 - Intro & God of War: Ragnarok Review Discussion

00:12:16 - The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station Podcast Preview

00:14:56 - God of War: Ragnarok Discussion Pt. 2

00:20:41 - God of War vs God of War

00:24:45 - God of Wheel!

00:39:28 - Will GTA 6 Disappoint Vice City Fans?

00:46:23 - Community Spotlight & Outro

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Subscribe to the horror series set in the universe of “The Callisto Protocol,” the hotly anticipated game from Striking Distance Studios.  

Helix Station was once the jewel of the Jovian system, but it’s been a decaying ghost ship ever since its Carpenter drive went supercritical. When a dangerous escaped criminal seeks refuge there, officers of the Black Iron Prison force a pair of veteran skip tracers to help recover him. But once on Helix, they discover murderous alien life forms, as well as unspeakable horrors from their past.

Starring Gwendoline Christie and Michael Ironside. IGN is publishing and distributing Helix Station in partnership with 
Striking Distance Studios, creator of the game The Callisto Protocol. The first two episodes of The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station 
are available now, with new episodes dropping every Thursday. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.
 

Listen & Subscribe here!

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A recent financial report revealed that PlayStation Plus has lost a few million subscribers since June. Is this a sign of the end times? Should Sony worry? Is this Game Pass’s fault? It’s complicated! But we have our theories. Aside from that, we’re talking about how Call of Duty Modern Warfare II’s record-breaking sales on PlayStation might never reach the same heights, playing another round of Pollstation Plus - and discussing how Crash Bandicoot, literal mascot for the PS1, is now an Xbox property, plus (no pun intended) new PlayStation Plus games for November as well as some news about EA inking a ten-year deal with Marvel to make games… We’ve got a bad feeling about this. This week’s Beyond is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Josh Du, and Akeem Lawanson.

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This week, we’ve all been playing one of the most anticipated PlayStation games of the year: God of War Ragnarok. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers - don’t worry, they’re spoiler free. Meanwhile, Brian got to take Capcom’s upcoming Resident Evil 4 Remake for a spin, and dozens of full playthroughs of the original RE4, there were lots of surprises in store. Much has been said about Gotham Knights’ lack of Batman, but what about its lack of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Halloween is around the corner, so let’s discuss horror games - or rather, what makes a horror game? Amidst all this very serious discourse, we also found time to have some fun. Let’s spin the wheel and see what genre the next God of War reboot will be - and then give our best elevator pitch for it. Plus, hundreds of you answered our poll and now we have to see how well we know YOU, our audience. What kind of animal do you think Crash Bandicoot is? What American city should get the Grand Theft Auto treatment that hasn’t already? You know, assuming you forgot two thirds of GTA: San Andreas? This week’s Beyond is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du.

00:00:10 - Intro

00:02:38 - Resident Evil 4 Remake Impressions

00:19:53 - What Makes a Horror Game a Horror Game?

00:27:28 - Gotham Knights is a Better TMNT Game Than a Batman Game

00:36:19 - PollStation Plus

00:48:50 - Your God of War: Ragnarok Questions Answered!

01:09:15 - Pitching the Next God of War Reboot & Outro

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The Dualsense Edge, Sony’s high-end PlayStation 5 controller, is officially priced at $199.99 - is that too much for a controller? Join Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and Akeem Lawanson as we unpack our conflicted thoughts on the matter and look back at some of the more expensive controllers in the history of gaming, from Microsoft’s Xbox Elite controller, to Steel Battalion’s infamous Mega Jockey 9000, to Nintendo’s iconic Power Glove. Plus, new Silent Hill might be on the way, but it’s been a quiet (and crappy) decade for Silent Hill fans as the PS Vita-exclusive Book of Memories turns 10. Why hasn’t Konami treated survival horror fans as lovingly as Capcom has with Resident Evil’s new games and remakes? 

Speaking of spooky remakes, can we get a PS5 version of Bloodborne, already? If we’re getting overhauled versions of modern Sony classics like The Last of Us: Part One (which already got remastered once) and the much-rumored PS5 port of Horizon Zero Dawn, how about giving one of the best PS4 exclusives some 4K 60-frames-per-second love, too? Demon’s Souls shows Bluepoint can handle a FromSoft game. Bloodborne needs a next-gen transfusion next. Oh, and Horizon Forbidden West is getting its own clothing line thanks to a collaboration with ASOS - it’s taking a more fashion-forward approach than most gaming merch, but we have mixed feelings overall.

00:00:00 - Intro
00:01:34 - News & Stuff
00:10:48 - Is the DualSense Edge Worth $200?
00:22:28 - A Decade of NO Silent Hill
00:34:44 - What's That Sound?
00:39:36 - Remaster Bloodborne, You Cowards!
00:43:20 - ASOS + Horizon Forbidden West + Outro

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Beyond and hello! This week on IGN’s PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond, the crew gives their impressions on the somewhat messy, but still really fun – Overwatch 2. Also discussed is the current state of PlayStation Stars, which turns out is kind of a bummer, but sounds like it has some fun bits of trivia. And of course, Mark says his goodbye as the host and permanent cast member on the show. 

00:00:10 - Intro

00:02:01 - Overwatch 2 Impressions

00:24:59 - What Exactly is PlayStation Stars?

00:29:21 - PS Stars Quizathon!

00:37:39 - What We’re Playing

00:43:50 - Mark’s Signoff & Outro!

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Beyond and hello! This week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation podcast covers the controversial reports that 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn could in fact be receiving the remaster, or even remake, treatment. So ride along with Mark Medina, Alex Stedman, and Matt Kim as we go over these rumors and try to make sense of it all. Is it corporate greed? Or is it movie and TV show related? You’ll have to watch to find out! (but…yes, probably to both)

Also discussed was the surprise news of a brand new Witcher trilogy in the works, as well as the followup to Cyberpunk 2077.

00:00 - Intro
03:20 - Horizon Zero Dawn Is Getting a Remake??
10:46 - PlayStation TV Shows and Movies Discussion
25:16 - CD Projekt Red Just Announced a TON of Games!
38:52 - We Talked About the Game of Thrones on a PlayStation podcast
43:00 - The PS5 Is Jailbroken??

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00:00:00 - Intro 

00:07:32 - PS4 Games We Want to Come to PS5

00:22:49 - HBO’s The Last of Us Teaser Revealed!

00:35:45 - E3 Returns in 2023, But Will it Be the Same?

00:49:30 - Outro 

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Beyond! Whelp, it turns out Rockstar has once again had some of the details of their highly-anticipated future installment in the GTA series make its way onto the internet before it was ready. This one, however, has seemingly claimed the crown of being one of the biggest video game leaks of all time. Yikes! So ride along with this week’s Beyond crew – Mark Medina, Matt Kim, Jada Griffin, and Kenneth Shepard – as they speculate how this leak could’ve happened, and the ripple it may have on the future of remote game development.

Also discussed is the increased player count in Cyberpunk 2077 thanks to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, EA Motive is making a brand new Iron Man game, and how PS VR2 won’t have backward compatibility. Boo!

00:00:00:00 Intro

00:27:27:05 PSVR2 Hands-On

00:40:09:02 The Last of Us Part 1

00:48:52:01 What We've Been Playing

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Mark is joined by Jada Griffin, Brian Altano and John Davison as they discuss a much juicier than anticipated September Sony State of Play. There were plenty of surprises in Tekken 8, God of War: Ragnarok and a Star Wars PSVR 2 game in Tales From the Galaxies Edge Enhanced Edition, plus plenty of new reveals that piqued our interest in Pacific Drive, Syn Duality and Like a Dragon. All of that and we take a closer look at the flood of Assassin’s Creed games that were revealed during the weekend’s Ubisoft Forward.

Beyond!

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The holidays are fast approaching, and with them comes a lot of chatter about what the best video game of the year was. Is the best Game of the Year already out, or is it still on the way? Ride along with IGN’s Jada Griffin, Tom Marks, Matt Kim, and Mark Medina as they speculate wildly about which PlayStation game is going to come out on top when 2022 finally comes to a close.

Also, Cyberpunk 2077 is back in the headlines, not only with a brand new expansion announcement, but also the news that it's essentially a...next-gen game only going forward? Strange times!

00:00 - Intro 

01:23 - What We've Been Playing 

15:54 - Cyberpunk 2077 Update and DLC 

33:57 - PS5 Update 

36:30 - Camo PS5 Accessories 

38:44 - Fromsoftware Investors 

49:10 - PlayStation GOATY Watch 

01:15:34 - Outtro

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The seemingly impossible has happened! After nearly two years of being on the market, the PlayStation 5 is receiving a price INCREASE in many major regions. While it might seem like a shock to some folks, it seems like nothing is unprecedented in these….unprecedented times! So join IGN’s Matt Kim, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina as we theorize why this happened at all, and what it could mean for PlayStation’s current console production shortages.

Also, The Last of Part 1 is almost here, and we’ve been playing it. So if you’re curious about this strange new title and want to know what we think of it, then this might be the episode for you!

00:00:10 - Intro & News!

00:05:43 - PS5 Getting a Price Hike???

00:29:10 - The Last of Us: Part I Impressions

00:51:26 - Outro

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to bid farewell to Jonathon's time as host of Beyond!

After nearly four years as host, Jonathon is leaving IGN and Beyond!, too, and so Mark and Jada wanted to send Jonathon off by walking down memory lane, discussing PlayStation and IGN memories with each other, talking about what's to come in the world of PlayStation, and reflecting back on his time hosting Beyond! (We try to sneak in a little news talk in there about the DualSense Edge, the PSVR 2 launch window, and some surprising PlayStation movie adaptions. But look, this episode is a more reflective, personal one for the crew, they'll be back to normal PlayStation discussions next week!)

Brian and Max also join Jonathon for a segment to discuss their time on Beyond! together, wrapping up and bookmarking this era of Beyond! (Parental warning, a couple of curses are said during this segment! Timecodes below if you need) And then, Jonathon bids his final farewell to the show, to the audience, to the co-hosts, and producers.

And from Jonathon himself (hi, me here!), thank you so much to everyone who has supported the show during my time hosting. Beyond! has meant so, so much to me throughout my life as both a fan and someone on the show. I am so proud and grateful of the show we've made, and grateful to anyone who's tuned in.

As always, BEYOND!

00:00 - Intro and Jonathon’s Big Announcement!
11:21 - PlayStation Memories from the Past
22:44 - State of Play Speculation
33:11 - Memories of Jonathon’s Time Hosting Beyond
37:35 - Max and Brian Say Their Farewells to Jonathon
50:12 - Outro and Tons of Tears

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On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation show Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to dive into the latest PlayStation news, discuss some classic PlayStation memories, plus a deep dive on the new game Rollerdrome with one of the developers behind it!

First, Jonathan, Jada, and Mark dig into the latest PS4 and PS5 news, including Astro’s Playroom devs Team Asobi working on their biggest project yet, , Spider-Man having a pretty successful PC launch, Marvel Games holding a panel during D23, and some updates on live-service and multiplayer games, like Fortnite getting Dragon Ball and Multiversus getting Black Adam and Stripe. And that really gets us on a weird Gremlins tangent.

Then, we dig into a discussion about our histories with PlayStation, and specifically discuss when PlayStation became our platform of choice. We dig into the games, consoles, and general eras of PlayStation that have had us coming back for years. And we want to hear your stories as well! Write in to beyond@ign.com with the subject line “PlayStation Origin Story” to tell yours!

Then, Jonathon speaks to Simon Bennett of Roll 7 to discuss the studio’s awesome new skating-meets-shooter game Rollerdrome, how the studio put this strange yet fun idea together, and why it made such a smart fit alongside the developers other games like OlliOlli.

00:00:00 - Intro & News!

00:19:23 - What Made You a PlayStation Player?

00:50:36 - Rollerdrome Dev Interview

01:16:53 - Outro

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On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mitchell Saltzman to talk about the latest news in the world of PlayStation, and the excitement of EVO and why it’s the best time to get into fighting games.

First, the cast runs down some of the big news in the world of PlayStation, including the new PlayStation Plus extra lineup, including Yakuza games, Monopoly, and more; the casting of new and familiar characters in The Last of Us HBO TV show, Marvel Midnight Suns’ delay out of October, and the Call of Duty Modern Warfare II beta.

Then, we dig into some thoughts on fighting games. With EVO having recently concluded, the first time since PlayStation acquired a stake in the tournament. Mitchell offers some of his thoughts from actually competing in and attending EVO, Jada offers her thoughts on watching as a fighting game fan, and Jonathon discusses his experience watching as someone who has never really been into fighting games. The cast talks about why now is perhaps the best time to get into fighting games, given the positivity and support around the scene, the success of free-to-play fighters like MultiVersus, which the panel has all been playing, and what upcoming and older fighting games might be good starting points for players who want to get into the fighting game scene.

Then, Jonathon speaks with two of the developers behind Cult of the Lamb, which hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this week. Julian Wilton, Massive Monster Creative Director, and Jay Armstrong, the studio's Design Director, join Jonathon to dig into Cult of the Lamb’s development process, the joys of it’s combination of game genres, and whether the team always knew it had to be a lamb at the center of it all. The cast then discusses some of the comments we received from last week’s show, the games we’ve been playing, including MultiVersus, Cult of the Lamb, and Nobody Saves the World, and Jonathon reads a wonderful Memory Card. And we do it all while accidentally creating like six portmanteaus.

Want to be part of the show? Write in to beyond@ign.com.

00:00:00 - Intro & News!

00:14:45 - Mitchell Attended EVO 2022!

00:27:53 - Multiversus’ Success & Jumping Into Fighting Games

00:40:54 - What’s the Best Fighting Game to Start With?

00:52:13 - Cult of the Lamb Dev Interview

01:21:13 - Memory Card & Outro

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Timecodes:

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:50 - The Great Game Length Debate

00:51:30 - PS5 Accolades Going Away?

00:54:16 - What’s the Best Yakuza Game to Start With?

01:01:52 - Outro

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00:00:00 - Intro  

00:03:47 - GTA VI Gets its First Female Protagonist  

00:20:54 - Knights of the Old Republic Remake Indefinitely Delayed

00:25:49 - PSVR 2 Gets New Features

00:34:56 - August PS Plus Games

00:40:45 - Stray Developer Interview

01:06:35 - What We’re Playing & Outro

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00:00:00 - Intro 

00:03:50 - PlayStation Stars Announced!

00:15:54 - God of War: Ragnarok Gets a Story Synopsis

00:21:18 - Stray is Finally Here!

00:57:19 - Memory Card & Outro

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00:00:00 - Intro 

00:03:58 - PS Plus Gets its First Big Update for Extra & Premium

00:28:28 - Haven is Officially a PlayStation Studio

00:34:45 - TLOU: Part I Remake Goes Gold

00:42:40 - Indie Release Dates Announced!

00:46:35 - Q3 & Q4 2022 Game Updates

00:58:15 - Memory Card & Outro

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00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:58 - God of War Ragnarok release date & Collector’s Edition revealed!

00:29:57 - Forspoken delayed to 2023

00:45:31 - SuckerPunch is NOT working on Sly Cooper & Infamous

00:49:30 - GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption remasters are no more

00:52:39 - Memory Card & Outro

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This week on the number one PlayStation Podcast produced by IGN, join substitute host Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Matt Kim as they discuss the latest goings-on including (but not limited to) job listings posted by Sucker Punch that suggest the studio might be making an open-world game with stealth and melee combat. So, Ghost of Tsushima 2? Or Ghost of some other Japanese island? Or hey, maybe it’s Sly Cooper. We can dream.

We also have some new details on Final Fantasy 16, which will not be an open-world game or too similar to Final Fantasy 14, but it sounds cool nonetheless. The Birdman himself revealed that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 almost got remakes, but apparently those got scrapped. Meanwhile, PlayStation is skipping Gamescom, YouTuber DIYperks made his own PS5 Slim, and Creative Assembly’s new game Hyenas sounds pretty cool. Plus, we talk about Ape Escape and Metal Gear Solid 3 and Dragon’s Dogma, which Max is still very excited about.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Max Scoville and, for her final episode as a cast member, Lucy O'Brien, to discuss all the news in the world of PlayStation.

The panel begins by jumping into the recent Final Fantasy news, including confirmation of FF7 Remake Part 2 being Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, a Crisis Core remake, and where to start if you're looking to get into Final Fantasy. Then, the panel discusses a bit about the confirmation of Dragon's Dogma 2, and why Max is really excited to revisit the franchise.

The panel then dives into a few PlayStation first-party topics, including the wild rumors about God of War Ragnarok delays, the reports about God of War Ragnarok's potential alleged release date, and why we're OK not hearing too much about the sequel so far. Next, we dip into some impressions about the new PlayStation Plus, its offerings, and our hopes for its future, and then we discuss The Last of Us remake, also known as The Last of Us Part 1, and our interest in Naughty Dog's future with the franchise.

We also discuss some of the games we're playing, including Max's surprising interest in Fortnite, before we give a tearful goodbye to Lucy, who we'll miss dearly and are so grateful for her many wonderful years on the show.

Timecode: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:50 - 2 More Final Fantasy Games Revealed! 00:11:52 - Dragon's Dogma 2 is Coming! 00:18:35 - The Mystery of God of War Ragnarok 00:27:42 - PS Plus News 00:42:39 - The Last of Us: Part I Remake Revealed 00:54:15 - What We're Playing! 01:01:16 - Goodbye Lucy!

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On this week’s episode of IGN’s weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Joseph Moran and Kyle Stephenson of The Trophy Room podcast to discuss all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation. As the PlayStation podcast streams collide, the trio dig into some of the newest reveals of the summer, like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s reveal trailer, Joseph’s thoughts on the COD sequel, and why he’s excited to return to the Modern Warfare series. Then, hot off the reveal of Sony Bend’s new logo and the promise of its next game built on the open world ideas of Days Gone and featuring multiplayer, we dig into the larger promise of PlayStation’s multiplayer future. With reported or rumored multiplayer, live-service, or social projects at Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Haven, London Studio, and many more, we discuss what our actual hopes are with PlayStation’s plans to ramp up its multiplayer focus. We discuss why we think there’s hope for new PlayStation multiplayer games, especially with past successes like Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and The Last of Us: Factions, the lineage of PlayStation multiplayer, why we don’t think this will be the end of PlayStation’s single-player focus, and our expectations for the variety in PlayStation multiplayer games we hope to see in the future. We also take a look at the announcement that E3 will be returning in 2023, but what we expect from PlayStation as the gaming events landscape continues to change. Are we expecting Sony to return to E3, or will it continue to go its own way? And do we hope that means eventually bringing back PSX as a part of its larger events plan for the future. Plus, Kyle and Joseph share Memory Card stories, the trio reminisces about old controllers, and much more!

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Jada Griffin to break down the June State of Play live, immediately after it aired.

The group digs into all the big reveals from the show, what we loved most, what surprised us, and how we think the State of Play stacked up to past ones. We discuss the thrill of Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, and Final Fantasy XVI being announced or showcased. Then, we dig into some of the PS VR 2 reveals, like a better like at Horizon Call of the Mountain, Resident Evil 8, and more. Plus, we take a look at the lineup of awesome indies like Stray, Season, and Rollerdrome coming in the next few months, while also covering everything else we saw at the showcase.

(This episode was filmed live right after the State of Play, and had to be cut down due to some live show hiccups, so apologizes for any skips in the audio you hear!)

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to check in on Mark's perilous journey atop Splash Mountain, and also discuss the biggest PlayStation news of the week.

The crew digs into PlayStation confirming it is adapting God of War, Horizon, and Gran Turismo into TV shows or movies (note: we recorded before reports suggested GT will be a movie, not a show!), our hopes and expectations for what Netflix's Horizon show may be, how God of War on Amazon could shake out, and if the classic Need for Speed film is a good blueprint for Gran Turismo.

We also discuss some of PlayStation's future ambitions for not just PlayStation's biggest games becoming movies and TV shows, but also their plans to expand their PC experiences, as well as their mobile games output. We look into their plans for the next few years, what they likely mean for PlayStation's focuses, and while we think the great PlayStation games we love aren't going anywhere.

We also dig into the leaks of a Death Stranding 2, some PS Plus updates, Jada's impressions of Multiversus, and more!

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:55 - PlayStation Bets On Big TV Shows 00:33:33 PlayStation Investments Report 00:48:36 - Death Stranding 2 Speculation 01:09:51 - News Roundup 01:11:40 - What We’ve Been Playing 01:17:20 - Outro

Follow us all on Twitter:  twitter.com/jmdornbush twitter.com/mark_medina twitter.com/jada_rina

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On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Brain Altano, and Max Scoville to cover all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation. And this week, they’re jumping into the newly revealed new PlayStation Plus games lineup, or at least, the partial PS Plus games lineup Sony revealed ahead of the subscription service’s revamped launch in the coming weeks. The panel digs into what games have been confirmed so far from the PS5, PS4, PS3, PS2, and PS1 games library, discuss some of the surprisingly good choices, the games we hope are still planned to be included, and some of the good and odd choices for remasters and remakes versus original releases across the PlayStation generations. We also dig into some of PS Plus’ surprising benefits, like these older generations allowing for original purchases of old PlayStation and PSP games to be downloaded even if you don’t subscribe to the new PS Plus. Plus more discussion on Game Trials, our general new PS Plus expectations and games lineup hopes, and much more. Will we have time for more PlayStation news of the week? Who knows! But we attempt to cover more, including the potential return of Silent Hill, and we also have Brian and Max offer some of their predictions for what’s to come from any potential PlayStation summer showcase, a Trophy Test, and much more.

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On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin to dive into all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation news and games.

The duo dive into a breakdown of big takeaway from Sony’s earnings report, and what they mean for potential and current PS5 owners. We discuss Sony’s forecast for selling PS5’s in the next fiscal year, and how it would nearly double the number of PlayStation 5’s out there, meaning a lot more players could jump onto PlayStation’s latest console. We discuss our hopes and realistic expectations for when we might see these millions of more PS5s make it into the hands of players, what it may mean for this generation as a whole, and much more. Plus, we dig into PlayStation’s commitment to invest $300 million more into its first-party studios (not referring to PlayStation acquisitions), and what that might mean for the cadence and ambition of PS5 games being released. We discuss whether the cross-gen release plan is dwindling and if PlayStation and third-parties are primarily moving on to the latest console generation, what that means for players, and how we’re already seeing that go into effect with games like Gotham Knights.

Speaking of that upcoming Batman game, we dig into the Gotham Knights gameplay demo that WB Games recently revealed, offered our impressions on the gameplay and WB’s decision to abandon the last-gen PS4 and Xbox One versions in favor of just releasing Gotham Knights on PS5 and Xbox Series. Could we see more companies doing this? Do we expect God of War Ragnarok to be the last cross-gen first-party game? All this and more in our discussion!

Plus, we offer a Trophy Test answer for last week’s question, introduce a new one for next week, offer some gameplay impressions on Apex Legends’ new season, Unpacking, and more, Jada suggests some PSP games she hopes to see on the new PS Plus, and we read a nostalgia-fueled Memory Card story about trips to Blockbuster.

00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping

00:03:10 - Trophy Test!

00:08:00 - Will More PS5s Be Available Soon?

00:22:00 - PlayStation Putting More Emphasis on 1st Party Studios

00:36:06 - Gotham Knights Gameplay Impressions

00:47:06 - What We’re Playing

00:58:02 - Our Favorite PSP Games

01:02:29 - Memory Card & Outro

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The summer gaming events season is starting to come into focus, but we still don't know what PlayStation is up to! That's why on this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to speculate about what our hopes are for PlayStation's next big showcase, whenever it is. Knowing we haven't gotten a PlayStation showcase since last year, and only a few States of Play in 2022, the trio dives into what our hopes would be for a potential PlayStation summer showcase,  including guesses we hope you'll hold us to when they turn out wrong about when a summer showcase might air, what games would be included, and more. We break down the likelihood of seeing a showcase in the coming months, what possibilities of God of War Ragnarok, PSVR 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and other first-party games may be there, as well as our third-party picks ranging from Stray to Resident Evil Village DLC to much more. Be sure to tell us your hopes for PlayStation's next showcase in the comments or write into beyond@ign.com, and we'll read some on the show! After that, we also dig into some news for the week, primarily focused on Square Enix selling some of its studios to Embracer, as well as big franchises like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and more. Then, Jonathon speaks with some of the developers of the new indie game Trek to Yomi about their take on samurai action, and we wrap up the show with a Memory Card story, a new Trophy Test, and more! 00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:09:18 - What’s PlayStation’s Summer Plan? 00:56:29 - Square Enix Sells Some of its Studios 01:12:28 - Trek to Yomi Dev Interview 01:34:56 - Memory Card & Outro

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 On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to dig into the various bits of PlayStation news this week, including new updates for PS5, PlayStation Plus, and PlayStation's PC and preservation plans. After a brief Beyond Movies and TV podcast interlude about Everything Everywhere All at Once (no spoilers but you can skip ahead with timecodes below!), the gang dives into all the new reports surrounding PS Plus' new game trials. We break down what the deal is with these new game trials, how they affect PS Plus' offerings, what exactly they are as compared to traditional demos, and much more. We break down what it might mean for players, how it could raise questions for developers, and whether the practice might change the expectations for playing on PlayStation with its revamped subscription service Next, the group discusses Variable Refresh Rate coming to PS5, and also gets sidetracked discussing Ghostwire Tokyo...which does not have confirmed VRR support! But we do discuss the new feature a bit, what games are receiving the update, and Sony's general approach to the feature for PS5 games. Plus, we discuss the release date for the new PS Plus, what games are coming for PS Plus in May, and a lot more news in the world of PlayStation 4, PS5, and more. Topics include PlayStation's reported new preservation team, patches for Elden Ring and Sifu, Mark's marriage, and more. We also read a beautiful Memory Card story from a Beyond! listener, Jonathon offers a Trophy Test for the panel, and more! (Headline meant to be read in a Jerry Seinfeld voice) 00:00:10 - Intro & EEAAO Chat! 00:05:28 - PS Plus Announces Game Trial Initiative 00:33:25 - VRR Comes to PS5 00:48:38 - PS+ Games for May 00:56:55 - More News 01:07:36 - Memory Card & Outro

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond 746, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina for another trip down PlayStation nostalgia lane, as we discuss the PS2 games we want on the new PS Plus lineup later this year. The trio throws the show order all out of whack when they open the show discussing the games they've been playing this week (and shockingly not Severance)! We discuss a bit of A Plague Tale, Jada's love for Slay the Spire, and how Jonathon accidentally made Mark fall in love with Fortnite. Then, the cast breaks down the PS2 games we'd like to see added to PS Plus, alongside the problems that come with so many having received remasters or remakes, what original versions we would still want to see, and if having a PS2 original to download is a better option than a PS3 remaster to stream. (Jonathon has a semi-breakdown in real-time about it, even!) We dig into some of the biggest games we loved from the PS2 era, from PlayStation first-party games on the PlayStation 2 like Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank, to third-party hits like SSX Tricky, X-Men Legends, the GTA Trilogy and more, along with big franchises like Dynasty Warriors, Persona, and so much more, including even PS2 licensed games and favorites of the era, like the PlayStation 2's 007: Nightfire and the Lord of the Rings games like Two Towers and Return of the King on PS2. We also discuss some of your picks for your favorite PS2 games, and discuss the ups and downs of the PS2 generation overall. Then, the crew takes a breather from our PS2 nostalgia to look at some of the latest news of the week, including Amy Hennig's new Star Wars game, the latest Portal 3 hopes, Kojima Productions not joining PlayStation and more, before wrapping things up with an appropriately themed PS2 Memory Card!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to travel back in time to the days of the PS1, and reminisce about the PS1 games we loved and want to see added to the new PS Plus lineup. While we know plenty of games from the era have received remasters and remakes, we dip into franchises like Ape Escape, Brave Fencer Musashi, Mega Man X, Tomba, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy, Digimon, Crash Bandicoot, and more for what we'd like to see added to the lineup. We discuss why we loved the games we did, what games we missed out on that we also want added so we can complete our historical knowledge of PlayStation's original console, and call out a number of picks from the Podcast Beyond community. Then, Jonathon speaks with Ian Campbell and Graham Smith from Drinkbox Studios to discuss Drinkbox's Nobody Saves the World making the jump to PS4 and PS5 this week, what players can expect, and Drnikbox's PlayStation lineage. After that, Jonathon, Jada and Mark discuss some of the news of the week, including Kingdom Hearts 4's reveal, The Witcher 3's PS5 delay, and more, plus a Memory Card story of a particularly enterprising PlayStation player. If you'd like to write in with Memory Card stories, PS Plus wishlists, questions for the show, or something else, write into beyond@ign.com 00:00:10 - Intro & Rogue Jam 00:03:17 - Our PS1 Wishlist for PS Plus 00:59:16 - Drinkbox Studios Dev Interview for Nobody Saves the World 01:25:38 - More Gaming News! 01:45:07 - Memory Card & Outro

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On this episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to talk about PlayStation... and Severance. But mostly PlayStation, we promise, Mark's just really happy Severance got renewed. But after that, we dig into the biggest news of the week, including confirmation that a new Tomb Raider game is confirmed, as well as our hopes and expectations for a new Lara Croft adventure from Crystal Dynamics. We dig into what we did and didn't like about the reboot trilogy, what we hope a new game would carry forward, and if it's even something we want set in that same universe or a new timeline entirely. Then, we discuss a bit about E3 2022 not happening, what we expect from PlayStation's event plans in the coming months, and more about how busy this summer is likely going to be for gaming events. We also discuss Jim Ryan's recent comments about Sony's plans for more acquisitions, and the discussions PlayStation is having with other major and indie devs and publishes to support the upcoming PlayStation Plus library. Then, we dig into what we're playing, including Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, LEGO Star Wars, Maquette, Fortnite's Zero Build mode, and more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina to dig into the latest PlayStation news of the week. And of course, the biggest topic on our minds is the new PlayStation Plus subscription tiers, how Sony is altering PS Plus, and whether we have enough details yet to know if it's worth subscribing to the higher tiers. The panel breaks down their initial reactions to the new PS Plus three-tiered system, how it integrates PlayStation Now, and where it stands as an offering for PlayStation fans.  We dig into the pricing structure, the availability of older libraries, the lack of PS3 downloads and PlayStation Vita as a whole, and whether different tiers appeal to new PS5 players, longstanding PlayStation fans, or both. We of course touch on the biggest question - what the library will actually look like, and knowing that PlayStation won't release its first-party games day one on the service, we discuss what they could do to make the game libraries worth subscribing to. We also discuss whether a metaphorical sandwich can help explain the different PS Plus tiers. We also hear from the audience on some of your thoughts on the PlayStation Plus changes! Then, we dig into some other news for the week, like April's PlayStation Plus games, the renewal of a trademark and tthe hopeful return of our one true PlayStation hero Knack, Gran Turismo 7's recent apology and economy changes, GTA+ if you wanted info on another subscription service, and a bit of Brian's Elden Ring Experience.

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It's been zero days since PlayStation has acquired a studio! That's right folks, just when you think every studio in the world has been bought up by either PlayStation or Xbox, Sony once again surprises us with another PlayStation Studios announcement. So watch along with Jonathon Dornbush, Mark Medina, and Jada Griffin as they give their best guess as to why Haven Studios could be a smart bet for the upcoming PlayStation Live Service lineup. Also, they dive into the recent Gran Turismo 7 controversies, and give even more thoughts on the newest PlayStation console exclusive: Ghostwire: Tokyo. And don't forget, Apple TV+'s Severance is a really good show, so if you're not playing a video game this weekend, do yourself a favor and watch Severance. This isn't an ad, it's just a really good show. Just watch the podcast, you'll get it. Ok bye!

00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:02:23 - PlayStation acquires Jade Raymond's Haven Studios 00:30:06 - Gran Turismo 7 Under Fire 00:47:22 - PS4 & PS5 Updates Now Live 00:53:39 - New Witcher Saga Announced! 00:59:38 - Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed Announced 01:04:02 - What's Up with Project Spartacus? 01:11:23 - What We're Playing & Outro

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 On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Seth Macy to break down all the biggest games of March we've been enjoying so far. March's best games have included some memorable cars, chaos, and ghosts, and we're breaking it all down on Podcast Beyond Episode 741. Before we dig into gameplay impressions, we first cover some of the latest news in the world of PS4 and PS5, including the sales success of Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, and how the latter stacks up to sales of other PS5 games. Continuing our coverage of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games, we also give Jada and Seth, two TMNT superfans, time to dig into the reveal of the TMNT: Cowabunga Collection at last week's State of Play. Following that, our PS4 and PS5 podcast dips into gameplay discussion, including Jada's Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin review and what she's thought after over 90 hours of gameplay. Next, Seth offers his Gran Turismo 7 impressions after being a longtime fan of the franchise from the early PS1 and PS2 days of Gran Turismo, and what it's been like to come back to the series after some time time away, how gorgeous it is, and more. Then, Mark and Jonathon offer their preview impressions of an early portion of Tango Gameworks' upcoming Ghostwire: Tokyo, digging into the world design, combat, and story they've seen so far. TIMECODE: 00:00:10 - Intro & News 00:12:25 - TMNT: Cowabunga Collection chat 00:20:12 - Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Review 00:33:17 - Seth Macy on Gran Turismo 7 00:47:27 - Mark and Jonathon's Ghostwire: Tokyo impressions 01:02:15 - Outro

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On a special episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Guerrilla's Narrative Director Ben McCaw and Senior Writer Annie Kitain to dive into full spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West's story, ending, and more. (Spoilers ahead!)

Ben and Annie speak with Jonathon about Aloy's story throughout Horizon Forbidden West, certain major story decisions, the ending, and more. But as we touch on major moments from throughout, expect Horizon Forbidden West spoilers! If you don't want to be spoiled on Horizon Forbidden West's story, turn back now! Come back after you've beaten the story to hear some insight from the two on the process behind Horizon Forbidden West's ending, and much more.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina (and later Jada Griffin) to dig into the PlayStation State of Play of March 2022 on Beyond episode 740. While Jada joins us later in the show to discuss her excitement over what was shown, Mark and Jonathon kick off the podcast by discussing the surprise announcement of Returnal's 3.0 update coming later this month, and why we're excited to revisit Atropos with Returnal co-op. We also dig into some of the Square Enix games included in the show, like Forspoken, Valkyrie Elysium, and The DioField Chronicle. Plus, Jada joins us to discuss her excitement for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R, the TMNT collection called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, and more. Plus, the gang covers some of the other recent PlayStation news, like Forspoken's new release date, Gotham Knights' October release date, God of War's potential TV show, an expanded lawsuit against PlayStation, and Sony's response to donate aid to Ukraine and cutting off of game sales in Russia.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Lucy O'Brien, and Tom Marks to dig into the latest PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PSVR 2 news and rumors. First, the panel dives into the alleged new details of PlayStation's upcoming subscription service, PlayStation Spartacus, and what they might mean as an evolution of and successor to the standard PS Plus we know now. We dive into the reported new pricing tiers and inclusions, whether the offerings are enough or balanced well, and what we think of it in terms of current PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now offerings. We also dig into some of the PlayStation news of the week, including Horizon Forbidden West's latest patch, a GhostWire Tokyo prelude novel, DICE Awards wins for Sony asnd some brief hints at Returnal dev Housemarque's new game, and then we dig into what we've been playing, including new and updated takes on Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring.

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Elden Ring is just about here and the reviews for it are extremely positive! So on this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation Podcast, we chat about what it was like for Mitchell Saltzman to review such a massive game in 87 hours, and why it's something fans of the genre will definitely love. We also explore all the new systems it has to offer, and how its open-world adds a dash of welcome flavor to an already tried and true concept.

Also, Jada Griffin sits down with Neil Jones the creator behind Aerial Knight's Never Yield, to talk about its development, the game industry, and all the new content featured in DA Update.

There was also a bit of PlayStation news for folks to be excited about, including a look at the PS Plus games you'll get to claim in March, as well as a quick discussion about the recently revealed look of the PSVR 2 headset.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to have a conversation spurred by recent fan comments of the show and the packed release schedule in the next few weeks. With Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, and now even Cyberpunk 2077 potentially taking up our play time ahead of a year that continues to be busy for PS4 and PS5 gamers, we discuss our current feelings on how PlayStation Trophies do and don't affect how we play games. We dive into what the act of playing an open world game like Horizon Forbidden West or Elden Ring can be like if you're interested in collecting trophies, plus how some on the panel love trophy hunting and how others have fallen off interest in collecting them. We discuss trophy hunting burnout, and more broadly, what does and doesn't make a good trophy or even full trophy list. We cover Control, Marvel's Spider-Man and Miles Morales, God of War, Sifu, Guardians of the Galaxy, Uncharted, and so much more as we delve into how trophies have or haven't improved over time, and how they alter our approach to certain games, genres, and franchises. We also cover a bit of the news in the world of PlayStation, including the new Cyberpunk 2077 patch, some Horizon Forbidden West trophy and LEGO news, and PlayStation Productions updates.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to discuss our spoiler-free thoughts about Horizon Forbidden West for PS4 and PS5 in our review discussion episode. While IGN's Horizon Forbidden West review writer Simon Cardy couldn't join us, all three of the panelists have put a few dozen hours each into the Guerrilla Games PS4 and PS5 sequel, so we break down what we love about Horizon Forbidden West in this review discussion and why we think Horizon Forbidden West is the best PS5 game so far. The panel covers their thoughts on how Horizon Forbidden West evolves the Horizon Zero Dawn formula, what improvements Guerrilla made to Horizon Forbidden West's combat, traversal, world design, and storytelling. First, while keeping free of any major spoilers, we talk broadly about how Horizon Forbidden West's story not only lets Ashly Burch shine as Aloy in her second Horizon game, but how Guerrilla's approach to fleshing out the Horizon universe is so engrossing in Horizon Forbidden West. Then, we dig into Horizon's new and refined combat and traversal options, including some of the new weaponry in Aloy's arsenal, changes to Horizon's skill trees and outfit upgrades, and much more. Our review discussion for Horizon Forbidden West also touches on some of the traversal additions made to Aloy's world on both PS4 and PS5, like climbing, gliding, and swimming, while also taking a look at the world at large, including Forbidden West's sidequests and storytelling approach, optional side objectives, a surprising bit of Metroidvania DNA, and much more. Mark also speaks to his experience playing Horizon Forbidden West across PS4, PS4 Pro, and PS5, while the trio discusses their preferences of playing in quality or performance mode. For PS5 players, we also dig into Horizon's use of 3D audio and DualSense capabilities, and generally gush about our excitement for more people to get to play. If you have thoughts once you dig into Horizon Forbidden West, tweet at the cast or write in to beyond@ign.com with your thoughts, and we'll read them on the show!

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss the latest in the world of PS4 and PS5 games, starting things off with a Sifu review discussion. Mitchell discusses his Sifu review, his general thoughts about the latest PS4 and PS5 console exclusive (also available on PC). Jada and Jonathon also offer their thoughts on Sloclap's Sifu, its gameplay, what accessibility options could be added, and whether Mark is interested in jumping in! Plus, Jonathon speaks with Sloclap's Pierre Tarno about the making of Sifu! Plus, we cover a slew of PS4 and PS5 gaming news, including the Ghostwire: Tokyo gameplay showcase, and how it did or didn't get us excited for the upcoming PS5 console launch exclusive (also coming to PC in March), the Gran Turismo 7 State of Play, some great Horizon Forbidden West crossovers with Sackboy and Ghost of Tsushima, a new PS5 firmware beta, GTA 6's announcement, and The Wolf Among Us 2, and much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Matt Kim to break down the biggest PS4 and PS5 news of the week, namely the latest and biggest acquisition Sony has made in some time. Sony buys Bungie, and we discuss what's next, and the implications of that purchase in Podcast Beyond! Episode 734. We look at why Sony would be interested in Bungie, and Bungie want to join Sony, how Bungie is a unique acquisition and will not necessarily fall under the PlayStation Worldwide Studios umbrella. There's also the matter of potential Destiny TV shows or movies that seem of interest, Sony's increasing investment in live-service games and how Bungie allows for that to accelerate, and, with Jim Ryan's statements that Sony isn't done picking up companies, which development studios would make the most sense, or be good fits, to join Sony PlayStation's stable. We also dig into all the other news in the world of PlayStation, like Ghostwire: Tokyo release date news, Suicide Squad's delay,  Discord integration for PlayStation users, Cyberpunk's leak on the PSN, and more. Plus, Jada gives her thoughts on Dying Light 2: Stay Human!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to discuss Uncharted's PS5 debut with the Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection, and a host of news in the world of PlayStation. First, we break down the PlayStation Plus lineup for February, which brings three games to players who subscribe to PS Plus: UFC 4, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, and Planet Coaster: Console Edition. We dig into our thoughts on PS Plus, how Sony's alleged upcoming Game Pass-like subscription service might affect it, and more. Then, we follow-up on the discussion around Call of Duty's future on PlayStation, with a new report from Bloomberg about how PlayStation fans can expect COD for a couple years more, and then things start to get murky. Then, we dig into the excitement over a PSN glitch that many assumed to be a leak for PlayStation backward compatibility, how likely it means something is on the way, and more. We also discuss the news that Respawn is working on three new Star Wars games, why Mark should play Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and more. We also dig into what we're playing, including the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection for PS5. Jonathon and Mark discuss what it's like to revisit Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, what the new graphical modes, including Performance+'s 120 FPS, are like, and the scope of the collection for those curious on how it stacks up to other PS4-PS5 ports. We dig a little into its DualSense functionality, how it compares to the PS4 versions, and whether it's more akin to Spider-Man Remastered, the Director's Cuts of GHost of Tsushima and Death's Stranding, or basic patches like Horizon Zero Dawn, and whether it's worth the upgrade. Jada also breaks down some of her time with NEO: The World Ends With You and Horizon Zero Dawn on NG+.

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Horizon Forbidden West is only a few weeks away, but IGN's Jonathon Dornbush was able to go hands-on with the sequel for four hours, and has A LOT to discuss about the highly anticipated Guerrilla Games sequel. Now that we've played it ahead of its launch on Feb. 18 on PS4 and PS5, Jonathon breaks down many of the details he's learned about Horizon Forbidden West now that he's gone hands-on and previewed it. As part of this special bonus episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, Jonathon is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Lucy O'Brien to dig into everything we've learned about Horizon Forbidden West, including big changes to Horizon's combat and exploration. Jonathon breaks down some of the new mechanics, skills, and equipment Aloy will have access to in Horizon Forbidden West. And he also explains how players will go about getting some of that stuff, and a lot more, thanks to a more expansive array of sidequests, new mission types, and much more as Guerrilla Games has expanded its settlements. We touch lightly on some story-related content, but try to keep it generally spoiler free when it comes to major story beats in this portion of Horizon Forbidden West. But we do discuss some of the new and returning characters that appear, how Aloy is handling her new journey, and much more.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, IGN's PlayStation Podcast, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Matt Kim to dive into the big news of the week, and, unsurprisingly, we dig into the Activision-Xbox deal. On a PlayStation show, you say? Well, we discuss what this potential deal means for PlayStation players - should Activision and Blizzard games, perhaps most notably, Call of Duty, go exclusive to Xbox consoles and subscription services on console and PC, where does that leave PlayStation? After all, Call of Duty is always one of the industry's best-selling games, and one of the biggest games, with timed exclusives as part of nearly every recent entry, a major factor for PlayStation players. Should future Call of Duty games go away from PlayStation, we discuss what that means for Call of Duty Warzone and more broadly the first-person shooter and multiplayer landscapes on PS4 and PS5. We discuss what PlayStation's recent moves to acquire teams and exclusive games from third-parties means for its future (and why we think multiplayer experiences will be a big part of the PS5's lifecycle), and whether bringing back old franchises like Killzone or Resistance makes sense versus new games. for the PS4 and PS5 player base. We examine PlayStation's recent first-party multiplayer efforts, multiplayer hits on PlayStation Plus, and more as we discuss this, as well as whether the Xbox-Activision deal, and the obvious focus on Xbox Game Pass, will cause any shifts to PlayStation's upcoming alleged subscription plans. Our PlayStation podcast also digs into the new Horizon Forbidden West trailer, as well as God of War's success on PC. Plus, we dive into all the games we've been playing, including Jonathon finally beating Horizon Zero Dawn's The Frozen Wilds DLC, Matt beating Death Stranding, Mark continuing to work through Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Jada's Demon's Souls trophy hunting. And, for those looking forward to the release of Windjammers 2, Jonathon also speaks to the CEO of DotEmu, Cyrille Imbert, about the series' surprising success on PlayStation a few years ago, their goals with the sequel, and more.

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On this week of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Matt Kim to dive into the biggest PS4 and PS5 games and news. First, we take a broad look at the year of big games coming to ps5 and ps4 in 2022 to keep on your radar. Of course, we're looking at big games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok, but we're diving this week into the other games of 2022 we can't wait to play, from big third-party games like console-exclusive Ghostwire Tokyo, multiplatform games like LEGO: Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Sonic Frontiers, and The Callisto Protocol, plus indies like Tchia and much more. Plus, we also dive into the latest PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 news, including the reports that PlayStation is upping production of the PS4 and PS4 Pro to deal with supply chain shortages of the PS5 in the coming year. We discuss what the report means in light of PlayStation's focus on the PS5, the life and longevity of the PS4 into the coming year, and much more. We also dive into the PlayStation rumors about a potential Twisted Metal reboot being in the works, and then dive into what we're playing!

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 On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Tom Marks to break down the first big PlayStation news of the year, and take a look at PlayStation's big 2022. First, we dig into the PSVR 2 news drop out of CES, examining the PSVR 2 reveal's specs, what PlayStation VR 2 needs to do to make a big splash, and we take wild guesses on when we think PSVR 2 will be launched and how much we think the PlayStation next-gen headset will cost. We also discuss our hopes for PSVR 2 exclusive games, and how exciting Horizon Call of the Mountain will be. Then, we take a wider look at PlayStation's big 2022, including the three PS4 and PS5 first-party exclusives we know are on the way - Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo, and God of War Ragnarok. We break down our hopes and expectations, when we think God of War will actually be released, and more on our PlayStation podcast. We also take a wider look at upcoming PS4 and PS5 games, including platform exclusives like Sifu and Forspoken, as well as multiplatform games like Elden Ring, Gotham Knights, and more. Plus, we take a look at January's PS Plus lineup and discuss why PlayStation Plus is off to a strong start this year, with looks at Deep Rock Galactic, Persona 5 Strikers, and Dirt 5. We also dig into the games we played over our holiday break, Jada offers some trophy tips after nabbing 11 platinums over break, and much more!

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Happy Holidays! This week’s episode, everyone’s here! In what can only be considered the most ambitious crossover event in podcast history (maybe?), all of your favorite IGN podcast hosts have come together for a very special end of year episode talking some of the best moments of the 2021 across the Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo gaming universes. Join Daemon Hatfield – host of IGN’s Game Scoop podcast, Ryan McCaffrey – host of Podcast Unlocked, Jonathan Dornbush – host of Podcast Beyond, and Seth Macy – host of Nintendo Voice Chat, as we look back at the best games of 2021 as well as looking forward to 2022. 

From Halo: Infinite, to Returnal, to Metroid Dread and beyond, you’ll find it here. Let’s ring in 2022 the only way we know how: talking about the best video games of the year!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Matt Kim, and Mark Medina to discuss the latest news in the world of PS4 and PS5 games, consoles, and more. First, the cast breaks down PlayStation's official unveiling of new DualSense colors and the first official PS5 faceplate covers in new colors, so your massive console doesn't only have to come in white. We discuss what we think this means for future PS5 looks, how it could affect PlayStation's work on specialty consoles for releases like God of War Ragnarok, Spider-Man 2, and more, and if we actually are going to buy them. Plus, we dig into PlayStation's fifth studio acquisition for the year, and how PlayStation's acquisitions could boost its first-party games. We dive into what we think of Sony's strategy this year of acquiring studios, how they both allow for new games and support of the games of other first-party studios, like Santa Monica's God of War Ragnarok, and what we think of the general approach the studio's taking to impact first-party development for PS4 and PS5. We also look into the improving relationship of PlayStation with its indie partners, and discuss what we've been playing ahead of the holidays, including Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Fortnite, Dark Souls, and the Matrix Unreal Engine 5 experience, which we think bodes well for the future of next-gen games designed in UE5.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond! episode 728, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to discuss what's up with PlayStation's alleged new subscription plans, and what they might mean for PS4 and PS5 owners next year. The trio discusses the reported new details of the alleged three-tier program, which would offer combinations of PlayStation Plus, PlayStation now, and new features, including allegedly demos, game streaming, and back catalogs of PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games. The cast dives into what we would want from such a subscription plan, if we think PS4 and PS5 first-party exclusives would launch into such a service, and how generally the offerings, as we know them, would compare both to Microsoft and Xbox's Game Pass and Nintendo's Switch Online subscription services. Plus, the cast also digs into the recent news in the world of PS4 and PS5, including Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection's release date, some quick Game Awards predictions, and much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to answer one very important question - what are the PS5's best games so far? In Podcast Beyond's episode 727, the trio comes up with their completely unofficial, and not at all contentious list by looking through the entire first year category to decide what PS5 games are the best of the bunch. From Spider-Man Miles Morales, Astro's Playroom, and Demon's Souls at the PS5's launch, to PS4 exclusives like Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, to other Marvel hits like Guardians of the Galaxy or multiplatform games like Death's Door or Knockout City, and even big MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV, the trio and our producer Red pull together a few rounds of our favorites, throw in some wacky veto powers that then mess up the whole list, and try to salvage the list at the end with something not everyone will hate. Did we come up with a great list of PS5 games? Well, we came up with A list, and that was really the goal of this week's PlayStation podcast. Plus, we quickly bring up some PlayStation news, like a potential Returnal DLC tease, PlayStation Plus' December games, Sons of the Forest's release date, and more.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Matt Kim and Mark Medina to take a look at the future of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 exclusive games that could be in the works. With Sony recently re-confirming it has more than 25+ PlayStation 5 exclusives in the works alongside the PS5's one-year anniversary, we decided to take a few guesses at what those 25 games are. And, well, the results were results, but your PlayStation fandom mileage may vary, as the trio offers their real and exaggerated guesses, and includes some community choices in the mix. We run down the list of games that are confirmed so far (and for the sake of this discussion, we're including cross-gen exclusives being made by PlayStation Studios), like God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, Marvel's Wolverine, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Then, we start to drill down into our PlayStation exclusive hopes, from the possibilities of a Bloodborne remake or remaster, or even a sequel, to what Astro Bot devs Team Asobi could be working on, whether we'll ever see the return of PlayStation's Infamous and Sly Cooper franchises, if Uncharted has a future, and so much more. From guesses of new PS5 IPs from PlayStation Studios teams, to existing series that need a revival or reboot, to Jonathon's unwavering hope for a PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2, we come up with a list that, if unrealistic, we'd at least be looking forward to. We also discuss the PS5 shortages expected through the holidays, why it's so frustrating more people can't get their hands on the system, and more, plus a roundup of what we're playing, including the GTA Trilogy remasters and both the many glitches and bugs we've seen going around and Mark's surprisingly bug-free time with GTA III. Oh, and Jonathon experiences an earthquake during the show.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to discuss the PS5's first year as we approach the PlayStation 5 anniversary launch this week. The trio looks back at the PS5 games and how the PS4 vs PS5 first years stack up, the new additions to this generation like the PlayStation 5's DualSense and 3D audio, and much more throughout our PlayStation 5 anniversary retrospective. We dig into the PS5's launch games and the many exciting opportunities to explore its new tech in games like Astro's Playroom, Demon's Souls, and Marvel's  Spider-Man Miles Morales, how Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, Deathloop, and more kept us entertained throughout the PS5's first year, and how certain features like trophies, screen sharing, activity cards, and more have or haven't been put to use on the PlayStation 5. Our PlayStation 5 podcast lookback also discusses the PS5's availability, or lack thereof, as people continue to find PS5's have sold out, and the problems that both the supply chain and bots and scalpers have caused for people getting to enjoy the PlayStation 5. Plus, we discuss what we've been playing on PS4 and PS5, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal, Knockout City, and more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Kat Bailey to discuss the latest news, rumors, and games in the world of PlayStation. But with a recently tweeted photo from PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida showing Horizon Zero Dawn running on the SteamDeck, we ponder what if... PlayStation made a Vita successor? Would we like to see a new handheld from Sony, and does it make sense in this day and age to produce it, or should remote play and cloud gaming streaming be the future?

Plus, we discuss recent statements from Insomniac about how the studio avoided crunch around part of Marvel's Spider-Man, delays like Midnight Suns, Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, November's PlayStation Plus games lineup, and what we're playing.

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On IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina to react live to October's PS5 and PS4 State of Play, covering the biggest announcements, the lack of certain games we hoped to see, and our general impressions of the reveals. We discuss the new PS5 and PS4 trailers for Death's Door, Bugsnax's upcoming expansion, Little Devil Inside, a new Star Ocean, and much more. We also dip into community reactions to the State of Play, why it didn't quite hit the mark for us, and more. But this week was also filled with plenty of other PlayStation news, so we also discuss Returnal's new save state mode in the Returnal 2.0 update, as well as new details about Horizon Forbidden West's exploration and traversal, and more. Plus we offer our impressions of playing Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy so far, along with why we're excited to jump into the GTA Trilogy being released next month.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, IGN's Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to discuss all the latest in the world of PS5, PS4, and more. First, with the recent PS4 and PS5 game delays of things like Elden Ring and the PS5 versions of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, we talk about how jampacked early 2022 is with PS4 and PS5 games, including Horizon Forbidden West, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Sifu, Elden Ring, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Gran Turismo 7, and so much more. We discuss what we're so excited to play, why we don't mind this fall being a bit quieter, and how we plan to tackle this short span of so many potentially awesome PS4 and PS5 games. We also discuss PS5's sales success in September against the Nintendo Switch, and what that means for PS5 sales going into the rest of the year, as well as the return of custom PS5 faceplates from a t hird-party company,  DBrand, our approach to customizing our hardware or looking for different console and controller color variants, and more. Plus, we also discuss the move of God of War 2018 coming to PC early next year. We also dig into games we've been playing, including Death Stranding: Director's Cut, Hot Wheels Unleashed, New World, Far Cry 6; Jada shares a Memory Card story, and much more!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Matt Kim and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss the latest in the world of PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation VR. The panel dives into some of the latest PlayStation news, like PlayStation's mobile games interest and Jim Ryan's recent comments about wanting to expand the PlayStation player base, the 5th anniversary of PSVR and some of our favorite PSVR games, and a little bit about what we hope to see in the updates made to PSVR 2 next-gen hardware. But the trio, emboldened by the end of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's DLC fighters,  and the release of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, dives into our dream roster list for PlayStation ALl-Stars 2, the unannounced fighting game sequel we hope really gets made some day. We dig into the obvious and deep cut choices we hope to see, what potential from new and old PlayStation franchises could make their way into the roster for a PlayStation All-Star sequel for PS5, and try to explain away some of our strangest choices. Really, we're sorry. Plus, Jonathon speaks with the developers behind JETT: The Far Shore, including its co-creator and composer about bringing its unique adventure to life, Mitchell gives his thoughts on Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and Demon Slayer, and Matt offers preview impressions of his time with Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker content, including FF14's two upcoming new classes and why he and Jonathon think it's worth jumping into Final Fantasy XIV before Endwalker. We also dig into a Memory Card story, and much more! And if you're looking for more places to enjoy the show, check out Podcast Beyond! on all available platforms: https://linktr.ee/podcastbeyond

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Matt Kim to discuss all the latest in the world of PlayStation, including the PS5 game trials being tested in the UK and how we'd like to see it expand, the continuous leaks for a GTA Trilogy remaster release (which we aren't expecting to be GTA remakes), and what we'd like to see from GTA 3, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas' collective return, plus the rumors that Konami is looking at major revivals for Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, and Silent Hill. We discuss what we want from new Konami games, how new Castlevania's could learn from classics like Aria of Sorrow, the potential for an MGS 3 remake, and more.

We also discuss a bit of the state of PlayStation Now and games we've been playing, including Far Cry 6 and Lost Judgment impressions, a Memory Card story, and more.

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BEYOND! The PlayStation news of the week isn't done, so Jonathon Dornbush and Brian Altano get together to discuss the news of PlayStation acquiring Bluepoint, the developers behind Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remakes.

Jonathon also spoke with PlayStation's Hermen Hulst and Bluepoint's Marco Thrush, so he offers some details from his interview, including Bluepoint's desire to make a new game next, and we discuss PlayStation's overall acquisition strategy.

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 On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and special guest Joseph Moran, host of The Trophy Room: A PlayStation Podcast, to discuss all the latest PS5 news, PS4 news, and big PlayStation games. First, we discuss the PS Plus October lineup, how it stacks up to other recent PS Plus offerings, and check in on the service in general, plus we dive into the acquisition of Fabrik Games by one of the most recent PlayStation acquired studios, Firesprite Games. We also discuss PlayStation's PS4 and PS5 cross-gen approach in light of a deep dive into the tech behind advancements of Horizon Forbidden West, what they mean for the next Horizon game, and why we're excited for it and God of War Ragnarok. And last on the news side, we discuss Naughty Dog's recommitment to a multiplayer game, the first photo of The Last of Us show, and the future of TLOU in general. We also dive into all the big games we've been playing from the fall so far, including Hot Wheels Unleashed, of which the executive producer Michele Caletti joins Jonathon to discuss the game's launch, gameplay, and post-launch support, plus thoughts on Death Stranding Director's Cut, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Castlevania Advanced Collection, and more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss Kena: Bridge of Spirits, another great console exclusive game for the PS4 and PS5 lineup. We jump into Mitchell's thoughts from his review, in which he called Kena a great game, what we love and hope to see improved about the combat and exploration in future games, our love of the beautiful art design and detail, and we weirdly get hung up on the game's fonts. But in general, we discuss what's so great about Kena's gameplay and world, and why you'll want to pick up Ember Lab's first game on PS4 or PS5. Plus, we dive into the recent reports about Quantic Dream's alleged Star Wars game, if that's a combination we're interested in seeing, and whether it makes sense for Quantic Dream to explore settings like the original trilogy or apply its choice-based gameplay to an era like The High Republic. We also dive into the reports about discussions of a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 remaster, and Mitchell gives us some insight into why the project is so fervently demanded, and what we hope to see from an MvC 2 remaster. We also read a new Memory Card story, offer wild Super Smash Bros. Ultimate predictions for a PlayStation guest character, and much more!

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 On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!,  host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Matt Purslow to discuss all the latest PS5 updates, PS5 games, and more.

First, we discuss the release of the newest PS5 console exclusive, Deathloop, as we jump into Matt's Deathloop review and his overall thoughts about Deathloop's gameplay, world, and unique multiplayer. Jonathon, Lucy, and Brian also offer their Deathloop impressions, taking a look at what we've enjoyed about our early hours of the gameplay so far, and how it sits alongside other Arkane games.

Plus, we jump into the news around the new PS5 update, and what this PlayStation 5 firmware means for both the UI and PS5 SSD expansion. We dissect a bit of how this opens the door to new PS5 hard drives from third-parties, the changes to how PS5 trophies are displayed, and our hopes for what other updates we might see to the PS5 UI.

We also briefly touch on some updated news on Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine, the new Marvel game from the Spider-Man developers, its mature tone, and what our early expectations are for it. Plus, we discuss some of the other PS5 games we've been playing, Matt shares a wonderful Memory Card story, and more.

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PlayStation's September Showcase offered a look at the future of PlayStation Studios and third-party releases on PS4 and PS5, and Podcast Beyond! is here to break down our reactions to some of the biggest reveals.

Join host Jonathon Dornbush, Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Matt Kim for a quick check-in on our thoughts on God of War: Ragnarok, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Marvel's Wolverine.

Note: This episode was filmed live after the showcase, and unfortunately cut short due to technical difficulties. We'll be back with a full episode next week!

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On this week's Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Mitchell Saltzman, and Taylor Lyles to discuss September's PS Plus games, answer your questions about Mitchell's Elden Ring preview, dive into the latest Naughty Dog crunch discussions, and give our thoughts on the early look at the Dead Space remake.

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Join Brian Altano, Jonathon Dornbush, Lucy O'Brien, and Max Scoville from IGN's weekly PlayStation show as they discuss the biggest PlayStation and third-party reveals from gamescom. Though Sony didn't have a show itself, we discuss major release date updates like Horizon Forbidden West, JETT The Far Shore, Sifu, plus the announcements of games like Marvel's Midnight Suns and much more. Mitchell Saltzman also joins to discuss his hands-off preview of the highly anticipated Elden Ring.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien to dig into some of this week's PlayStation news and more. First, we jump into some Ghost of Tsushima chat, including our new Art of the Level feature and the trend of Director's Cuts currently being kicked off. After Ghost and Death Stranding, should games like The Last of Us Part 2 and Bloodborne get similar treatment, and what should they include?

Plus, we discuss a bit about the lack of a State of Play, the constant fake rumors about State of Play's happening, and why this cycle is occurring online, along with a brief check-in on Abandoned, some of the games we've been playing, and much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to discuss the latest in the world of PlayStation. First, we dip into the continuing saga of the PS5 horror game Abandoned and the yet-again delayed launch of its PS5 Realtime Experience app. We discuss why the conversation around Abandoned is so fraught, the confusion around its true nature, and more. Plus, we discuss PlayStation's recent indie spotlight, including highlights of Hades, Carrion, Oxenfree 2, Axiom Verge 2, and much more, as well as what the spotlight means in relation to the recent discussion about PlayStation's focus on indies currently. We also jump into some other PlayStation news, games we've been playing, and more. Plus, Carlos Rocha Silva from Dreams Incorporated joins Jonathon to discuss the recently released RPG Cris Tales, its gameplay and artistic inspirations, and how it pays homage to the genre while attempting new twists on its staples.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Tom Marks, Mark Medina, and Taylor Lyles to discuss the latest news in the world of PlayStation, including the confirmed delay of Kena, the reported Horizon Forbidden West delay, and updated release windows for Solar Ash, Stray, and more.

Plus,. we discuss some of the PS5's new software update beta, Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut new details, and much more.

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 On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to discuss the biggest news in the world of PlayStation. We begin the show addressing the recent accusations against Activision Blizzard before jumping into word of PS5's huge sales success as it crosses the 10 million consoles sold number.  We analyze that success in the face of supply shortages, as well as look at some of the PS5's biggest hits so far, like the sales for Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. We also jump into the PS Plus lineup for August, some recent comments from Shawn Layden as he takes on a new role at a different media company, and much more. Plus, we answer some of your questions, like our hopes for PlayStation's handheld future, and more.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to discuss the return of Dead Space. The trio discusses why they're excited for the Dead Space Remake, while diving into Jonathon's interview with two of the remake's leads where we got first details on its gameplay, its use of next-gen PS5 tech, and much more about reviving and honoring the horror classic. Plus, we round up some of the latest PlayStation news, like the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut new details, some release dates, and much more, in addition to a dive into what we've been recently playing.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to discuss all the latest in the world of PlayStation.

The cast breaks down the current debate over the use of "Director's Cut" to describe the new Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding releases, Kojima's dislike of the phrase's use, and what it means for the wider PlayStation library. Plus, we jump into Ghostwire Tokyo's delay, FF 14's digital sales success, and more, while also giving our thoughts on the latest games we've played, including Max and Brian's deep dive into Far Cry.

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BEYOND! On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Matt Kim to react to July's State of Play showcase.

We dive into all the reveals, like Moss: Book II, the deep dive into Deathloop's gameplay, some of the announcements like Sifu's delay and Death Stranding: Director's Cut's release date, and much more.

(This episode was recorded and aired live immediately following the State of Play.)

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to discuss the latest in the world of PS4 and PS5. We break down the news about PlayStation's latest acquisition, the Returnal PS5 developers Housemarque, and why their long-standing relationship with Sony is why the deal makes so much sense. We discuss PlayStation's current approach to acquisitions, and also discuss the reports about Bluepoint Games being potentially acquired as well. Plus, we dive into July's PlayStation Plus games, word from devs about difficulties with promotion on the PlayStation Store, what we're playing, and the film Ghost

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Zach Ryan to discuss the latest PS5 and PS4 news.

And with E3 behind us and no new major Sony showcased yet announced, we discuss our hopes and expectations for what Sony has to show off about the future of PlayStation. What games, services, and more do we expect PlayStation to focus on, and is the time right for Sony to show off its Game Pass competitor? 

Plus, more discussion of Ratchet and Clank, FF7 Remake's DLC, and much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Max Scoville, and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss all the latest in the world of PlayStation. Even though PlayStation may have skipped E3 2021, there's still plenty of games coming to PS4 and PS5 showcased during the event to discuss, like Final Fantasy Origin, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, and more. Plus, we dive deep into all the news around Elden Ring, including Mitchell's interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki and all the info about the game he learned. We also discuss PlayStation's overall decision to skip E3 2021 this year. Was it the right move? And how did PlayStation's absence affect the other showcases during the event. Plus, we discuss Mitchell's FF7 Remake DLC review, and more.

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On this week's special episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Simon Cardy, Mark Medina, and Steve Saylor to discuss Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, the latest PS5 exclusive. The cast discusses their spoiler-free review impressions of the first PS5 Ratchet and Clank, including Jonathon's Rift Apart review, as well as our broader thoughts on the game. We discuss how Rift Apart takes advantage of the PS5's power, the wacky weapons and how fun they are to use, and more. We also jump into the wider gameplay offerings, including how Insomniac's focus on accessibility options applies to Rift Apart, the use of the DualSense and 3D audio, and more.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss all the big updates in the world of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games. The trio breaks down the news from Hermen Hulst's latest interview, including God of War's delay to 2022, as well as confirmation it's coming to PS4 and PS5, which will also be the case for Gran Turismo 7. We discuss our reactions to the delay, what we hope this means for Sony's wider lineup, and much more. Plus, we discuss some of the other details in the interview, like confirmation of Bend working on a new IP and Sony's approach to PC ports. We also take a look at recent Sony/EVO news, discuss some of the games we've been playing recently, Jonathon makes a plea for you to check out June's awesome lineup of indie games, and we get to the bottom of an important mystery: Why does Mark hate the DuckTales theme song?

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien and Mark Medina to react to the Horizon Forbidden West State of Play presentation, featuring the first PS5 gameplay. 

The trio digs into the traversal additions, like Aloy's new glider, the changes to combat against both human and robotic enemies, the design of this San Francisco location, and so much more.

This episode was filmed as part of a livestream right after the State of Play, so apologies for any sections that feel a little strange in audio-only form. We'll be back to our usual show next week!

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to dive into the latest PS4 and PS5 news. The cast discusses GTA 5's PS5 release date confirmation and our hopes for what the third version of GTA 5 on consoles can offer for both newcomers and returning players. Along with that, we discuss the enduring success of GTA Online, and what we hope to see of Rockstar's emphasis on GTA 3's 20th anniversary later this year. We also discuss the DualSense's two new colors, set to come out on June 11, including what we think of them, what we hope Sony's further approach to offering new controller colors will be, and why we really just want to have an official way to get PS5 faceplates customized. Plus, we discuss The Last of Us Part 2 PS5 performance patch, get in some Sackboy-meets-Returnal breaking news, and touch a bit more (spoiler free) on Resident Evil Village.

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BEYOND! To celebrate the 700th episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien for an episode filmed live breaking down all the latest PlayStation news and impressions. The cast jumps into the recent report in which Sony claimed it has 25 first-party published games in the works for PS5. We discuss what that number includes, the confirmed and rumored games in the lineup, and more. Plus, we offer some spoiler-free thoughts on Resident Evil Village, answer live viewer questions, and more.

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 On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Colin Stevens to jump into the latest PS5 and PS4 news and games. The cast first takes a deep dive into the latest Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart PS5 State of Play, including what we thought of the PS5 game's visuals, how it looks to advance the franchise forward, and why it all comes together to look like an absolute PS5 showcase. Plus, we dive into the renewal of a trademark for Insomniac's Sunset Overdrive, touch briefly on Returnal's launch, and more. And while none of us have played Resident Evil Village yet,  we reminisce on the franchise, our love for it, its highs and lows, and more ahead of Village's launch this week.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show covering the biggest PS5 and PS4 games and news, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss Housemarque's PS5 exclusive Returnal. We discuss why Returnal is such a great PS5 exclusive and shows off what the console can do, from the included haptics and 3D audio functionality to fast loading and impressive gameplay. The conversation stays spoiler-free, as we answer viewer and listener questions about Returnal's difficulty, its arcade roots, just how big of an experience it actually is, and much more.

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 On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to discuss all the latest PlayStation news. The crew jumps into PlayStation's surprising, big store reversal and the decision to keep the PS3 and PS Vita PlayStation Stores alive for now. We discuss the implications of the decision, why we're still apprehensive, and what we hope to see from Sony later on. Then, Jonathon offers his preview impressions of Returnal after going hands-on with the PS5 exclusive. He breaks down some of the gameplay, the atmosphere, and how it uses the DualSense and 3D audio so well. The cast also touches on ProbablyMonsters' Firewalk Studios and their new partnership with PlayStation to publish an exclusive multiplayer game, what else we've been playing, and much more.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to talk through all the biggest PlayStation news, including the launch of the PlayStation 5's first big update. We discuss the good and bad of what's here in the PS5 firmware update, along with what's missing that we hope to see sooner than later.

Plus, the cast dives into the latest report about PlayStation's alleged first-party, internal focuses, including the reported shifting of a Last of Us remake, a Days Gone 2, and much more, and what we think this means for Sony as it moves more fully into the PS5 era. After that, we discuss what we're playing, including Disco Elysium, Sekiro, It Takes Two, and more, plus a pair of Memory Card stories!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Lucy O'Brien to break down all the biggest Sony news of the last week, including the confirmation that E3 2021 is returning as an all-digital event, but as of right now Sony won't be there. The panel discusses why this isn't shocking, and how PlayStation can still have a big 2021 even without needing to be at E3. Plus, the cast jumps into MLB the Show's availability on Game Pass for Xbox players but it not yet being announced for PlayStation Plus. The cast digs into how we think the two companies' services are comparing, what, if anything, we expect to change about Sony's offering, and more. Then, we dive into some of the games we're playing now, like Oddworld: Soulstorm, Disco Elysium, and Outriders, plus a haunted Memory Card story, and much more!

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Simon Cardy, Zach Ryan, and special guest StreetGrind to talk about all the latest PlayStation news...except for the new PlayStation Plus lineup, of course. (We'll catch your news on time, one day, Sony!)

Instead, the cast jumps into the confirmation that PS3, PS Vita, and PSP PSN stores will be closing down in the coming months, Ratchet and Clank's PS5 patch and Sony's rollout of PS4 to PS5 upgrade patches, and more. But our centerpiece discussion is around all the Cyberpunk 2077 and CD Projekt Red news of the week. From Cyberpunk's new, massive 1.2 patch to CDPR's promise to market games on shorter timelines in the future and much more, we discuss how the company plans to move forward after the troubled launch of 2077 and its continued absence from the PSN store. (Knowing our luck, we expected Cyberpunk to become available again on PS4 in between when we recorded and when this episode posted.)

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss the report that Sony may be shuttering the PS3, PS Vita, and PSP stores in the coming months. We dive into what the loss of those digital storefronts might mean for a large chunk of PlayStation history, why we hope the decision doesn't come to pass, and what Sony could do to preserve such an important era to PlayStation's history. Then, the cast dives into the surprising announcement that Sony has acquired EVO in a new partnership. We discuss what the acquisition may mean for EVO itself and the fighting community at large, why we think Sony made the deal, and, really, why we hope it means a PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2 could actually happen. Plus, we dive into some of the free games coming PlayStation players' way with the Play at Home lineup, the PSVR 2 controllers, and much more!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano to dive into some recent PlayStation news and answer your questions. The duo jumps into the recent news that Jade Raymond is starting her own studio that is working in partnership with PlayStation, and how that approach mirrors recent PlayStation third-party exclusive plans. Especially in light of the Bethesda acquisition with Xbox, the show breaks down what we think of Sony's recent strategies on PlayStation exclusives, and where we expect the company to go.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Lucy O'Brien to discuss what implications the Bethesda deal  has on Sony's current plans, how and what we think Sony can do to keep PlayStation Plus competitive and improve it, and our expectations for the future of PSVR and its successor.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Tom Marks to dive into the new PlayStation Plus lineup, including brand-new puzzle game Maquette, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Remnant: From the Ashes, and Farpoint. The cast discusses PS Plus' latest hot streak, and how PlayStation Plus' games lineups have been faring overall in recent months since the PS5 launched. Plus, we discuss the latest Elden Ring leaks and the hype around the next FromSoft game, and much more!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to offer our reaction to the latest Sony State of Play. We discuss all the big PS4 and PS5 game reveals, updates, and more, but the news didn't stop there. We also offered our thoughts on the announcement of PSVR 2, Gran Turismo 7's delay, more PS4 games coming to PC and much, much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Lucy O'Brien to discuss how the PlayStation exclusives lineup is starting to look in 2021 now that we have Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart's release date and more. We take a look at the exclusives with release dates, what still needs a date, and how we expect this year might play out.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Max Scoville to discuss the news that E3 is planning a digital event in 2021, and what that could look like after a year off for the show. The panel discusses E3's place in the wider realm of digital events, and more. Plus, we discuss the latest Silent Hill comeback rumors, and whether we think a new SIlent Hill game is actually on the way.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and guest Laura Kate Dale to talk about all the biggest news in the world of PlayStation...well, except for financial results, since those broke after we recorded. But the cast still jumps into the new PS Plus lineup for the month, offering some early impressions of PS5 exclusive Destruction AllStars and whether or not it can replicate the success of other PS Plus hits like Fall Guys and Rocket League, plus thoughts on Control: Ultime Edition and Concrete Genie. The cast also discusses the tall vampire lady's real height in Resident Evil Village, the God of War PS5 patch, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition's release date, and much more, plus, we talk a bit about Laura's new book, Things I Learned from Mario's Butt, which Brian and Max contributed to.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Max Scoville to discuss the Resident Evil Village Maiden demo, exclusively available on PS5, as well as why we're loving Hitman 3, Cyber Shadow, and more. Plus, we miss the PlayStation Plus games announcements but make our guess for the lineup, answers some listener questions, and more!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss why Hitman 3 is one of 2021's first great games, as well as what PlayStation franchises we hope make a return on PS5. With more word that a new Sony studio is working on bringing back existing Sony series, we discuss the likelihood of various franchises, from Uncharted to Infamous to Ape Escape, making a debut on PS5.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to discuss all the big Lucasfilm Games news for the week. The cast discusses Ubisoft's newly announced Star Wars games, what we expect to see from EA's continued work on Star Wars franchises, like whether there will be a Jedi: Fallen Order 2 and Battlefront 3, and more about how this deal could mean a bright future for Star Wars games. Plus, we tackle the Indiana Jones game coming from MachineGames, and more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and guest Ray Apollo to discuss some of the news we missed over break and the state of the PS5 going into the new year. The cast offers updated thoughts on the Cyberpunk 2077 delisting news, the PlayStation Plus games for January (and moray eels!), before jumping into how Sony can continue the momentum of the PS5 in 2021. From supply constraint issues, more transparency with fans, and more, the cast offers hopes, excitement, and concerns about PlayStation going into 2021.

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There's no new episode of Podcast Beyond! this week, but host Jonathon Dornbush had to get sappy and sentimental for a couple of minutes to remind you of our Bloodborne let's play, and to thank everyone for supporting the show in 2020.

We'll be back with regularly planned episodes in 2021...which is next week!

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Max Scoville to look back on the year that was for PlayStation. The cast reminisces about the PS5 news cycle this year, how the launch year coped with the lack of in-person events, and the many PS5 and PS4 games we were lucky to have this year.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show Podcast Beyond! host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Zach Ryan, and special guest Mick Abrahamson to discuss all the big Game Awards announcements, and how PS5 has an exciting 2021 lineup in store for players. Plus, we look at Cyberpunk's launch and CDPR's post-launch response to PS4 issues, and much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Tom Marks to discuss Tom's Cyberpunk 2077 review (and it's all spoiler free!). We dive into his thoughts on the world design, freedom of choice, gameplay, and more.

Plus, we talk a bit about Persona 5 Strikers coming to the west, the future of BioWare, and more!

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and special guest Asa GreenRiver of Borderline Entertainment to discuss the latest PS5 news and games. The cast jumps into the report that PS5's Activity Cards were born from Sony's hopes to let people play single-player games as much as possible on the next-gen console, as well as this month's PS Plus games, the reports of third-party games performing better on PS5, and the many scalping and re-selling scandals that have occurred with the PS5 since launch. For more of Asa's work, and to watch the Living Indigenous episode in honor of Native American Heritage Month Asa spoke about, check it out here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/821394054?filter=archives&sort=time

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This week on IGN's PlayStation show, join Max Scoville, Brian Altano and Lucy O'Brien as they grill Tom Marks about his 16 hours spent exploring Night City in Cyberpunk 2077. Avoiding spoilers, Tom answers some of our questions about combat, driving, fast-travel, sexy adults-only stuff, and how much of a sense of humor the game has. Meanwhile, in the cyberpunk dystopia that is real life, scalpers managed to scoop up thousands of PlayStation 5 consoles, which is why so many humans have had trouble buying them. Plus, what we're playing, and some tidbits about Hitman and the PS5 supporting variable refresh rates down the road.

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On a special bonus episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation episode, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien to speak with Brian Horton, the creative director of PS4 and PS5 launch game Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

The trio discusses some of the game's biggest story beats, the decision to make a more focused, shorter story compared to the first, the combat advancements and side stories, and New York City at Christmastime.

Note: Apologies for some audio hiccups, which occurred during recording and could not be fixed.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian ALtano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to discuss the wider PS5 launch lineup, including Demon's Souls, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and more, and whether it's the best PlayStation launch in history.

Plus, we dive into some of the bugs and errors PS5 players (including us) have run into, and much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Max Scoville, Janet Garcia, and Simon Cardy to offer all of our impressions (so far) of the PS5 launch lineup. With many more PS5 reviews on IGN, the cast talks about Bugsnax, The Pathless, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Overcooked: All You Can Eat, some backward compatible games, and a bit more about both Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Astro's Playroom.

Plus, we answer some of your questions about the PS5 launch games and hardware, and much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Janet Garcia, and Mitchell Salztman to discuss our PS5 review embargo impressions. We talk about the hardware, playing with it and the DualSense over the last few days, and our impressions of Astro's Playroom and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales PS5. We don't spoil any of the game talk, but expect to hear our thoughts on why the DualSense has wowed us, how Spider-Man continues the franchise in fantastic form, and why Astro's Playroom is a joyful free launch pack-in you shouldn't miss.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss our first hands-on experience with the PS5.

We have the PS5, so we offer a look and description of the hardware, and our thoughts on the Cooling Springs level of Astro's Playroom and the DualSense controller's new haptic feedback.

Plus, we dive into the Destruction AllStars and Cyberpunk 2077 delays, and more!

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Janet Garcia to discuss the PS5 launch lineup, compare it to the PS4's launch, and break down why we're so excited for the launch. Plus, we dive into the UI reveal for the PS5, some of the latest news on PS4 chat and the PS5's fan, plus much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Tom Marks, and DualShockers' Mario Rivera to discuss the biggest PS5 news. As the PS5 launch approaches, Sony is answering more and more questions, including our concerns about PS4 to PS5 save transfers, Trophy changes, and much more, including the latest Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales developments. (Sadly, we recorded before the reveal of Spider-Cat!) Plus, we bring back the Memory Card segment, talk about what we're playing, and speculate about what Sony will reveal now that this week's episode is out. (It's gotta be UI, right?)

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Janet Garcia, and guest Zombaekillz to discuss the latest PS5 and PS4 news. The cast talks about Sony's ambitious PS5 launch sales hopes and whther it can surpass the PS4's launch, the issues around next-gen storage space solutions, Spider-Man's new face, and more.

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On this week's episode if IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Janet Garcia to discuss the latest PS5 news, including a bunch of info about PS5 game preorder bonuses for Demon's Souls, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and more, plus the confusing state of transferring saves from PS4 to PS5. Plus, we take a deeper look at the PlayStation Plus collection games list, and answer some questions from you, the listeners and viewers.

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On this week's episode if IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to discuss Microsoft's purchase of Bethesda, all its studios, and its franchises. Will the PS5 get Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6? Or after Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo, is Bethesda no longer going to appear on the PS5?

Plus, we dive into the many lingering questions about the PS5 we still have before launch, the situation around Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, and more! 

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On this week's packed episode of IGN's PlayStation Show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Max Scoville, Lucy O'Brien, and Janet Garcia to discuss all the big reveals from the PS5 showcase, including PS5's price, the PS5 release date, the PS5 launch date, and the many lingering questions, and exciting possibilities about the PlayStation 5. We dive into Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Demon's Souls, God of War's sequel, and... Hitch on UMD? Trust me, it makes sense in context.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano for an episode even Pepe Silvia would marvel at. The duo discusses what Sony's next movies should and could be for the PS5 following Xbox's Series X and Series S announcements, including when and what Sony might do when it comes to PS5 price, preorders, launch lineup, and games in 2020. Plus, the duo looks ahead at the big games still to come for the PS4, and the PS5's launch window, in 2020 and beyond (BEYOND!), and Jonathon talks himself into three different arguments for and against PS5 launch dates. Have questions, comments, Memory Card stories, or something else to share? Write in to beyond@ign.com!

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BEYOND! On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Max Scoville and Janet Garcia to catch up on all the big gaming news of the last couple weeks, including Sony's plans to acquire more studios and have more frequent exclusives going into the PS5. Plus, Astro Bot and Crash stop by to derail the show.

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There's no official episode this week, but Jonathon still got sappy and wanted to record a quick message to you all while we wait to get back to our regularly scheduled programming in two weeks.

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BEYOND!

On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to discuss the unexpected news of an upcoming Ghost of Tsushima co-op mode, and the current state of Sony's single and multiplayer approach.

Plus, more discussion about the upcoming WB Games reveals, talk of why we're loving Mortal Shell, Fall Guys, and hot new game Dark Souls III, and a look at Max Scoville's personal 10 favorite PS4 games.

Programming note: Beyond! will be off the air for the next two weeks while Gamescom is underway, but we'll be back the week of September 7.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to discuss the impact Halo Infinite's delay may have on both the PS5 and Xbox Series X's launches, and the entire generation going forward. Plus, Suicide Squad game speculation, love for Fall Guys, and...horror movie talk? Spoooooky!

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On a special second episode this week of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Max Scoville and Brian Altano to discuss Sony's latest State of Play presentations.

The cast goes into the PS4, PS5, and PSVR game reveals, what worked, what didn't, and what the future of State of Play can look like.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to discuss the biggest PS4 and PS5 news around, even as we question whether we'll finally learn about the PS5 price and release date this month.

Plus, the cast dives into what they're playing, the big PlayStation updates for Marvel's Avengers, and Jonathon interviews some of the team behind Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, which is now available for PlayStation Plus subscribers!

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This week on IGN's PlayStation show, Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and Tom Marks discuss August's PlayStation Plus games, which include the brand new Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, a slapstick take on battle royale that's already cleaning up on Twitch. The last totally unconventional multiplayer game to launch on PS+ was Rocket League. Meanwhile, a Doritos bag seemingly leaked the new Call of Duty logo, Hideo Kojima is NOT working on a horror game with Junji Ito (yet), Ghost of Tsushima gets a patch that makes the game more accessible but also more difficult, and Ubisoft was briefly working on a King Arthur-inspired game called "Avalon." If you have any complaints about this week's episode, please direct them to Jonathon when he's back from vacation.

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BEYOND!

On a special bonus episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano to speak with Sucker Punch's Jason Connell, the art and creative director of Ghost of Tsushima.

Full spoilers ahead! But Jason speaks with the two about the design of the world, combat, and our newest obsession, Ghost's photo mode. 

Learn about how GoT changed through development, how its black and white mode came to be called Kurosawa Mode, and much more.

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On this week's episode if IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien and Tom R. Marks to discuss the recent PS5 preorder rumors and news from Sony (don't worry, you don't have to run to Amazon just yet), Spider-Man PS5 news, and much more. Plus, the debate over #DiscsIn or #DiscsOut rages on as Lucy and Tom weigh in on the topic.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined (again!) by Brian Altano, Mitchell Saltzmann, and Janet Garcia, to discuss their hands-on time with some of Ubisoft's big, upcoming games. Janet and Brian discuss why they had so much fun in the world of Watch Dogs: Legion, and Mitchell discusses what did and didn't grab him about Assassin's Creed: Valhalla's hands-on.

Plus, it's maybe the 30th episode where we predict PS5 price and release dates, because rumors don't stop coming.

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IGN's weekly PlayStation show sits down to discuss what is possibly the last PS4 first-party exclusive, Ghost of Tsushima, Jonathon Dornbush, Brian Altano, and Janet Garcia speak with reviewer Mitchell Saltzmann about his take on what makes Ghost of Tsushima so amazing in his review. And the rest of the cast gives their takes on what works, what doesn't, and what players can expect when they jump into the game.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Tom R. Marks and DualShockers' Cam Hawkins to discuss the potential price increase PS5 games might bring, the state of FF7 Remake Part 2's Development, Tom's Marvel's Iron Man VR review, and some Kingdom Hearts. Because Jonathon is finally joined by a fellow Kingdom Hearts fan, so just let them have their fun, please.

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On a special episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, Jonathon Dornbush and Lucy O'Brien are joined by director Neil Druckmann and narrative lead Halley Gross for a SPOILER-FILLED talk about The Last of Us Part 2. Druckmann and Gross dive into the plot, characters, and themes of the Naughty Dog sequel, indulging Jonathon and Lucy in their many questions about character motivations, scrapped ideas for the sequel, and how Ellie, Joel, and Abby's journeys developed throughout production. Seriously, this conversation is full of spoilers, only watch if you've played through The Last of Us 2, or don't mind having the story spoiled for you. (Also, warning, this episode does contain some cursing.)

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Steve Saylor, along with Lucy O'Brien and Janet Garcia, to discuss The Last of Us Part 2! We break down some of the accessibility features and strides TLoU 2 takes in pushing gaming accessibility forward, as well as thoughts on PlayStation Plus' 10th anniversary and more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and special guest Kahlief Adams from Spawn on Me, to dive deeper into The Last of Us Part 2. The trio gets into some spoiler territory around the 22-minute mark, so be warned if you haven't finished playing the game.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond! Host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Max Scoville and Tom R. Marks to discuss all the biggest news about PS5 that's come out since the PS5 games reveal event. We discuss PS5's possible size, info about Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and more PS5 games, plus Star Wars: Squadrons and plenty of other updates!

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IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond! breaks down the packed, impressive PS5 games showcase. We discuss Horizon: Forbidden West, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Resident Evil 8: Village, and SO much more. Plus, we finally get to see the PS5.

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On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by resident elderly Irish woman Lucy O'Brien, Blessing Adeoye, Jr. from Kinda Funny, and freelance journalist Funké Joseph. The group discusses PlayStation's decision to delay the PS5 reveal event, discusses what we hope and wildly predict we might finally see at that event, and discuss what we're playing.

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On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien to break down everything we learned in the The Last of Us Part 2 State of Play presentation. We also discuss a bit of our hopes for the PS5 reveal event, which, naturally, was only a rumor when we recorded and then was officially announced 12 hours later. Note: Unfortunately, we had a version of this episode that, due to technical issues, we lost the recording of, which featured the full cast. We'll return next week with coverage of the PS5 reveal event and more!

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BEYOND!

On this week's episode if IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to discuss the news that Sony will "soon" announce PS5 games. What do we expect to see? What do we (and you) hope might be announced for the next-gen launch? We talk about that, plus dive deep into Jonathon's interview with Sucker Punch's Jason Connell about the Ghost of Tsushima State of Play.

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On a special episode of Podcast Beyond!, IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Max Scoville to break down everything in the Ghost of Tsushima PS4 State of Play. We discuss what excited us about the combat, open world, customization, and more from Sucker Punch's upcoming action-adventure open-world game.

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BEYOND!

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to talk about the biggest PlayStation news of the week, including the return of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Unreal's impressive Unreal Engine 5 PS5 tech demo, and much more.

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BEYOND!

Traveled to Midgar and back? Loved, hated, or confused by the Final Fantasy 7 Remake story? Well, Jonathon Dornbush, Tom Marks, Max Scoville, and Zach Ryan break down FF7 Remake in FULL SPOILERS. Seriously, we talk about the end of the game first so, like, go beat it if you don't want to have anything spoiled.

But then come listen as we discuss what did and didn't work about the story, the reimagining of Midgar, the awesome combat, and whether FF7 Remake felt like a full game — and where we hope the multi-part remake goes next.

We had so much to discuss, in fact, that we're considering a part two to the spoilercast! So, have your own FF7R thoughts? Email beyond@ign.com, and we may read some in the next round!

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BEYOND!

On this week's episode if IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Tom R. Marks to break down the latest PS4 and PS5 news, including the recent reveals of Assassin's Creed Valhalla and The Lord of the Rings Gollum game, both of which are set for next-gen, PS5 releases.

We give our thoughts on these initial reveals, how they set the stage for more next-gen debuts, and more. (If you want to learn more about Valhalla, be sure to read Jonathon's interview with Assassin's Creed Valhalla director Ashraf Ismail.)

Plus, we discuss the latest updates in The Last of Us Part 2's leak situation, Tom's week of playing Uncharted and the original The Last of Us, a hopeful update to PSVR tech in the future, and much more.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Max Scoville, Lucy O'Brien, and Tom R. Marks to discuss the release date changes for The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima, the unfortunate leaks for TLoU2 (don't worry, we keep it spoiler free), and much more. Plus, this episode may be haunted! We're very sorry the podcasts ghosts came in to haunt our show.

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On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Lucy O'Brien to discuss the biggest news in the world of PlayStation. And with a recent report suggesting PS5's price point, and a limited supply of PS5 at its holiday launch date, the cast dives into what it might look like if it's tough to get a PS5 this holiday season, as well as how PS5 launch games could factor into sales, and much more. We also address more of the latest PS5 news and rumors, including a strange new PlayStation patent, and much more.

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