Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

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#230 | Confidential: Contains Business Secrets! Nov 28, 2022

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The British government has released a mildly-redacted -- but largely intact -- 20-something page writeup from a law firm representing PlayStation. Dated late October of this year (but new to all of us), Sony attempts to retort, basically line-by-line, Microsoft's various contentions about the pending Activision-Blizzard-King deal that has fascinated the industry for the better part of 12 months. Though we all share a relative malaise about this subject, there's huge news within this document, and we couldn't help but go through it in great detail, garnering as much information as we can out of it about Sony's operation, that of its competitors, and the various theories and gamesmanship behind the completion or destruction of one of tech's all-time biggest acquisitions, one that could affect the very future of the PlayStation brand (or so they claim). And yes, we also get to other news -- Sony is publishing two flashy Chinese games as second party products, God of War: Ragnarok sells huge, and more -- and, as always, we rounded things out with inquiries from our beloved audience. How're we feeling about Forspoken now that it's a couple of months out? Does physical software have a future on PlayStation 6? Demon's Souls won a newbie Souls fan over, so where does he go next? What, precisely, is the meaning of life?

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#229 | Shimmy Simulator Nov 21, 2022

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God of War: Ragnarok has finally arrived, and with it comes opinions. A whole slate of them. The three of us have sat with the newest PlayStation 5 smash-hit for varying amounts of time, and we come away with equally-varying opinions that we're eager to share, expand upon, and challenge. Needless to say, we spend a whole lot of time talking about the game this week, so buckle-in. We also delve into the last seven days' news, touching on Witcher III's much-delayed PS5 release, the official announcement of Remedy's Control 2, Embracer's perilous studio structure in the face of a truncating games industry, and more. We round things out, as always, with listener inquiries generated from our audience on Patreon. Is Sacred Symbols taking on too negative a tenor as of late? Should we expect better than 1080p60 on PS5? Why do people keep giving a platform to Adam Sessler? How young is too young to join the Gamer Batallation?

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#228 | We're Doomed Nov 14, 2022

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We really hope you like the Horizon series, because a new rumor from a reliably-placed source indicates that much, much more of it is coming. There are purportedly five Horizon projects in the works: Call of the Mountain on PSVR2, some sort of Zero Dawn remake for PS5, the inevitable third game in the core trilogy, a Netflix series, and now an MMORPG from South Korean firm NCSoft. Meanwhile, a journalist attempts to race-bait Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida, and Naughty Dog hires the renowned creator of Fortnite's monetization system. But this episode's doomish vibe really begins with Doom itself, since renowned franchise composer Mick Gordon nukes id Software from space in a sprawling, 14,000 word document chock-full of receipts. In addition to other news, we round out our show with questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas, as we always do. Topics this week include a revitalized Sonic the Hedgehog, the potential of PlayStation Stars, the disparity in pricing between physical and digital software, and a rant about "with no ice," which is how all soft drinks should rightly be ordered.

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#227 | Lose All Sense of Reality Nov 07, 2022

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It's hard to stop a moving train, and when big corporations make meaningful decisions, the results occur over years, not days, weeks, or months. It's clear now that Sony's PSVR2 is stuck between a rock and a hard place -- there's simply no way Sony could have forecasted the last two and a half years of human history when this thing was being workshopped and greenlit -- and with a high price, a bad economy, and a seeming dearth of actual games, well, PlayStation's timing may be all wrong. Does PSVR2 have a real future? We discuss at length. Other news this week circulates around updated PS5 sales data and impressive numbers for 2018's God of War, Microsoft's 700th reiteration that Call of Duty will always remain on PlayStation, Electronic Arts' new three game deal with Marvel, and much more. Listener inquiries round things out, per usual, touching on topics like a lacking creativity in PlayStation's first party, why spoilers are so detrimental and wrong, and the potentially bright future of Mega Man. We also place a moratorium on a popular user-favorite term, because we need to mix things up a bit, and because we enjoy keeping you on your toes.

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#226 | London Calling Oct 31, 2022

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For two decades, Sony's London Studio has been known almost exclusively for its casual fare, usually driven by a peripheral, whether it's a camera, microphone, or even Move. But a recent conversation the team's two co-leads conducted with an industry publication indicates definitively that recent rumors were true: London Studio is pursuing a more hardcore course, specifically with an online co-op game-as-a-service that's set in a fantasy-themed London. (How fitting.) Is PlayStation's most inconsequential team about to run up the pecking order as part of a new, multiplayer-centered initiative? We discuss. Other news this week includes the construction of a new first party team allied closely with Naughty Dog, confirmation of an Unreal Engine 5-run Witcher remake from CD Projekt, the exit of studio Rocksteady's talented co-founders, the potential return of Square Enix's Parasite Eve, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. Will AAA PSVR2 games cost $70, too? How can we get back to the three year dev cycle? Did patching ruin game launches forevermore? Does Dustin know what "Oingo Boingo" means?

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#225 | The Hills Surprise Oct 24, 2022

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Konami sure knows how to make someone wait. After literally years of rumors and build-up, the long-dormant Japanese publisher spilled the beans about its plans for Silent Hill, its once-popular survival horror series. It turns out three games are coming -- a new entry, a remake, and something smaller -- and, well, the choice of devs has some people puzzled. Bloober Team and Neobards Entertainment aren't exactly household names befitting a proper revival. Or perhaps that's the point? We discuss. Plus: We give you the very first details about the plotline of Quantic Dream's Star Wars: Eclipse, DualSense Edge gets both a date and price, Bungie is apparently planning a major comeback of its '90s FPS franchise Marathon, and more. We then end, as always, with listener inquiries. Could Sony begin 'Kickstarting' the development of riskier titles? Do we have a problem with cliffhanger endings? At a rumored 10-to-12 hours, is The Callisto Protocol too short? And just what is it with the Europeans, anyway?

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#224 | Revelations Oct 17, 2022

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As we enter the season of spookiness, we're left wondering about the scariest possibility: Continuing PlayStation 5 scarcity. But there's good news emerging, at least if recent reports are to be believed. It appears Sony is readying to gear-up PS5 production in ways so dramatic that they plan on selling more units in one year than consoles like GameCube and the original Xbox did in their entire respective lifetimes, with millions to spare. Soon, the question may not be if you can get a PS5, but if you really want one. (You do.) Plus: New discoveries about first party team Haven suggest Sony wants them more for making making games easier than making a game (follow all that?), Persona 3 and 4 quietly receive a release date on PS4 (speaking of Revelations), new PS+ offerings leave much to be desired (some old games would be nice), and more. Then: Listener inquiries! What are some obscure digital-only PS3 titles worth playing? How come games rarely launched in the summer back in the day? Do we have a hard time playing with an evil karmic slant in choice-based campaigns? Has a recent YouTube suggestion from Dustin ruined actual lives?

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#223 | Zero Shame Oct 10, 2022

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The Last of Us: Part I is one thing, but 'remaking' Horizon? Five years and change after it came out? Give us a break. Tantalizing rumors (seemingly confirmed by reliable sources) indicate Sony is indeed endeavoring to deliver a Horizon: Zero Dawn remake of some sort, a game that first came to PS4 in 2017 and PC in 2020. What level or kind of remake? It's unclear. But something akin to Naughty Dog's aforementioned PS5 foray is likely. Naturally, we discuss, while also going into the rest of the leaked Sony document that shows off a bunch of upcoming PlayStation products we know little or nothing about, with codenames like Ocean, Bates, Heartbreak, Camden, Carbon, and Redstar. Other news includes a bunch of Herman Hulst media hits, word on PSVR2's production targets, a ton of information about upcoming CD Projekt games, and much more, and as always, we end things with listener inquiries. Which titles, if any, have us holding our controllers in an unusual fashion? Is there such a thing as a game with too many endings? How can Activision better listen to its players following the recent Call of Duty beta? Did you know that there's such a thing as a littering fetish? Now you do. We hope you're happy.

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#222 | That's Wild Oct 03, 2022

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As promised, publisher Electronic Arts has revealed its all-new, so-called 'hunting' game. It's called Wild Hearts, and it's coming by way of Koei Tecmo-owned developer Omega Force very soon: It hits PlayStation 5 in February. This is a fun move to analyze, an aggressive maneuver from EA that encroaches entirely on an unexpected rival's turf. Naturally, we delve-in. Plus: The totalitarian Saudi government is prepping to spend tens of billions of dollars to whitewash its horrific image (this time in gaming), The Last of Us on HBO is looking mighty fine (though Ellie has some people thrown-off), PlayStation Stars seems inoffensive and engaging (and dare we even say fun), and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Is "dynamically-generated quests" the single worst term ever? What's our gut-check when it comes to Square Enix's weird release schedule? Are digital releases truly ephemeral, after all? Dare we even ask if you want to hear the tale of the listeners whose roommate showers completely in the dark? (You're going to, one way or another.)

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#221 | Appeasement Sep 26, 2022

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Life is full of choices. And a fundamental choice is what you do for a living and who you work for. So it was disappointing to see Shawn Layden -- a champion of PlayStation's first party games for a run of very good years -- choosing to sign with Tencent as a Special Advisor. As an ex-Fortune 500 executive, Layden is already set for life, and with a reputation and track record like his, he can work anywhere and do anything. He's chosen to be used to help normalize and strengthen Tencent's western operation, and in our humble opinion, he has some explaining to do. Plus: We further assess the catastrophic Grand Theft Auto VI leak (as well as Rockstar's response to it), EA's new Iron Man game (and its potential to be the next Spider-Man), rumors circulating about a new PS5 model (with a detachable disc drive), and much more. Then: Listener inquiries. What's the economic strategy behind Square Enix's coming avalanche of releases? Is there a firm line in game emulation that simply shouldn't be crossed? In an industry so mired in negative news, what's a glaring positive we've identified? Where the hell has Chris gone off to?

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