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4Player Podcast #778 - Our 2024 Fantasy Critic League Draft / Preview Show Jan 05, 2024

Show notes

With a new year comes an onslaught of new games to be excited about. As is now tradition around these parts, we kick off the new year with the initial Draft in our ongoing Fantasy Critic league! This year, Ed joins the fray, bringing our roster up to seven! We learned a lot over the last year and I think it shows because not only are our individual rosters stronger and spicier, counter-picking was absolute hell! But hey, it makes for a fun podcast. Pay attention at the beginning for the rundown of the rules and all of the changes we have implemented and then sit back and enjoy. Thanks for joining us for another year of video games!

How Fantasy Critic Works (4:20)
Determining the draft order (12:10)
Initial Draft (18:55)
Counterpicks (1:15:00)

4Player Podcast #777 - The Lucky Number Se7en Show (Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Super Mario RPG, and Fantasy Critic Result / Planning) Dec 22, 2023

Show notes

For all intents and purposes, 2023 was a great year for gamers but the development / business side of the industry has taken a savage beating. In our final podcast of the year, we talk about two more high-profile cancellations: Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer project AND E3 were both taken off life support in the past week. Brad talks up Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and Pizza Tower as he squeezes in a few more games prior to Awards season and Chris Davis has us covered with his thoughts on the remake of Super Mario RPG. In the second half of the show, we devote our time to the past, present, and future of Fantasy Critic. We talk final rankings and then hash out the changes and improvements we want to implement in 2024 - including ways of allowing the community to join in the fun more directly!

Housekeeping / Game of the Year Plans (2:38)
Headline: E3 is (finally) dead (14:50)
Headline: Naughty Dog / Sony Cancel 'The Last of Us' Multiplayer Project (19:45)
Impressions: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (35:40)
Impressions: Super Mario RPG (47:00)
Impressions: Pizza Tower (59:00)
Fantasy Critic Results and Plans for the Future (1:15:30)

Follow the 4Player 2023 Fantasy Critic League Submit your Top 10 Games of 2023 for a chance to win a free game in January! The link is pinned in our #goty-2023 channel.

4Player Podcast #776 - Beat the Blue Screen! (Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer Reactions and The Game Awards Predictions) Dec 08, 2023

Show notes

It's an unexpected race against time this week! Sudden, unexpected technical difficulties near the end of the episode force us to do battle with Chris Davis' PC as it tries to silence us. Before that though, we delve into the first ever Grand Theft Auto VI trailer and take a look back at the history of the series and the impact it has had on culture and the industry. Rather than close out the show in our usual fashion, Brad runs us through a series of increasingly ridiculous predictions ahead of The Game Awards.

Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer Reactions (09:20)
The Game Awards Predictions (51:35)

4Player Podcast #775 - All's Well that Ed's Well (Cyberpunk 2077, Persona 5 Tactica, Dragon's Dogma 2 Update, and More!) Dec 01, 2023

Show notes

Ed returns to the show after a hectic but exciting year of traveling and moving across the country! We take some time to catch up with him about Final Fantasy XVI, The Talos Principle 2, Shadow Gambit, and even impressions of the new Steam Deck OLED! The group discusses the latest developments surrounding Dragon's Dogma 2 (including a release date) and the upcoming Fallout adaption on Amazon. Brad makes an argument on Persona 5 Tactica as a potential 2023 underdog and Nick shares his thoughts on Cyberpunk 2077 now that the big 2.0 update has redeemed it in the eyes of players years after launch.

Catching up with Ed (6:05)
Housekeeping / Fantasy Critic (25:20)
Headlines - Dragon's Dogma 2 has a Release Date! (36:00)
Headlines - Our first look at the Fallout TV series (50:30)
Impressions - Persona 5 Tactica (59:25)
Impressions - Steam Deck OLED (1:13:20)
Impressions - Cyberpunk 2077 (1:26:00)
4Player Minute (2:05:40)

4Player Podcast #774 - The Miranda Rights Show (RoboCop: Rogue City, The Talos Principle 2, Jusant, and More!) Nov 17, 2023

Show notes

After a week off from recording due to unforeseen circumstances, we are back with a vengeance! We are bursting at the seams with new (and mostly exciting) games to talk about! Brad gives us the skinny on the latest Yakuza titled: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his Name, and Nick recaps his time with Jusant; a touching and impassioned homage to classics like Ico. Chris Davis fills the group in on his latest... video game life choices which includes playing all the way through RoboCop: Rogue City and Redfall. Nick also takes a deep dive into The Talos Principle II which easily earns a place among puzzle game classics like The Witness and even Portal.

Housekeeping / Fantasy Critic
Impressions - Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his Name (15:20)
Impressions - Jusant (30:00)
Impressions - RoboCop: Rogue City (43:00)
Impressions - The Talos Principle 2 (1:05:30)
Impressions - Redfall (1:24:00)
4Player Minute (1:43:00)

4Player Podcast #773 - The Bad Gamer Show (Alan Wake II, Super Mario Bros Wonder, the Reboot of Silent Hill, and More!) Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

This week, we have the pleasure of delving into TWO quality games that couldn't be more different! Brad looks back on his time with Super Marios Bros Wonder and applauds it's accomplishments while pondering it's place in 2D Mario history. In the 2nd segment, Nick and Chris Davis dive into Alan Wake 2; a long-awaited sequel that brought the best out of Remedy thanks to it's ambitious, open-ended design and it's dramatic pivot into the horror genre. Of course, it's not all rainbows and lollipops. We discuss Konami's baffling decision to lead the Silent Hill reboot with Silent Hill Ascension; a perplexing and somewhat embarrassing experiment that nobody asked for.

Housekeeping / Fantasy Critic Discussion
Silent Hill Ascension and the reboot of Silent Hill (22:56)
Impressions - Super Mario Bros Wonder (33:50)
Impressions - Alan Wake II (58:50)
4Player Minute - (1:34:44)

4Player Podcast #772 - I Believe I can Fly, Not Swing (Spider-Man 2, Laika: Aged Through Blood, Killer Frequency, and More!) Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

Another week, another huge release for 2023. We spend MOST of the first segment this week talking about Insomniac's Spider-Man 2; a bold, polished sequel that delivers on almost every front. As it happens, it almost over-delivers with it's new wing-suit mechanics. After that, we ponder the current state of Insomniac and hypothesize about their upcoming Wolverine game. In the second segment, Brad gives us the rundown on two new indie releases worthy of your time and attention: Killer Frequency (Happy Halloween!) and Laika: Aged Through Blood - a game that feels like Trials HD and Castlevania had a brutally challenging baby...

Housekeeping / Fantasy Critic
Impressions - Spider-Man 2 (12:55)
Discussion - The state of Insomniac and the potential directions for 'Wolverine' (50:40)
Impressions - Killer Frequency (1:09:20)
Impressions - Laika: Aged Through Blood (1:19:35)
4Player Minute - (1:29:30)

4Player Podcast #771 - The Brad Bread Show (Assassin's Creed Mirage, El Paso Elsewhere, Star Ocean: The Second Story R Demo, and More!) Oct 14, 2023

Show notes

It's a strange week. We find ourselves in the midst of spooky season as we await the imminent release of some of the years biggest games. After some Halloween banter, we delve into the latest developments surrounding Naughty Dog's troubled Last of Us multiplayer project and the announcement of the new PS5 Slim. In the second segment, Brad finally has an opportunity to talk about the demo for Star Ocean: The Second Story R; An impressive remake of a PS1 classic that also calls more attention to the weird choices Square Enix is making. Nick and Chris Davis talk about the double edged sword that is Assassins Creed Mirage and then brad makes a compelling case for El Paso Elsewhere.

Housekeeping - Please take our listener survey (link below)
News - The Last of Us Factions 2 is in trouble - (35:15)
News - Sony announces PS5 Slim - (42:45)
Impressions - Star Ocean: The Second Story R (Demo) - (49:20)
Impressions - Assassin's Creed Mirage - (1:02:10)
Impressions - El Paso Elsewhere - (1:27:00)
4Player Minute - (1:43:10)

Link Dump:

4Player Podcast #770 - The Tempered Expectations Show (Cocoon, The Expanse, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, and More!) Oct 09, 2023

Show notes

It may be a skeleton crew this week but this industry slows down for nobody; Especially in 2023! We take an unexpected detour into Assassin's Creed territory up front but then go on to revisit Armored Core VI. Nick gushes over Cocoon; A game which may be struggling to find it's audience in such a crowded release season but is undoubtedly one of the best puzzle games of the year. A Starfield discussion goes sideways for Nick and Chris delivers his verdict on Telltale's The Expanse now that the full season has wrapped. Also, it's been an absolutely terrible week for game developers...

Tangent - Assassin's Creed Mirage is Out
Impressions - Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Impressions - Cocoon
Impressions - The Expanse
Impressions - Payday 3
4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #769 - The Wong Side of History (Mortal Kombat 1, Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways DLC, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, and More!) Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

Microsoft can't seem to catch a break. The Activision aquisition led to another massive document leak which gives us some insight into Bethesda's future lineup including new entries in the DOOM and Dishonored franchises and some rather shocking assessments about the value of certain games when it comes to Game Pass. We also react to the new gameplay footage for Dragons Dogma 2 and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth which dropped this week at the Tokyo Game Show. Of course, the 2023 onslaught of cool games continues as we talk about the likes of Mortal Kombat 1, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew (Mimimi's final game), and the new Separate Ways DLC for Resident Evil 4!

News - Huge Microsoft Leak
News - Reactions to new 'Dragons Dogma 2' and 'Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth' gameplay
Impressions - Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways
Impressions - Mortal Kombat 1
Impressions - Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
4Player Minute

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