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This week features Janet, a gaming community enthusiast; Patrick, an industry commentator; Cado, a gaming culture podcaster; and Rob, an industry analyst. They dive into why we need more quirky sports games and discuss the revival of Tango Gameworks and Hi-Fi Rush. The conversation heats up around Valve's monopolistic tendencies in the gaming market, pondering if we're witnessing true innovation. Topics also include their recent gaming adventures, like Janet's experience with Fields of Mistria and the shifting dynamics of the gaming industry.

We’re not ready to give up the Olympics yet, which is why Rob and Patrick have convened the Sports! council to chat about what it’s been like having Olympics fever the past two weeks, and spend a bunch of time talking about women’s soccer, men and women’s basketball, and cycling. And we definitely do not overhype a handful of pre-season passes from Caleb Williams. No, sir.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A simple question: how do you best organize your digital life? Patrick, Janet, Rob, and Cado have already got it figured out, clearly. But soon enough, we’re chatting about games, with Patrick having conquered the known universe after completing The Game of Sisyphus, and both Janet and Patrick having a blast with the whimsical (but hard!) Valley Peaks. Meanwhile, Rob’s connecting orbs in World of Goo 2. In video game news, there’s the unexpected departure of Luke Smith and others from Bungie, the tragic closure of Game Informer, and the increasing weirdness about What’s Going on at Intel. And in a brief Question Bucket, we ponder parries.Discussed: Rob's Power Outage Story 3:36, The Game of Sisyphus 22:57, Valley Peaks 33:38, Surmount 55:43, World of Goo 2 1:09:32, Game Informer Closed 2:03:18, Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy Out at Bungie 2:23:35, Intel's No Good Very Bad Financial Quarter 2:39:23, The Question Bucket 2:58:18See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The NFL approaches, which means soon enough, Patrick and Rob will grapple with the reality of the Chicago Bears actually playing football, instead of wondering about it. History has taught us the former is better. Can Caleb Williams and co. change that? We’ll see, and our first glimpse into the future comes via HBO’s documentary series Hard Knocks, which is following the Bears at training camp this year. We also touch on the NBA Finals, Olympics, and a few other topics.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is failing to throw a football while streaming College Football 25 a sign of weakness, or merely an illustration of the stressors associated with public sport? Rob, Patrick, Cado, and Janet ponder this question and more, while trying to make sense of Bungie’s latest set of layoffs, SAG-AFTRA going on strike, and EA’s questionable use of the term “AI.” Elsewhere, Patrick’s both high and low on the comedic Thank Goodness You’re Here, while Janet doesn’t want the oceanic Loodlenaut to ever end. In The Question Bucket, we consider entering a sound pod.2:35 - College Football 2537:16 - Loddlenaut45:09 - Thank Goodness You're Here1:00:42 - Bungie Layoffs1:45:52 - SAG-AFTRA Strike, AI2:14:24 - XBox 360 Store Closing2:28:28 - Question BucketSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Unionization is spreading throughout Microsoft, and it’s glorious. Patrick, Janet, Rob, and Cado chat about the formation of unions at Bethesda Game Studios and Blizzard, before [deep sigh] unpacking Ubisoft’s decision to acknowledge the nontroversy with Assassin’s Creed Shadows put forth by bad faith actors. Also, Patrick and Janet have spent time with Clickolding and Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure. By the end, we drink deep from The Question Bucket. Discussed: Unions are being formed across the gaming industry 3:01, Ubisoft Responds to Criticism and Trolls 19:08 Google Signs AI Deal with Reddit 42:57, Arranger 1:04:39, Tangent about Homework 1:18:43, Clickolding 1:27:31, Humble Games Shuttered 1:47:25, The Question Bucket 2:03:28See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

College Football is back as a surprise hit of the summer... and it appears to have awakened something in Rob. He's traveling the Midwest recruiting for Notre Dame, concealing from all those kids that their head coach doesn't know what a "hot route" is much less how to call one. Janet's got a head full of soccer as she explains EA FC 24 and how it's trying to be all things to all players. The gang discuss the ominous letter a laid-off DEI team lead sent to colleagues at Microsoft before Janet shares tales of being charmed by Flock, and Rob builds his own new F1 team in F1 Manager 24. Finally, a reader shares all the dark secrets of the Bionicles.Discussed: College Football 25 4:24, FC 25 56:11, Microsoft Lays of portion of DEI Team 1:48:01, Flock 2:00:51, F1 Manager 24 2:10:25, Hauntii 2:31:35, The Question Bucket 2:35:17See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We begin where all good podcasts begin, of course, with Patrick, Rob, Janet, and Cado talking about Bionicle. Eventually, this all starts to make sense, as Rob has been playing a lot of Cataclismo, a strategy game with some Lego-like mechanics. We also unpack Microsoft’s recent (but unsurprising?) shifts with Xbox Game Pass, what “success” means for a game in Early Access, and why we’re so drawn to goofy games liked Chained Together and The Game of Sisyphus. And finally, listeners wrote in with more tales of dealing with conspiracy theories.Discussed: Cataclismo 40:06, Game Pass Pricing Changes 1:15:35, Manor Lords Publisher Defends Dev 1:50:14, Chained Together 2:12:42, Question Bucket 2:26:32See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

And now, the conclusion of Patrick’s ongoing interview series from Summer Game Fest, featuring conversations with the developers of Bounty Star (mechs!), Hello Kitty (cats!), SteamWorld Heist 2 (tactics!), and Cairn (rocks!).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.