

Beyond
IGN & Geek Media
For decades, PlayStation consoles have brought incredible games and unforgettable stories to millions of gamers— and Beyond has been there every step of the way. Join passionate PlayStation experts Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Akeem Lawanson for witty, insightful analysis of the latest PlayStation news, must-play games, and everything coming to PlayStation 5. Whether you're a die-hard fan or new to the world of PlayStation, Beyond is your ultimate PlayStation podcast.Beyond! is a part of Geek Media Podcast Network, an IGN Entertainment Brand.Visit Geek.com for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 13, 2022 • 1h 53min
Do Not Underestimate the Power of These PS1 Games for PS Plus - Beyond 745
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to travel back in time to the days of the PS1, and reminisce about the PS1 games we loved and want to see added to the new PS Plus lineup. While we know plenty of games from the era have received remasters and remakes, we dip into franchises like Ape Escape, Brave Fencer Musashi, Mega Man X, Tomba, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy, Digimon, Crash Bandicoot, and more for what we'd like to see added to the lineup. We discuss why we loved the games we did, what games we missed out on that we also want added so we can complete our historical knowledge of PlayStation's original console, and call out a number of picks from the Podcast Beyond community. Then, Jonathon speaks with Ian Campbell and Graham Smith from Drinkbox Studios to discuss Drinkbox's Nobody Saves the World making the jump to PS4 and PS5 this week, what players can expect, and Drnikbox's PlayStation lineage. After that, Jonathon, Jada and Mark discuss some of the news of the week, including Kingdom Hearts 4's reveal, The Witcher 3's PS5 delay, and more, plus a Memory Card story of a particularly enterprising PlayStation player. If you'd like to write in with Memory Card stories, PS Plus wishlists, questions for the show, or something else, write into beyond@ign.com 00:00:10 - Intro & Rogue Jam 00:03:17 - Our PS1 Wishlist for PS Plus 00:59:16 - Drinkbox Studios Dev Interview for Nobody Saves the World 01:25:38 - More Gaming News! 01:45:07 - Memory Card & Outro
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Apr 6, 2022 • 1h 25min
New Tomb Raider: Hopes and Expectations - Beyond 744
On this episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to talk about PlayStation... and Severance. But mostly PlayStation, we promise, Mark's just really happy Severance got renewed. But after that, we dig into the biggest news of the week, including confirmation that a new Tomb Raider game is confirmed, as well as our hopes and expectations for a new Lara Croft adventure from Crystal Dynamics. We dig into what we did and didn't like about the reboot trilogy, what we hope a new game would carry forward, and if it's even something we want set in that same universe or a new timeline entirely. Then, we discuss a bit about E3 2022 not happening, what we expect from PlayStation's event plans in the coming months, and more about how busy this summer is likely going to be for gaming events. We also discuss Jim Ryan's recent comments about Sony's plans for more acquisitions, and the discussions PlayStation is having with other major and indie devs and publishes to support the upcoming PlayStation Plus library. Then, we dig into what we're playing, including Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, LEGO Star Wars, Maquette, Fortnite's Zero Build mode, and more.
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Mar 30, 2022 • 1h 19min
The New PlayStation Plus Finally Revealed: Is It Worth It? - Beyond 743
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina to dig into the latest PlayStation news of the week. And of course, the biggest topic on our minds is the new PlayStation Plus subscription tiers, how Sony is altering PS Plus, and whether we have enough details yet to know if it's worth subscribing to the higher tiers. The panel breaks down their initial reactions to the new PS Plus three-tiered system, how it integrates PlayStation Now, and where it stands as an offering for PlayStation fans. We dig into the pricing structure, the availability of older libraries, the lack of PS3 downloads and PlayStation Vita as a whole, and whether different tiers appeal to new PS5 players, longstanding PlayStation fans, or both. We of course touch on the biggest question - what the library will actually look like, and knowing that PlayStation won't release its first-party games day one on the service, we discuss what they could do to make the game libraries worth subscribing to. We also discuss whether a metaphorical sandwich can help explain the different PS Plus tiers. We also hear from the audience on some of your thoughts on the PlayStation Plus changes! Then, we dig into some other news for the week, like April's PlayStation Plus games, the renewal of a trademark and tthe hopeful return of our one true PlayStation hero Knack, Gran Turismo 7's recent apology and economy changes, GTA+ if you wanted info on another subscription service, and a bit of Brian's Elden Ring Experience.
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Mar 23, 2022 • 1h 27min
PlayStation's Latest Acquisition Is a Bet on a Big Future - Beyond 742
It's been zero days since PlayStation has acquired a studio! That's right folks, just when you think every studio in the world has been bought up by either PlayStation or Xbox, Sony once again surprises us with another PlayStation Studios announcement. So watch along with Jonathon Dornbush, Mark Medina, and Jada Griffin as they give their best guess as to why Haven Studios could be a smart bet for the upcoming PlayStation Live Service lineup. Also, they dive into the recent Gran Turismo 7 controversies, and give even more thoughts on the newest PlayStation console exclusive: Ghostwire: Tokyo. And don't forget, Apple TV+'s Severance is a really good show, so if you're not playing a video game this weekend, do yourself a favor and watch Severance. This isn't an ad, it's just a really good show. Just watch the podcast, you'll get it. Ok bye! 00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:02:23 - PlayStation acquires Jade Raymond's Haven Studios 00:30:06 - Gran Turismo 7 Under Fire 00:47:22 - PS4 & PS5 Updates Now Live 00:53:39 - New Witcher Saga Announced! 00:59:38 - Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed Announced 01:04:02 - What's Up with Project Spartacus? 01:11:23 - What We're Playing & Outro
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Mar 16, 2022 • 1h 8min
The Cars, Chaos, and Ghosts of March's Best Games - Beyond Episode 741
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Seth Macy to break down all the biggest games of March we've been enjoying so far. March's best games have included some memorable cars, chaos, and ghosts, and we're breaking it all down on Podcast Beyond Episode 741. Before we dig into gameplay impressions, we first cover some of the latest news in the world of PS4 and PS5, including the sales success of Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, and how the latter stacks up to sales of other PS5 games. Continuing our coverage of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games, we also give Jada and Seth, two TMNT superfans, time to dig into the reveal of the TMNT: Cowabunga Collection at last week's State of Play. Following that, our PS4 and PS5 podcast dips into gameplay discussion, including Jada's Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin review and what she's thought after over 90 hours of gameplay. Next, Seth offers his Gran Turismo 7 impressions after being a longtime fan of the franchise from the early PS1 and PS2 days of Gran Turismo, and what it's been like to come back to the series after some time time away, how gorgeous it is, and more. Then, Mark and Jonathon offer their preview impressions of an early portion of Tango Gameworks' upcoming Ghostwire: Tokyo, digging into the world design, combat, and story they've seen so far. TIMECODE: 00:00:10 - Intro & News 00:12:25 - TMNT: Cowabunga Collection chat 00:20:12 - Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Review 00:33:17 - Seth Macy on Gran Turismo 7 00:47:27 - Mark and Jonathon's Ghostwire: Tokyo impressions 01:02:15 - Outro
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Mar 15, 2022 • 43min
Horizon Forbidden West Spoilercast With Guerrilla Devs
On a special episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Guerrilla's Narrative Director Ben McCaw and Senior Writer Annie Kitain to dive into full spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West's story, ending, and more. (Spoilers ahead!) Ben and Annie speak with Jonathon about Aloy's story throughout Horizon Forbidden West, certain major story decisions, the ending, and more. But as we touch on major moments from throughout, expect Horizon Forbidden West spoilers! If you don't want to be spoiled on Horizon Forbidden West's story, turn back now! Come back after you've beaten the story to hear some insight from the two on the process behind Horizon Forbidden West's ending, and much more.
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Mar 10, 2022 • 1h 8min
PlayStation State of Play March 2022 Reactions - Beyond 740
On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina (and later Jada Griffin) to dig into the PlayStation State of Play of March 2022 on Beyond episode 740. While Jada joins us later in the show to discuss her excitement over what was shown, Mark and Jonathon kick off the podcast by discussing the surprise announcement of Returnal's 3.0 update coming later this month, and why we're excited to revisit Atropos with Returnal co-op. We also dig into some of the Square Enix games included in the show, like Forspoken, Valkyrie Elysium, and The DioField Chronicle. Plus, Jada joins us to discuss her excitement for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R, the TMNT collection called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, and more. Plus, the gang covers some of the other recent PlayStation news, like Forspoken's new release date, Gotham Knights' October release date, God of War's potential TV show, an expanded lawsuit against PlayStation, and Sony's response to donate aid to Ukraine and cutting off of game sales in Russia.
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Mar 2, 2022 • 1h 22min
PS Plus' Successor: Our Hopes and Expectations - Beyond 739
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Lucy O'Brien, and Tom Marks to dig into the latest PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PSVR 2 news and rumors. First, the panel dives into the alleged new details of PlayStation's upcoming subscription service, PlayStation Spartacus, and what they might mean as an evolution of and successor to the standard PS Plus we know now. We dive into the reported new pricing tiers and inclusions, whether the offerings are enough or balanced well, and what we think of it in terms of current PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now offerings. We also dig into some of the PlayStation news of the week, including Horizon Forbidden West's latest patch, a GhostWire Tokyo prelude novel, DICE Awards wins for Sony asnd some brief hints at Returnal dev Housemarque's new game, and then we dig into what we've been playing, including new and updated takes on Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring.
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Feb 24, 2022 • 1h 22min
The Wild Ride of Our Elden Ring Review - Beyond 738
Elden Ring is just about here and the reviews for it are extremely positive! So on this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation Podcast, we chat about what it was like for Mitchell Saltzman to review such a massive game in 87 hours, and why it's something fans of the genre will definitely love. We also explore all the new systems it has to offer, and how its open-world adds a dash of welcome flavor to an already tried and true concept. Also, Jada Griffin sits down with Neil Jones the creator behind Aerial Knight's Never Yield, to talk about its development, the game industry, and all the new content featured in DA Update. There was also a bit of PlayStation news for folks to be excited about, including a look at the PS Plus games you'll get to claim in March, as well as a quick discussion about the recently revealed look of the PSVR 2 headset.
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Feb 16, 2022 • 1h 23min
How Do PlayStation Trophies Affect How We Play? - Beyond 737
On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to have a conversation spurred by recent fan comments of the show and the packed release schedule in the next few weeks. With Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, and now even Cyberpunk 2077 potentially taking up our play time ahead of a year that continues to be busy for PS4 and PS5 gamers, we discuss our current feelings on how PlayStation Trophies do and don't affect how we play games. We dive into what the act of playing an open world game like Horizon Forbidden West or Elden Ring can be like if you're interested in collecting trophies, plus how some on the panel love trophy hunting and how others have fallen off interest in collecting them. We discuss trophy hunting burnout, and more broadly, what does and doesn't make a good trophy or even full trophy list. We cover Control, Marvel's Spider-Man and Miles Morales, God of War, Sifu, Guardians of the Galaxy, Uncharted, and so much more as we delve into how trophies have or haven't improved over time, and how they alter our approach to certain games, genres, and franchises. We also cover a bit of the news in the world of PlayStation, including the new Cyberpunk 2077 patch, some Horizon Forbidden West trophy and LEGO news, and PlayStation Productions updates.
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