JRPGs Are Back with a Vengeance - SNGP 93

Microsoft Shuts Down Tango Gameworks, Arcane Austin - SNGP 95

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While amazed at how bad Silent Hill Ascension continues to be, David Radd played the uncooperative co-op game Runbow and played the seminal action prequel to Symphony of the Night in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Meanwhile, Tuesday switched Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine to easy because they're an adult and didn't need the hassle and experienced an anime plot about luminous energy in Endless Ocean Luminous. In news, Nintendo confirms a Direct in June 2024 while also specifying that the next Switch will not be revealed there. Meanwhile Dragon's Dogma 2 led the March 2024 U.S. sales period according to Circana while Helldivers 2 is the seventh best selling Sony game of all time. In other news, Take-Two Interactive reportedly shutters Intercept and Roll7 while laying off most of Private Division and Capcom posts its seventh year of growth off of the strength of Resident Evil 4 and Street Fighter 6. For the topic, David and Tuesday talk about Microsoft shuttering four Bethesda studios, recall their favorite games from Tango Gameworks and Arcane Austin, detail what this means for the future of planned (and sold) Redfall content and ponder the fate of other similarly sized studios owned by Xbox.

If you enjoy the podcast, visit us at Patreon.com/SNGP!

The Legend of Zelda Timeline Isn't Real - SNGP 94

Wondering when the wave of studio closures will slow, David Radd played some Rayman Legends, which is a lot like a refined Rayman Origins, and also plays Sonic Superstars while remembering how good Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was. Meanwhile, Tuesday played Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, throwing David off by it not being Hundred Heroes and resulting in a side tangent about the Bloodstained games, and also played Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, where much like the games that inspired it, the story is inconsequential. In news, Take-Two announced that five percent of its workforce will be laid off, roughly 600 jobs, while Embracer announced plans to split into three separate companies. Meta opens the Meta Quest OS to third-party developers while VR continues to lose billions for the company, while Avalanche Studios enters a collective bargaining agreement with a pair of Swedish labor unions. For the topic, David and Tuesday discuss the storylines of the canon Legend of Zelda games and discuss a timeline they're in that just isn't real.

If you enjoy the podcast, visit us at Patreon.com/SNGP!

JRPGs Are Back with a Vengeance - SNGP 93

While wondering if Dead Space will ever return, David Radd played the orange tabby simulator in Stray and got serious Star Wars Disney sequel vibes off of the end of Killzone Shadow Fall. Meanwhile, Tuesday played Princess Peach: Showtime! which is definitely not Dead Space 2 and brings up Crypt of the Necrodancer, though much of the time is spent talking about Baroque on the Sega Saturn. In news, Embracer's CEO says the restructuring is over while Gearbox Publishing becomes Arc Games. Meanwhile, Blizzard renews its agreement with NetEase to bring games like World of Warcraft back to the People's Republic of China and certain NetEase games to Xbox in the West, Baldur's Gate 3 cleans up at the 2024 BAFTA Awards and IGDA give six points for a sustainable games industry. For the topic, David and Tuesday talk about how JRPGs of late have reinvigorated themselves by embracing ideas from Western games, reinvigorated old franchises with french ideas and innovated with open world design.

If you enjoy the podcast, visit us at Patreon.com/SNGP!

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse - SNGP 92

While respecting Larian's decision not to do more Baldur's Gate content, David Radd was glad characters don't immediately disappear after going off screen in co-op play in Mario vs. Donkey Kong while using focus to easily dispatch all regular enemies in Ryse: Son of Rome. Meanwhile, Tuesday played "legally distinct Power Rangers" in Chroma Squad and knew that what little weird story was in BlazBlue Entropy Effect didn't matter. In news, CIrcana revealed that Helldivers 2 is the best selling game in the U.S. through February, Embracer divests from Saber and Gearbox, the U.S. government sues Apple for anti-trust issues related to the cloud, and Sega sold Relic to a holding company and agreed on a game development contract with the CWA. For the topic, David and Tuesday talk Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, how it's different and similar to Shin Megami Tensei IV, discuss how Nanashi is a different sort of hero from Flynn, and relate how deep into world religions ATLUS went for this game.

If you enjoy the podcast, visit us at Patreon.com/SNGP!

Systems vs. Mechanics: What's the Difference? - SNGP 91

While amazed that Warner Bros. Discovery learned no lessons from the failure of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, David Radd experienced all the Web 1.0 meme humor in World of Goo and sees what Hideo Kojima uncensored is really like in Death Stranding: Director's Cut. Meanwhile, Tuesday played Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright and experienced its dystopian court system and found Ghost of Tsushima to be a surprisingly cozy game. In news, Yuzu creator Tropic Haze settles with Nintendo and shuts down support for the Switch emulator and the 3DS emulator Citra, Warner Bros. Discovery starts removing Adult Swim Games from digital storefronts and Sony backed Deviation Games closes without shipping a single game. The sole piece of positive news is that 600 QA workers at Activision were able to exercise their right to organize. For the topic, David and Tuesday talk about systems and mechanics in video games, some examples of heavy (and light) use to both and how systems and mechanics impact the games people like to play.

If you enjoy the podcast, visit us at Patreon.com/SNGP!