YoVideogames!

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

YoVG # 471 Lessons Learned & Trends We See In 2025 12/31/2024

YoVG # 471 Lessons Learned & Trends We See In 2025 Happy New Year! I hope you're spending this time with family, and friends - but if you have to work, I hope our sweet salty voices keep your ear holes good company. 2024 was a year full of lessons. Some good, some bad, but lessons nonetheless. And with those lessons we are going to try and pick out some trends for 2025 and beyond. Which is always fun because if we are right, cool, if we are wrong, fun. It's a win-win! /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/34562635

YoVG # 470 Christmas Miracles We Want To See! 12/24/2024

YoVG # 470 Christmas Miracles We Want To See! Matt's calling this one the Blue Sky episode. Which is not a reference to the new social media platform - no it's a concept that Walt Disney loved to use when brainstorming ideas for his park: aim for the blue sky and we will worry about reality later. So we're doing that now, but with gaming hopes and dreams. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/34551180

YoVG # 469 TGA 2024 Post Show Clarity 12/18/2024

YoVG # 469 TGA 2024 Post Show Clarity Suffice to say I was dead wrong about this years show. I was so confident it would be a nothing burger that I didn't even watch this year. I figured: if anything interesting is shown, I'll check it out later. Well, several interesting somethings were shown. Plus some surprises and oddities with the awards. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/34504015

YoVG # 468 The Calm Before TGA 2024 & Shifting Power Centers of The Industry 12/12/2024

YoVG # 468 The Calm Before TGA 2024 & Shifting Power Centers of The Industry There's a lot of winking and speculating that there will be a couple show stopper announcements at TGA 2024 - we aren't so sure. Rather than speculate on that and get our hopes up: we talk about Indiana Jones, the on-going shifting power centers of the industry and general topics. I have what is affectionately being called "Flu-vid" and maybe don't sound my best. Matt said I sound normal so if I sound like a corpse it is his fault and you tell him. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/34414625

YoVG # 467 The PlayStation Episode 12/04/2024

YoVG # 467 The PlayStation Episode It's the 30th anniversary of PlayStation! So, here's a walk through the 90's with one of the best consoles ever. I was 5 when it officially released, and we did actually GET one until '97 - so all my memories of this system are jumbled until probably 97/98. Matt has clearer memories of the early years, but like most: didn't play it a ton until later, either. PlayStation had a slow start, but a grand finish. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/34284880

YoVG # 466 Mobile Gaming Fools Gold 11/27/2024

YoVG # 466 Mobile Gaming Fools Gold Matt's going to title this episode "Game Industry Comes to Jesus" because it's funnier - so if you're on YouTube later and see it: it is the same episode. And what is the episode about? Well, it turns out mobile gaming is not actually profitable for anyone outside of a couple big companies. Capcom, Square, Namco - all closing their mobile gaming divisions after a decade plus because they've done nothing but lose money. Personally, I was shocked because all we ever hear is how much money King is making. Well, I guess it's only them. So, what does that mean for gaming in general? For mobile gaming specifically? And will I make the obvious joke about coming to Jesus? (Yes, near the end, yes. Of course. Look at me.) /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/34179995

YoVG # 465 The Game Awards 2024 Nominees Released! 11/20/2024

YoVG # 465 The Game Awards 2024 Nominees Released! Every year the same question pops up: is TGA really an awards ceremony? Is it valid? Or is it just a popularity contest? The answer of course is: yes. It may mostly be a popularity contest, and awards are given out mostly based on sales and crowd opinion rather than critical/quality opinion - that's debatable. BUT the value of the TGA in my opinion is that it offers the clearest window into where the industry itself is going. Why? Because the industry responds to sales and popularity - not critical reception. All award ceremonies are meant to legitimize an industry and let them pat themselves on the back. TGA is essentially the game industry advertising itself to the work - not to gamers specifically. Plus we talk about a couple specific categories and their nominees. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/34035526

YoVG # 464 Is Aonuma Creative? 11/14/2024

YoVG # 464 Is Aonuma Creative? In this weeks episode: we talk Matt's Japan trip - specifically Ghibli theme park and the wonder of a park built on vibes. And then we get into Aonuma's take on game design. Eiji Aonuma is the game director behind much of the Zelda series. He's Miyomoto's protege in many respects. He is a great project manager. But is he creative? Recently he commented on game design, and how he doesn't think it is possible to think "narrative first" because it will limit game hook/loop ideas. Add these comments to some he made in years past and it presents a picture of a man who just isn't that creative. Japan traditionally put gameplay before narrative for most of its videogame history. So, this is mostly just a traditionalist view imo. But it does shed light on why Zelda has been rehashing the same story every game for 30 years or more. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33932392

YoVG # 463 Welcome Back Matt 11/07/2024

YoVG # 463 Welcome Back Matt It's a movie episode! With an extra 20-30 minutes of game talk at the end. It's a long episode, but we also hadn't talked in a few weeks because Matt was in Japan with his fiancée. How dare he leave me behind. I spend an hour trying to convince everyone to watch Cloud Atlas. The entire episode. Everything else is just leading to or adding to my argument that you watch Cloud Atlas. Do it cowards, watch Cloud Atlas. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33831042

YoVG # 462 Games That Were Good On Paper (But Didn't Deliver) 10/30/2024

YoVG # 462 Games That Were Good On Paper (But Didn't Deliver) Ever see a trailer or read a quick blurb on a game and think "This sounds incredible!" but then when you got the game it just... wasn't? It has everything you want in a game, it checks all the boxes but somehow it came together in a way that left you wanting. Or maybe it promised the world and then didn't even try to deliver those things. This episode is about those games. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33499912

YoVG # 461 Glory in Gaming - 1994 10/23/2024

YoVG # 461 Glory in Gaming - 1994 Today you have just a few options and so it is hard to go wrong. Whether you choose Sony, Nintendo, PC/Xbox - you'll have good gaming experiences. While we love to argue who is best or if it even matters anymore: there was a time where that decision could actually ruin you, if you chose wrong. The year is 1994, there are 7-ish consoles out, all competing for your dollars with their own exclusives and peripherals. Who do you choose? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33483432

YoVG # 460 Our Favorite Villains 10/16/2024

YoVG # 460 Our Favorite Villains Might be better to say "our favorite type of villains" because we talk more about villain make up than naming actual favorite villains (though we do name our favorite). What makes a juicy villain? Tragic, love to hate or just fun to watch? Jump in with us as we discuss! /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33483302

YoVG # 459 Unreal 5 vs Everyone 10/09/2024

YoVG # 459 Unreal 5 vs Everyone We've speculated in the past that maybe everyone should standardize to the same engine. That maybe that'd be good for the industry. At the time we looked at the hype around Unreal 5 and thought - this could be it. Everyone will go to this. And a lot of people have. However, as the industry has changed so much in the last couple years - let's reexamine the idea. Should everyone be switching to Unreal 5? And does U5 live up to its hype? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33391627

YoVG # 458 Tokyo Game Show 2024 10/02/2024

YoVG # 458 Tokyo Game Show 2024 Tokyo Game Show doesn't usually have HUGE reveals, but there is always something interesting there. For me that something interesting was Nightmare Operator, an action/horror indie title coming to PC. The biggest piece of news out this past week is probably that Ubisoft is in dire straits because Star Wars Outlaws didn't do very well. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33299872

YoVG # 457 Sony Finally Gives Matt What He Wants! 09/25/2024

YoVG # 457 Sony Finally Gives Matt What He Wants! State of Play 2024 was a mixed bag for me. Matt rates it as overall pretty good - a win - even before he got what he wanted: Ghost of Yotei. I rate it as so-so, even though there were a couple things that did genuinely excite me. Let's dive in and talk the state of play 2024/25 /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33202597

YoVG # 456 PS5 Pro Cope, Switch 2 Leaks & The Death of Final Fantasy!? 09/19/2024

YoVG # 456 PS5 Pro Cope, Switch 2 Leaks & The Death of Final Fantasy!? Square Enix released its earnings and we saw in plain numbers that Final Fantasy 16 and Rebirth did not hit target earnings. In fact the company missed its target by billions of yen. So, is this the death of Final Fantasy!? Okay, probably not, but this could be a wake up call to publishers that it's time to build new franchises. Plus we address some of the PS5 Pro cope floating around, as well as Switch 2 rumors and leaks... Oh and Matt explains Yaoi to me. So... Come for the earnings and stay for the hot man on man action I guess. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33127117

YoVG # 455 Sony Fumbles Astrobots Big Score! 09/11/2024

YoVG # 455 Sony Fumbles Astrobots Big Score! Starting on a positive note: Astrobot has really landed with us. Granted, Matt thinks there's places to improve, but even then - it's a 9 or 9.5 at least. Sony is going to take the wrong lessons from this win I'm sure, but for now let's bask in a great exclusive for the PS5... Annnnnnd it's gone. The PS5 Pro was announced and as far as we can tell it is an 800 dollar nominal upgrade. (800 because it's an extra 80 bucks for a disk drive). Frankly this generation has been a mess and has proven only one thing: Nintendo - who is still in LAST gen - might be the only company that even sort of understands the market. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/33007097

YoVG # 454 Concord Sets A Record! 09/04/2024

YoVG # 454 Concord Sets A Record! Not the record it wanted... But a record nonetheless. In a shock move, just 10 days after it released, Sony announced that Concord is being pulled offline, and the dozens who bought it will get refunds. Does this mean that it is dead forever? There's some debate. It could come back as F2P - but then it may also just get totally shelved. This is probably very bad news for Sony's next big Live Services game, Marathon. Will Sony, and the industry at large learn a lesson from this? Yes. Will it be the right lesson? No. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32895812

YoVG # 453 Nintendo's Double Direct! 08/30/2024

YoVG # 453 Nintendo's Double Direct! In a twist, Nintendo dropped a double-direct earlier this week. Combining a Partner Direct with an always fun Indie Direct for a show that had some stunners in it. A few people seem to have run away with it, though. Imagining that this direct double feature portends a Switch 2 announcement soon. We don't think that's happening. At least not in the remainder of this year. In this episode we talk about the direct, what we think Nintendo plans for the next six months, and how they continue to win when it comes to game presentations in general. Oh we also talk about the great Robert Muldoon. And we rank Indiana Jones movies on a tangent. Man, it's too bad Bob Peck died so tragically soon after Muldoon was born because I would have loved a Muldoon game warden movie in Kenya. Anyway... /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32809637

YoVG # 452 GAMESCOM ONL 2024 08/21/2024

YoVG # 452 GAMESCOM ONL 2024 Positive up front: there was some cool stuff announced here. Not much gameplay, yeah, but still cool things coming. We don't go game by game. Rather we talk generally about the showing and then go into some loves and hates specifically. Tiny bit of cynicism: Everything was very safe. Which adds to our fears that the next year or two will be rough for the industry and this is only the beginning. Much like the film industry, gaming is going into a downsizing and that means "safer" ideas will be the only ones pursued. That doesn't mean cheaper, though. It means less games, and more budget for the blockbusters they think will make big money. It means more shovelware and big companies trying to bottle the magic captured by indie darlings. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32673692

Xenoblade Lorecast - Xenoblade One Definitive Edition (Bonus Episode) 08/16/2024

Xenoblade Lorecast - Xenoblade One Definitive Edition (Bonus Episode) In case you had a hard time following the two-ish hour Xenoblade One Lorecast featuring Nico B - we have gone ahead and recorded a bonus DEFINITIVE EDITION episode. We got it to just over an hour and still fit in several inappropriate jokes along the way. Plus I make an obscure reference to the latest Planet of the Apes trilogy. What could possibly be the context for that in this episode? Listen and find out. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32607652

YoVG # 451 Summer 2024 News Dump 08/14/2024

YoVG # 451 Summer 2024 News Dump Taking a wee break from lore-castin to talk about some of the latest news. Definitive edition episode of the Xenoblade lorecast is coming later this week. For now: let's talk about Switch 2 news, Tango getting bought, where Phil Spencer really dropped the ball and other stories! /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32576262

Xenoblade Lorecast Act 4 - The Endless Now 08/07/2024

Xenoblade Lorecast Act 4 - The Endless Now This is it! We're at the final, and arguably most difficult, part to explain. Klaus is dead. The conduit is gone. The two worlds are at peace. For now. 12 years after the conduit has disappeared it seems the two universes are no longer stable and can't be held apart. They are crashing back together and annihilation is on the horizon! But Melia and Nia have a plan to back everyone up onto an Ark that can survive the collapse. A powerful genetic hard drive that uses the last of their ether to instantaneously transfer all beings from their old world to the new one, in new bodies. It is a miracle of technology, and the heroes of both worlds will lead the way. However, there is a ghost in the machine... /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32481012

Xenoblade Lorecast Act 3 - The Architect 07/31/2024

Xenoblade Lorecast Act 3 - The Architect This week we are tackling Xenoblade Chronicles 2! We're back in our universe, on our Earth, with what remains of Klaus and the Trinity processor. The planet has been killed, and the conduit has gone quiet. Klaus is overcome with guilt and seeks redemption... Can he build a better world then the one he destroyed? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32366742

Xenoblade Lorecast Act Two - No More Gods 07/24/2024

Xenoblade Lorecast Act Two - No More Gods In Act One we covered the ancient history, now in Act Two we jump to the new universe where half-man Klaus, and Galea are the only living beings to make the jump. One of the Trinity processors makes the jump with them and because Klaus and Galea are administrators to its system it serves them here; giving these two the powers of gods... /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32276472

Xenoblade Lorecast: Act One - Ancient History 07/10/2024

Xenoblade Lorecast: Act One - Ancient History Oh shiiii-- Did you see this coming? Did you know we were gonna try and explain one of the most dense and convoluted games entailing 25 years of writing and rewriting? Yes! Yes? Oh. Well okay, I guess it's no surprise. We've wanted to do this for a bit, but now... We begin our tale with ancient history. The discovery of The Conduit. An impossible machine, long buried on earth, and with its discovery the birth of a utopia... Or so it seems. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32080557

YoVG # 446 Celebrating 'Mericuhn Game Industry 07/03/2024

YoVG # 446 Celebrating 'Mericuhn Game Industry To celebrate American Independence Day, we're doing a fun one this week: just chatting about the American games industry over the years. We also find out that I know maybe more about Rollerblading than any of us ever knew (even me). /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/32000237

YoVG # 445 Nintendo & the Back Half of 2024 06/26/2024

YoVG # 445 Nintendo & the Back Half of 2024 We're back! I moved across the country and had to catch up on Nintendo's presentation, so what's the verdict? To me: pretty good. Maybe even great really. I swing back and forth on it. Matt likes it too, though he points out that clearly Nintendo isn't "firing on all cylinders". What does this mean for the back half of 2024? While not a banner year, it looks like 2024 will be far from the desert I feared it would be... Well, except for Sony. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/31897227

YoVG # 444 Post Showcase Clarity 2024 06/13/2024

YoVG # 444 Post Showcase Clarity 2024 While we wait on Nintendo's upcoming Direct - let's talk about the rest of showcase season. Did Xbox pull off a victory? Did Sony make a strategic decision to hold back their biggest announcements? Did Ubisoft show they still make big games besides Assassin's Creed? I was able to attend the Xbox Games Showcase in person and Matt was able to attend Summer Games Fest in person. And that let us form an opinion about whether they better in person than in a direct? /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/31725787

YoVG # 443 Summer Games Snoozefest 2024? 06/06/2024

YoVG # 443 Summer Games Snoozefest 2024? Keighley tempered some hopes this past Sunday, saying this years Games Fest was going to be smaller. Personally, I think it took some balls to say it outright, rather than trick people into expecting huge news. Though that does beg the question - if he is tempering expectations: just how little will be announced? Also we talk about expectations for Xbox, namely that they had better melt some faces because they have burned every tiny bit of goodwill anyone has left for them right down to the nub. So, is Summer Games Fest 2024 going to be a bummer? Will Xbox make me trip over my own erection in excitement? Does hentai actually have good story or are we all just lying to ourselves? Only one way to find out. /episode/index/show/phunkmachinemedia/id/31637022

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