Beyond

SPOILER WARNING! We absolutely spoil stuff that happens in The Last of Us Parts 1 and 2, so if you haven’t played either of those games… Go do that before watching/listening to this week’s show. Anyway, in addition to fiercely debating the seemingly simple hypothetical question of who’d win in a fight, Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil, or Joel Miller from The Last of Us. Speaking of The Last of Us, the HBO series has found Season 2’s Abby Anderson in Kaitlyn Dever, and we also got a faint glimpse of the Gravity Rush movie, plus non-updates on Prime Video’s God of War series and Netflix’s live-action Horizon prequel show. Meanwhile, Sony and Honda showed off some new features of the AFEELA electric vehicle, which can be driven with a DualSense controller. Ya know, on stage at CES 2024 for tech demo purposes, but also later this year when the EV comes to Gran Turismo 7. Speaking of first-party PlayStation studios games, there aren’t man first-party exclusives coming out in 2024 that we’re aware of, but there are still a bunch of huge third-party PS5 console exclusives, and we’re gonna be eating good for the next few months at least. Finally, Jada flexes about the mountain of Platinum Trophies she racked up in the final weeks, days, and hours of 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this pre-recorded episode of Beyond, the hosts discuss the potential for a Death Stranding film adaptation capturing the game's best qualities. They reflect on Sony's 2023 and the excitement around third-party and multi-platform releases. The hosts also talk about PlayStation Productions' push into movies and TV and the lack of support for PlayStation VR2. Other topics include glitches in video games, drumsticks ice cream, and PlayStation 5 updates.

The Last of Us Online is not happening, reflecting on the challenges of big multiplayer games. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 gets updates. The gang plays Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and feels it's either too safe or lacks creativity.

Tons of incredible games on PlayStation in 2023, including Resident Evil 4 Remake, Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Alan Wake 2. Also, the official cancellation of E3 and the rise of online presentations. The significance of audio and storytelling in podcasts and the importance of merchandise sales with Shopify. Discussion on the Remedyverse, Baldur's Gate 3 as a winner, PlayStation Game of the Year, and the God of War Valhalla update. Analysis of the Playstation accessibility controller and discussions on SEO, social media, and favorite games.

The podcast discusses the monumental excitement around the reveal trailer for GTA 6, which garnered more views in 24 hours than GTA 5 did in twelve years. They compare the hype for Elder Scrolls 6 and GTA 6 and speculate on the impact of these games on the gaming industry. They also discuss the possibility of a GTA TV show or movie and share excitement about the 'No Return' rogue-like mode in The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on PS5.

"The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered" with exciting upgrades, including "No Return" mode and free play guitar. Tony Todd's statements about Spider-Man 2 spark curiosity. The highlight is the "Beyondcés" awards, celebrating game details and absurdity of 2023's games like Baldur's Gate 3, Street Fighter 6, and Mortal Kombat 1. The hosts discuss challenging enemies, battery history, clothing in games, and listener participation. A fun-filled episode!

In honor of the PlayStation Portal, the latest addition to Sony’s ever-growing menagerie of bizarre ways to play games, we decided to hold a little tournament to pick the one true best controller. Y’know, from the dozen arbitrarily selected contestants that were randomly pitted against one another in a confusingly designed bracket. How does the DualShock 4 stack up against the original non-DualShock PS1 controller? How does that yogurt covered pretzel-lookin’ PlayStation VR Aim zapper fare against the PlayStation Portal, a brand new device that none of us have physically touched? What about that whackadoo prototype PS3 controller that looked like a banana or a boomerang? We had fun debating all of these things, so hopefully you enjoy listening. This week’s Beyond features Max Scoville, Brian Altano and Jada Griffin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

IGN's reviewer, Seth Macy, joins Max Scoville and Jada Griffin to discuss the PlayStation Portal device for PS5 and whether remakes should have a separate category for Game of the Year. They also talk about the multiplayer experience in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and the ESRB rating for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

This week on Beyond, there’s plenty to talk about! We’ve got a laundry-list of missing gameplay features in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that were present in previous games that Insomniac hopefully patches. Okay, maybe stealing The Vulture’s wallet wasn’t a feature. There are rumors of a potential Bloodborne movie in the works as well as a release date for the very unofficial fan-made Bloodborne Kart racing game, and we have strong feelings about both of these things, since they relate to Bloodborne, even though we’d love to hear about an official remaster or sequel. We’ve been playing some of the many games recently released, including Alan Wake 2, which is undeniably gorgeous, smart, and incredibly well-made, as well as Robocop: Rogue City, which is debatably none of the above, but still a ton of gruesome hilarious fun. Thirsty Suitors is the Scott Pilgrim game we didn’t know we wanted, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Own Name has erased Max’s brief bout of Yakuza franchise-fatigue. This week’s Beyond crew is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin and Brian Altano. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We invade Kinda Funny's studio for a special Beyond and P.S. I Love You XOXO crossover featuring Greg Miller and Blessing Adeoye Jr. in our lead up to IGN vs. Kinda Funny Charity event! What's the greatest PlayStation 5 game so far? We've got a bracket of 32 games including: Astro's Playroom, God of War: Ragnarok, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Elden Ring, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Sifu, Ghostwire: Tokyo, The Last of Us: Part 1, Demon's Souls, Balder's Gate III, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade and so many more! Which game will come out on top in this ultimate PS5 game smackdown? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices