YoVideogames!

A commentary on gaming lifestyle: its history, its news, and all things hype!

YoVG # 556 So, Is AI Good Now? 10/15/2026

YoVG # 556 So, Is AI Good Now? No. It's still a mixed bag. But it's nice to see the dirtbags in tech suddenly realize they've opened Pandora's box for themselves too. Decompiling is going to be basically impossible to prosecute with any consistency. Matt is still staunchly anti-AI, but he's come around to my thinking: AI is great for drudge-work. Do I think that is what tech is hoping to kill with it? No. Is it as powerful as they claim? No. Is it ever going to be as profitable as it needs to be, in order to justify the money they've spent to date? No. But there is cool stuff that it does and decompiling is a perfect example. So, let's talk about the internet hero of the hour, and new age piracy enabler: AI. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/43305514

YoVG # 555 Paramount WB Merger - Anything Good? 10/07/2026

YoVG # 555 Paramount WB Merger - Anything Good? We cover a few things this episode. Asha soft confirming Xbox Portable. Gamestop price gouging their customers on PS5pro. The main topic, though, is the Paramount WB merger into SKYDANCE. Will anything good come of this? It's possible, but as we saw with Activision being acquired by Microsoft - it doesn't mean beloved IP making a return, and almost definitely means a lot of devs losing their jobs. It's hard not to be cynical and downer about it, but we do try to name possible good things. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/43207903

YoVG # 544 Incoming Ad-pocalypse! 09/30/2026

YoVG # 544 Incoming Ad-pocalypse! Microsoft filed a patent for in-game advertising. Examples include: before or after a multiplayer match, after a major boss fight or story beat, or as a way to earn game time on cloud services. Suffice to say Xbox will not be recovering its reputation any time soon. And if this idea makes them money? Sony will follow soon after. In this one instance though, we may have a hero... Nintendo. Let's talk about why. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/43086578

YoVG # 553 Xbox Sundowning Continues 09/23/2026

YoVG # 553 Xbox Sundowning Continues Technically the term is "sunsetting" but sundowning seems more appropriate given the confusion, anxiety, and madness of Xbox's behavior. In this week's episode we talk Capcom, PS5 cultural relevance and the biggest topic is Xbox's recent layoffs and consolidations. Consolidations that seem to point at Microsoft gearing up to sell or close Xbox game studios. As an aside, in the episode we are talking about Onimusha and I mention that I am doing the issikai maneuver (spelling?). I played some more after recording - and that is definitely not what I am doing the most of. Mostly I dodge - but for whatever reason: I pull off that move more reliably than the parry. My confusing adventures into being sh*t at action games continues lmao /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/43006768

YoVG # 552 Irresponsible Hype (Blizzcon 2026) 09/16/2026

YoVG # 552 Irresponsible Hype (Blizzcon 2026) For the third week in a row, I have been caught unawares. As with every Blizzcon - I have to acknowledge most of this is not for me. WoW, Overwatch, even Diablo are all games I enjoy here and there, but I am by no means a major fan. So, maybe it's not a surprise that I didn't see a StarCraft FPS coming. The trailer was HYPE. And then it shows the release... 2030? And probably late 2030... So, 4 years from now? Why do companies do this? Announcing something so early is a surefire way to wear out the audience's enthusiasm by release time. Is it job security? A way to keep the execs off their back and the finger off the layoff button? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/42928412

YoVG # 551 Nintendo Is a Solid B! 09/10/2026

YoVG # 551 Nintendo Is a Solid B! We got a two-parter Nintendo Direct for the first time ever. One part dedicated entirely to Zelda 40 year anniversary and a second more traditional direct the very next day. Put together, we feel it's a solid direct. A couple surprises in Metroid Revenant and Kirby Forgotten World and a whole load of anticipated ports. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/42858620

YoVG # 550 Sony Gets A D! 09/04/2026

YoVG # 550 Sony Gets A D! Playstation's State of Play Fall 2026 is in the books. Sony has been a bit mired in consumer hate lately and really needed a big win here. Did they get it? Matt says no. For him this is a D minus show that it's hard to even care about. Personally, I thought there were a couple fun, dare I say, even exciting updates. But I'd still probably give this show a C, C-. One thing that the show did solidify for me is that Japanese developers have something their western kindred sorely lack right now: whimsy. How do we get more whimsy in western games? I think gritty, realistic, apocalyptic and piss filter are all cool too, but we have too much of that right now. What did you doods think? Anything in this show make you overlook Sony's recent screw ups? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/42783475

YoVG # 549: Gamescom 2026 08/26/2026

YoVG # 549: Gamescom 2026 We are rolling toward the holiday shopping season and that means Gamescom is here with one last pop of surprises (hopefully). Every year, Gamescom takes me by surprise. I have no idea why, but for some reason the end of summer sneaks up on me and the show catches me off guard. This year is no different. We had updates on exciting games I had forgotten about, and surprises for a beloved game of the past. In this episode we talk about our personal highlights, confusions and disappointments. Also, I learn maybe the most shocking, downright disgusting, out right insane detail about Matt. He pronounces a legendary French actor's name in such a way that I almost had to disown him. Then... To make it worse... It turns out that's how most people in the US pronounce the name. Also, there's plenty of tangents in this one. I left them in, but if you'd like me to cut more out - let me know. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/42561770

YoVG # 548 Rockstar Hactivism 08/22/2026

YoVG # 548 Rockstar Hactivism Rockstar got hacked again, and GTA6 gameplay got leaked. But this time? The hacker has an activist agenda. They want to punish Rockstar for not having a physical release. Will it work? Will this change the way the industry is moving? No. Probably not. Will we see more hactivism like this? Is there any type of activism that will change industry behavior? Maybe. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/42519630

YoVG # 547 How To Avoid Brand Rot 08/12/2026

YoVG # 547 How To Avoid Brand Rot Have you thought about Halo lately? About where it started and where it's at now? Is it indicative of a brand that has been left to rot, or worse, beaten to death and then propped up to rot while shambling onward? How do we avoid brand rot? Is it expanding the media, like with a TV show, or books, or theme parks? Maybe. But then, those things have to be GOOD to avoid the rot. Is there a secret? Or do we just need people with savoir faire? Maybe this is a "you can't necessarily learn it, but you gotta know it" kinda thing. What's a brand you wish hadn't been left to rot, but clearly IS rotting? (And why is it Final Fantasy?) /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/42402200

YoVG # 546 Gaming Industry 2026: Future Private 08/07/2026

YoVG # 546 Gaming Industry 2026: Future Private Did I make the title a joke about a game from 2005? Yes. Will anyone get it/see it/care? No. But you gotta do what brings you joy. Sometimes that's about making a little joke for you. Sometimes it's about rippin' lines in a grungy club bathroom while kids in bad fashion call you chopped. You do you. I'm not here to judge. I am here to tell you that the industry continues its march through rough times. In this week's episode we talk about EA going private. We wonder if that will lead to a bigger trend of publishers taking themselves private, or perhaps new publishers staying private. Matt seems to think so. I'm not so sure. The temptations and benefits of going public are too great for the corporate stooge. What does it mean for gamers if there are more private publishers? Smaller games. Less triple A hyper realism. Maybe cheaper games. Definitely more digital releases and less physical releases moving forward (and that is a good thing for smaller companies). A future populated with private companies also means more competition, and thus more effort to grab our attention and dollars. Hell, we could even see a return of E3 or similar events. Though likely smaller in scale. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/42356030

YoVG # 545 What Will Convince You To Buy Next Gen? 07/30/2026

YoVG # 545 What Will Convince You To Buy Next Gen? For me? Nothing, honestly. Well, okay... A launch line up of epic proportions would be hard to deny, but I can't honestly tell you what that would be at this point. Sony specifically? Is there any one franchise that makes it a lock? Any three? Hard to say. Given that this generation has been underwhelming (in terms of hardware performance), would we feel the upgrade to a new console anyway? Why would Nintendo be the safest bet in that world? Will Xbox continue to exist as we know it by then? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/42265770

YoVG # 543 Evo 2026 & Future Fighting Games 07/01/2026

YoVG # 543 Evo 2026 & Future Fighting Games This episode is mostly about EVO, and what we expect coming for fighting games. There is a furry/waifu subplot though and you should be prepared for it. So, we didn't hit EVO this year and it sounds like we weren't alone. Do we think this is linked to there being multiple EVOs on multiple continents now? And... Wait... Are they already walking back how many countries that will have tournaments? And wait, did they already drop Invincible VS from future events? We got questions! /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41901630

YoVG # 542 The Next Gen Trap 06/24/2026

YoVG # 542 The Next Gen Trap This episode is a discussion inspired by Mystic on Youtube. He recently made a video about why Sony can't/won't delay the release of the PS6. You can watch that video, . What's it boil down to? Sunk cost. They already spent all the time and money to bring it to market, stopping now won't actually save them anything and can only cost them more. Personally, I think that's a fallacy, but Matt sees the logic of the argument. Additionally, we talk the steam machine, Xbox next gen, and more! /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41793405

YoVG # 541 No One Is Safe 06/17/2026

YoVG # 541 No One Is Safe More layoffs. The pendulum always swings. We just had maybe the best not-E3 in close to a decade. Excitement is in the air for anyone that is a fan of games. So, naturally, Microsoft would go ahead and try to scuttle any good will by closing multiple studios. Including one that had a game announced at their event. So, who's getting the axe? Why? And what does it mean for the industry at large? Because while we had an incredible summer announcement season, the industry itself is still contracting. Not because it isn't profitable. It very much still is. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41677770

YoVG # 540 The Best (NOT) E3 in a Decade!? 06/12/2026

YoVG # 540 The Best (NOT) E3 in a Decade!? Ok. Maybe that's hyperbolic, but this really was a solid gaming Christmas. Is anyone mad? Of course, there are people who didn't get the exact thing they wanted, and so they are mad as hell. But this might be the first year in a decade or close to where there's not only something for everyone, but there's MULTIPLE big somethings for most people. I am already thinking about what I will pick up in September, and what I'll budget for over the following months. And really, that might be the only mark against this... So many things are coming out in September that I have to wonder how the rest of the next year will feel. What about you guys? How do you grade summer announcement season? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41618470

YoVG # 539 Sony Delivers (Great) Safe Bets! 06/03/2026

YoVG # 539 Sony Delivers (Great) Safe Bets! Sony kicked off gaming summer with an hour long State of Play. Naturally, expectations were high. Did they deliver? I'd argue, yes. They bookended the SoP by opening with extended Wolverine gameplay and then ended with 20 minutes of God of War: Laufey cinematic gameplay. In between was a mix of promising titles, and a couple small surprises, like Kemuri. It felt very safe. Even the release dates: all of them pointedly avoiding GTA6 release. That's not really a mark against Sony in my opinion, but it does mean nothing will absolutely melt your face or blow your mind. Still, this was a solid State of Play! /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41522535

YoVG # 538 James Bond First Light: Who's it for? 05/27/2026

YoVG # 538 James Bond First Light: Who's it for? I love James Bond movies. I grew up with them. I just talked about having gone through every Bond film a few weeks ago (there's 28, if you include The Rock, and you should!). When I watched the marketing for First Light, it looked like a Hitman game. A very well done, excellently made, Hitman game. And that meant I was out. I'm not hating on Hitman. Blood Money is a classic, and as far as I'm concerned the peak of the series because after that I never got into it again. World of Assassination is supposed to be incredible - if you love Hitman and haven't played it - get after it. This is by no means trying to talk you out of anything Hitman. But... Is James Bond right for a Hitman game? It didn't land for me. For whatever reason, James Bond means car chases, fast action, gun fights. In game form, that screams shooter to us. First or Third person, but shooter. Not stealth, not sandbox, not puzzles. None of those things are bad, and judging by the reviews IO interactive did a fantastic job. So, why is the game tracking low sales? Well, who is this game for? Hitman fans? James Bond fans? Uhhh... Uncharted fans?? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41439085

YoVG # 537 Sony Announces a SoP Weeks in Advance?! 05/21/2026

YoVG # 537 Sony Announces a SoP Weeks in Advance?! Sony is making a bit of an event out of their summer State of Play - coming June 2nd. Summer Games Fest is coming just three days later; so I guess we know Sony isn't making any big announcements there. If they are giving so much of a heads up , they must expect this to be big, right? What do we think/hope this is? Well, we know Wolverine will take up a big chunk of the hour long show - they've said so. It's been a long time since we saw anything from Naughty Dog's Intergalactic - so I'm betting we get something. Matt has a big brain idea about something else Naughty Dog might tease. There's high hopes that this will be a Single Player focused State of Play. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41378165

YoVG # 536 Catching Up on This Week in Gaming 05/13/2026

YoVG # 536 Catching Up on This Week in Gaming There's no snappy title for this. My internet was a mess last week and naturally that means a lot happened in the industry. This is our catch up episode! We talk Game Pass price drop, Nintendo price increase (and how they seem to be trying to soften that blow as much as possible). We talk Saros, and StarFox. Plus, we talk RE9 now that it's settled for us and Leon Must Die Forever has been released. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41281375

YoVG # 535 Too Damn Old For Us 04/29/2026

YoVG # 535 Too Damn Old For Us This week's episode comes from Patron Scott M. He asked: what's a console that is too primitive or old for us to go back and play? Now, I am young. A baby even. Just a forever young, some might say devilishly handsome - I won't stop them - man. So, while I played an Atari 2600, and have seen a couple other gen one and two consoles, really things started with gen three and the NES, or even Gen four and the Sega Genesis. That being said, everyone has memories of playing the oldest consoles from the 70's because there are pizza shops all over that have the arcade versions. Given that we talked about a new Neo Geo being made, and who might want that... Does anyone want newly manufactured RCA Studio 2? No. But do we want a modern version of the Coleco Telstar Arcade from 1977? Uh, yeah I'd be down for a modern upgrade to that for sure. Also, we talk about how I plan to spend my eighties. In a few words? Drug fueled spiral unto death. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/41061400

YoVG # 534 Fired For Being Right 04/22/2026

YoVG # 534 Fired For Being Right This is an eclectic episode where we catch up on some of the news floating around. First, we talk about the new Neo Geo being released along with 10 games. The console itself will be 250 USD, and the games $90 each. Or you can get a bundle of the console, and all ten games for 1k even. Seems steep until you compare it to the price of the original Neo Geo: 1k for the console, 200 bucks per game in 1990 money. Personally, I have to ask: who wants this? In this day and age, is this anything beyond a collectors item? And then it hits me: that's exactly what they said about the original Neo Geo. Maybe the universe is healing. Then, we talk about the new, lower, Game Pass price, and finally we talk about Shuhei Yoshida's comments about Jim Ryan. They should shock people because comments like this just don't really happen in the game industry, and especially not from the Japanese side. Makes you wonder how poorly Jim's tenure is viewed if Yoshida casually dropped these comments. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40974025

YoVG # 533 Waste of Money 04/15/2026

YoVG # 533 Waste of Money I'm alive! I spent last week fighting a sinus infection - sorry for the missed episode but as you'll hear in the beginning of this episode: it was gross as hell and unavoidable. There's a few topics going this episode, but the theme seems to be companies having too much money to be doing the layoffs they claim are necessary. We also talk Crimson Desert, Pixar, Disney Layoffs, and the Rockstar financial leak. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40886200

YoVG # 532 It's an FGC Summer, Boys! 04/01/2026

YoVG # 532 It's an FGC Summer, Boys! In this weeks episode we talk rumors and how I got got by a Zelda rumor. We talk insane pricing and while the RAM crash has begun, we doubt it'll ever drop back to pre-AI craze pricing. Plus we talk about the Disney/Epic Games rumors. Then, we dive into how exciting 2026 is for FGC. Marvel Tokon, Invincible VS, and Avatar are all coming very soon this year. And pricing is reasonable on all three games. Especially reasonable on Avatar. So, while the bad news, and the rumors still swirl - it is still shaping to be a great year for games. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40697720

YoVG # 531 Is Fortnite Slipping? 03/25/2026

YoVG # 531 Is Fortnite Slipping? Epic laid off a bunch of leads on the Fortnite Team. Does this signal that Fortnite is slipping? Is this related to Epic going after Google and Apple app stores? We talk about this and more in this episode! /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40618630

YoVG # 530 DLSS 5 Makes A Splash 03/18/2026

YoVG # 530 DLSS 5 Makes A Splash The guys at Digital Foundry put themselves in a bit of hot water because they absolutely glazed DLSS 5 - the new technology shown by NVIDIA - and it amounts to an advanced Snapchat filter. I'm willing to give them a pass if only because geeking out about tech is what they do, and I am sure this is very impressive on a technical level. However, NVIDIA is calling it "content control Generative AI" and they say it is just a tool. In one breath, they say it doesn't change anything about the art style or graphics, and in the other they proudly announce it makes changes at the "geometric level". But it's just a tool, guys. The devs have the control and it isn't meant to replace a team member, duh. Ofcourse then one need ask: why does it generate geometry, rather than say enhance/smooth like DLSS4.5? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40525250

YoVG # 529 MAR10 DAY 03/11/2026

YoVG # 529 MAR10 DAY Apparently this has been a thing for a few years now, but I just noticed it. March 10 - MAR10 - Mario Day. You get it. This caused us to start talking about the mainline Super Mario games and... Is there any other franchise as consistently good as Super Mario? And if there is: is it as long running as Super Mario? Probably not on either count. Additionally, we talk about current industry news (spoiler: more layoffs) and why Nintendo seems immune to making the same blunders everyone else is making. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40397025

YoVG # 528 Requiem For A Helix 03/06/2026

YoVG # 528 Requiem For A Helix We're talkin RE9 (mostly spoiler free). We're talking Capcom Spotlight (could have been a text). We're talking Xbox announcing Project Helix. (It's a PC). /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40337395

YoVG # 527 Goodbye Phil, Hello AI! 02/25/2026

YoVG # 527 Goodbye Phil, Hello AI! It's like news breaks in chunks these days. Is that planned? It feels planned. In this episode we cover: Saudi Arabia buys the rest of EVO and announces plans for multiple cities worldwide to host their own. Phil Spencer has retired and his replacement is definitely a signal of what is to come. And Aussies are fun to hang with wherever you meet them. (Okay we don't really cover that but I do mention it.) In this episode we reference these articles a few times, and I recommend you read them if you have time because they add a ton of context: The Verge article about Xbox Leadership shake up (Sarah Bonds abrupt exit): Seamus Blackley says Xbox is being sunsetted: Do I think Xbox is being sunsetted? No. If it gets back on track it is a big earner, and it fits with Satya Nadella's goals. Namely consumer cloud compute and AI adoption. I expect the next iteration of Xbox to have an AI assistant that you can't opt out of, and of course AI "tools" will be used in all projects moving forward. I expect it will be used as a selling point on every game. "New AI makes bots behave naturally!" "AI learns and adapts to how you play!!!!" " GenAI generated levels mean every playthrough is unique!!!!!!!!" Stuff like that. Do I think Xbox is being brought in line with Satya Nadella's AI push? Absolutely. Do I think Asha Sharma is going to bring about a new Xbox Golden Age? No. But I do think we need to wait a year to see what she actually does. Because this year will mostly be finishing up Phil's plans. We won't know her real priorities for 6 months minimum, and I am saying a year to be generous. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40228340

YoVG # 526 Developer Slates 2026 & Beyond 02/18/2026

YoVG # 526 Developer Slates 2026 & Beyond In the 90's and early 00's you typically saw multiple (2 or more) entries into a series per decade. That meant you could really fall in love with a series, and it also meant you could overlook an entry that sucked. This is a story about DragonQuest. It's a story about Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Mario, Zelda. Basically all of the beloved franchises today. As development costs soar, development time does too, and that means you aren't getting as many games in a series per decade. There's pros and cons to that I guess, but one major con is that any single game that releases can tank a franchise, or company. Is there anyone who still has an output that looks like this? We think there is, and they are clearly doing something right. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/40152020

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