Dropped Frames

We remove the clown shoes after 7 years of waiting: Silksong has a release date! Just in time for 20% of Twitch's viewership poofs out of existence as Twitch has finally started combating viewbotting! How will this affect streams and sponsors in the future on the streaming platform? Tariffs hit Playstation 5 in the US. Vampire the Masquerade: The Ship of Theseus. Pete Parsons leaves Bungie in his very cool car after firing numerous employees.Path of Exile 2 returns in a big way, ERPers turn on Final Fantasy XIV and much more!   0:00 - Intro1:00 - Condensed3:00 - Viewbotters16:45 - Silksong finally has a release date28:30 - The PlayStation 5 price increases31:15 - Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines 247:00 - Helldivers 2 x Halo ODST48:10 - Pete Parsons leaves Bungie50:00 - Path of Exile 2 The Third Edict1:10:20 - Final Fantasy XIV bans mods1:18:00 - World of Warcraft Midnight1:23:40 - Deadlock gets a big update1:30:00 - Hosting1:38:30 - Whispers From The Star1:52:00 - Loving an AI2:06:30 - VOID/BREAKER2:14:30 - Morrowind2:24:55 - Gods, Death & Reapers2:41:40 - Herdling2:48:15 - Dead Wire2:50:30 - We finish games here2:57:00 - Supraworld3:03:00 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're all in on Battlefield 6 this week as the first beta weekend launched. Is Battlefield back? Titan Quest 2 gaining traction, Diablo 4 lead Rod Fergusson leaves Blizzard, Bungie losing independence, Square Enix MMOs on the downtrend. Zeke suffers through Mind's Eye, watching the EVO finals and we learn new zoomer slang and baseball!  0:00 - Intro1:00 - Up all night3:25 - Start diggin' in yo butt twin6:00 - Baseball16:00 - Titan Quest 2 sold 300k in 72 hours16:50 - Rod Fergusson leaves Blizzard/Microsoft24:10 - Bungie dissolving into Sony30:00 - Battlefield 61:20:10 - Square Enix MMO division1:34:10 - EVO 20251:45:40 - Mind's Eye2:01:10 - Mafia: The Old Country2:23:10 - Abiotic Factor2:38:00 - THE RPG2:43:50 - Shoutouts  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by Washington Post's game journalist Gene Park this week to chat about the state of games journalism in 2025 and how Mind's Eye is the experience of the year.  We also go over the surprise THQ showcase that revealed Darksiders 4 and shadowdropped the early access of Titan Quest 2. Then we get into our time with Grounded 2, Abiotic Factor 1.0, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound and... Shenmue?   0:00 - Intro1:00 - Hair Bleach7:00 - Gene Park is here18:00 - Journalism in 202537:20 - Gene's favorite interview1:05:00 - What is clickbait?1:07:00 - Going to gaming events1:11:00 - Maintaining integrity1:20:50 - Gene has platinumed Mind's Eye1:53:50 - Visa/Mastercard/Porn2:05:00 - Music2:08:50 - Nintendo sales2:10:20 - Bioshock 4 dead?2:12:30 - Top people working at WB2:17:40 - THQ showcase - Titan Quest 2/Darksider 42:29:50 - Grounded 22:35:00 - Abiotic Factor2:40:00 - Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound2:42:30 - Shinobi Demo2:44:50 - Shenmue2:49:45 - The Drifter2:52:45 - Lucy joins Guilty Gear Strive/EVO 20252:58:30 - Shoutouts/Tokon breaking news    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we talk about finishing games as a streamer, why it's better for the streamer and the viewer to not force themselves to complete games. The numerous faux pas we dislike in games. Our thoughts on Donkey Kong Banaza, FFXIV Dawntrail, the Mafia series, Neon Abyss 2 (and more) before getting into the news with Krafton v Subnautica heating up, Roblox dating, being replaced by AI and more!   0:00 - Intro1:00 - The worst show7:25 - Cohh quits Kojima28:00 - Finishing games47:00 - Gaming faux pas54:50 - Claptrap will have a volume slider in Borderlands 458:30 - Grounded is the best survival game1:10:00 - Mafia 31:27:00 - Donkey Kong Bananza1:56:50 - Ghost of Yotei Showcase2:02:50 - Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail2:12:50 - Zeke's Games2:16:40 - Neon Abyss 22:18:50 - Krafton vs Subnautica2:21:50 - Valve removes sex games2:33:00 - Microtransactions create fun!2:35:15 - Roblox dating2:45:00 - Lay-offs at King (Microsoft) replaced by AI2:46:40 - Destiny 2 Edge of Fate CCV way down2:51:00 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mass layoffs hit XBOX again and it's most definitely not the end with over 9000 employees and multiple projects canceled. Are we cooked? More Death Stranding 2 talk and look foward to what Kojima has in store. A new Planetside-like being developed? The Alters dev respond to usage of AI, Stop Killing Games reaches 1 million signatures for UK. A look at Uma Musume and gacha gaming, PEAK and more! 0:00 - Intro1:20 - Climate 2:40 - Death Stranding 228:25 - Lord of the Rings Online32:15 - A new Planetside? Reaper Actual39:50 - The Alters AI59:30 - Stop Killing Games reaches 1 million signatures in UK1:06:00 - Helldivers 2 hits XBOX1:07:40 - Microsoft massive layoffs and cancelations1:33:00 - EA expects 100 million players for Battlefield1:40:00 - Krafton replaces Subnautica co-founders1:55:00 - Uma Musume: Pretty Derby2:04:00 - Gacha games2:24:00 - PEAK2:32:10 - 7 Days to Die2:35:30 - VTuber Q2:50:10 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The discussion dives into the expanding role of GenAI in game development and concerns over increasing viewbotting on Twitch. They question whether streaming video games is fading away, while also exploring the challenges and excitement of Dune Awakening and Death Stranding 2. The quirky Horse Girl game adds a humorous touch as they reflect on creativity in gaming. Additionally, they promote the Stop Killing Games initiative and share insights on character progression and unique gameplay mechanics, highlighting the community's passion.

We're joined by Dan this week to give us the lowdown on The Alters and the tips/tricks for dating everything in the house in the new dating sim: Date Everything! But first Borderlands 4 had their deep dive reveal during their fanfest and for the first time we're actually excited to play it! Nexusmods gets sold, should we be worried (yes!) Splitgate 2 devs face layoffs after poor  launch, Marathon gets delayed indefinitely, Mr. Beast's AI thumbnails, Kojima doesn't want you to feel good after playing Death's Stranding 2, 32 race Mario Kart World and more! 0:00 - Intro4:00 - The Blood of Dawnwalker16:00 - Borderlands 432:35 - Borderlands 4 is now a $70 game49:25 - Donkey Kong Bonanza55:45 - Lies of P: Overture1:03:45 - Stellar Blade1:05:00 - Splitgate devs facing layoffs1:08:00 - Nexusmods gets sold1:12:20 - Hades 2 update1:15:20 - AI thumbnails1:20:40 - Marathon delayed indefinitely1:25:00 - Jukeboxes1:31:30 - Fantasy Life I gets a roguelike mode1:34:30 - SEGA leaks their sales info1:36:00 - FBC Firebreak1:45:40 - Kojima changed Death's Stranding 2 to be more polarizing2:01:10 - REMATCH2:26:00 - Mario Kart World2:30:50 - Date Everything2:54:10 - The Alters (no spoilers)3:03:10 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we share our final thoughts on Summer Game Fest and check our post-SGF hype levels. We wonder if Marathon is still releasing this year. Sony quietly removing region-lock on their PC ports. GameStop removing the Game from Stop. Obsidian leads wonder about the industry. MindsEye... Dune: Awakening addiction and plenty of Steam NEXT Fest demos including Rue Valley, Baby Steps and Dispatch!   0:00 - Intro1:00 - Father's Day4:00 - Post-SGF10:00 - Arc Raiders21:00 - Marathon37:20 - Sony removing regional restrictions on Steam43:30 - Stellar Blade peaks CCU on Steam49:40 - Gamestop moving away from games54:00 - Obsidian on $80 games and the industry1:02:40 - Switch 2 sells over 3 mil in a day1:16:25 - MindsEye and Cohh1:34:00 - Dragon Age dev hell1:47:00 - Dune: Awakening2:24:00 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound     2:26:30 - Baby Steps2:34:50 - Rue Valley2:37:00 - Dispatch2:49:00 - Zeke's favorite NEXT Fest demos3:03:40 - Path of Exile3:05:10 - Nancy Drew3:11:15 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our main topic this week is going over our Summer Game Fest coverage plans. Be sure to watch with us this Friday, June 6 5PM ET! We also go through all the TwitchCon news including increased streaming resolutions (but not the bitrate,) Twitch live rewind... That's behind a paywall, and more! We then discuss our time with Elden Ring: Nightreign a weirdly addicting game, Tainted Grail and round it all out with Zeke's indie recommendations! 0:00 - Intro1:40 - Nicknames5:10 - Twitch bitrate6.40 - Twitch rewind17:00 - The rest of Twitch Con EU news25:00 - Expedition 33 sells 3.3 million in 33 days26:40 - EA closes Cliffhanger Studios30:00 - COD ads34:40 - Elden Ring: Nightreign1:15:00 - Switch 21:31:10 - Summer Game Fest plans1:59:00 - Tainted Grail2:30:00 - The Last Golfer2:40:30 - Zeke's indie recommendations2:56:20 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is Marathon getting delayed? All signs point to yes with the latest Playstation rumors, meanwhile an Arc Raiders announcement seems imminent! We share our very official casting for the recently announced Elden Ring movie by A24 and Alex Garland. We have a battle over which game is better, we can't afford $80 and then we watch the OTK game showcase.   0:00 - Intro3:25 - Marathon delayed?16:50 - Lies of P Expansion preview21:40 - Arc Raiders ARG?25:15 - Elden Ring the movie38:55 - Warhammer52:25 - Games Workshop doing well53:30 - Witcher 3 celebrates 10 years1:01:10 - Star Wars Battlefront 2 returns1:10:00 - Pokémon1:12:30 - Carey Patel joins Night School1:19:00 - Can you afford $80?1:36:20 - TMNT1:45:10 - Tainted Grail1:46:15 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.