Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#160: Red Storm Rising Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

It's time for you to wake up. Unsavory, international, and shadowy corporate and political interests are starting to tie themselves more and more to the gaming industry, and it's time for us to talk about how to resist. It's impossible for any of us to live truly ethical, modern economic lives -- only those living truly off-grid are doing so -- but it's incumbent on us to know what's happening, why, and to what extent. Tencent's recent acquisition of Sumo Digital brings the forces of Chinese Communism closer to Sony than ever, and that relationship never, ever comes at a neutral cost. Quite the opposite, for the cost is implied. Plus: Konami is making major moves with PES and some other IP, Netflix and PlayStation may be cozying up to each other, Ubisoft announces the most generic shooter you've ever laid eyes on, Xbox Series X outsells PS5 in America, and much more. Then: What's the best-looking 2D game ever? Should Sony investigate manufacturing its older hardware and games for a niche audience? Is Sony making a massive mistake with its Ghost of Tsushima upcharge? Are we seeing the edge of Chris' power when it comes to a new, still-non-existent Splinter Cell title?

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#159: Wire Act Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

Fresh off the further reveal of the slick-looking timed-PS5 exclusive Deathloop comes word of another Bethesda-published timed exclusive that's being pushed further into the horizon. Tango Gamework's PlayStation 5 horror project Ghostwire: Tokyo has been delayed into 2022, perhaps not a huge surprise, but one worth delving into particularly when it comes to where this game fits in the PlayStation 5 catalog to come. How annoying must it be for Microsoft to have its new prized jewel publisher be working without the full force of two of its teams? We discuss. Plus: A new Nintendo-themed fighting game has everyone talking, Persona is reading a salvo of announcements in celebration of its 25th anniversary, Polyphony Digital may be quietly revving-up a Gran Turismo 7 beta, and more. Then: Will PlayStation Experience ever return? Have we ever used PlayStation 5's 'Accolades' system? Is there such a thing as the Reverse Platinum Trophy? Who will be hungriest by the end of the show?

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#158: Hunting the Hunter Jul 12, 2021

Show notes

Sony's newest State of Play presentation gave us a glimpse at some third-party games of varying quality, Death Stranding's PS5 port, a sequel to one of PSVR's most notable adventures, and so on. We also got a deep dive into Arkane's upcoming PS5 console-exclusive Deathloop, and it looks amazing. With its Dishonored roots shining through, Deathloop is like Returnal meets Hitman. Let's chat about that, the rest of the State of Play slate, and all of the week's other news, too. Speaking of Returnal, Housemarque apparently had other suitors before Sony secured the team, Ubisoft is making some major, series-altering changes to Assassin's Creed, Electronic Arts' DICE LA has a new name, RoboCop and Dan Houser are both making video game comebacks, and much more. Plus: Should "influencers" be hiding their Trophies and Achievements? Is it high time for Persona 4 to come to PlayStation 4? Where in God's name are PS5's external hard drives? What's with Chris' enormous water bottle?

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#157: Marque and Reprisal Jul 05, 2021

Show notes

Sony has finally announced a couple of first party acquisitions (and preemptively leaked a third), and while one target has been a very long time in coming, the other is out of left field, indicating that PlayStation is thinking more broadly about how, when, and in what fashion it gets its products into the world. Naturally, we delve deep, welcome Housemarque and Nixxes to the family... and pretty much do the same for Bluepoint, too, though at the time we're recording, a ring isn't yet on its finger. Plus, more news! A peculiar Konami partnership reignites persistent rumors, Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima is getting a native PS5 port and an expansion, Remedy is going all-in on Control, Falcom and NIS America are giving Trails fans exactly what they want, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Will Kevin Butler ever make a comeback? When will PlayStation 5 games come to PC? Which video game websites (if any) are worth your time? Did Colin accidentally get a listener disciplined at work?

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#156: Alive Space Jun 28, 2021

Show notes

Strange and potentially exciting things are happening at Electronic Arts, the once-maligned super-publisher that seems intent on turning things around, at least when it comes to hardcore players' perceptions of its brand. After ruining Mass Effect, nearly running BioWare into the ground, closing down storied dev Visceral, and botching most of its exclusive run of Star Wars games, it seems EA finally gets it: The audience demands more single-player games. And rumors are EA's about to deliver another one in the form of a Dead Space revival. That makes what was once dead very much alive, and we're very excited to talk about it. Plus: It appears Castlevania is getting a new collection, Sony expects PS5 to break sales records once it can adequately manufacture units, Ghost of Tsushima may be getting a standalone expansion, and much more. Then: Is Microsoft's xCloud a really big deal? What does it mean for a developer to be "media trained?" Will Sony wow us when they return to the mobile market? Does Chris know the difference between Cesar Romero and George Romero?

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#155: I Want to Believe Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Is Hideo Kojima teasing something big? It seems like that could definitely be the case. The intrigue surrounds an unknown studio called Blue Box, a game dev no one has ever heard of named Hasan Karahman, and... well... maybe Silent Hill? We honestly have no clue, but the evidence is frankly rampant and impossible to ignore, and we go into all of it. We also discuss Bethesda's Pete Hines' words about PlayStation gamers losing access to their titles, the political destruction of Five Nights at Freddy's creator Scott Cawthorn, the increasing likelihood of Bluepoint's Demon's Souls Remake coming to PS4, rumors about PSVR2's release window, Cyberpunk 2077's inglorious return to the PSN, and more. Also: Listener inquiries! Did PlayStation make the right call by not going to E3? Is Colin a hypocrite for how he feels about Resident Evil's Wesker? Do games ever make us cry? Which of the three of us would most likely survive a zombie apocalypse?

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#154: All's Not Quiet Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

It's E3! While PlayStation has gone largely incognito -- frustrating our ability to pore over new first and second party announcements -- there's still a whole lot to talk about when it comes to its third party partners. Heck, our run-time proves it! Let's chat about a new Final Fantasy game, the official reveal of Guardians of the Galaxy, the reemergence of Elden Ring, the confirmation of a new Battlefield, and more. Let's also digest a very strange Death Stranding PS5 trailer that seems to say a whole lot more than people are giving it credit for, a new PlayStation second party relationship that makes no sense, Platinum Games' play for games-as-a-service with Babylon's Fall, new statements from PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, an indication from Naughty Dog that its new multiplayer project is a whole lot bigger than we thought, Yuji Naka's surprise retirement, and so much more. Like we said: Jam-packed!

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#153: Generational Divide Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

It appears PlayStation no longer believes in generations, a quick reversal from its insistence only last year that PS4 and PS5 would be separated by games, and what one console can do that the other cannot. Yet, we now know that PS5's three biggest upcoming exclusives (Horizon: Forbidden West, God of War: Ragnarok, and Gran Turismo 7) are all coming to PS4, too. Not one or two of them. All three. In fact, we don't know about a single PlayStation first party PS5 exclusive after Ratchet & Clank launches (Ratchet & Clank being its only internal exclusive so far!), and that's... well... strange. What is Sony's strategy, and why has it so markedly altered course when not only when compared to its previous behavior in older generations, but its obvious and stated intent as of months ago? Plus, we get into other news. Sony teams Bend and Asobi spring to life, Platinum's lost PS4 exclusive Babylon's Fall may be reemerging imminently, Far Cry 6 is somehow both political and not, EA makes a play for Call of Duty-level success, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Does the success of Netflix's Castlevania series give Konami the perfect opening to release a new game? Is there any way to be a modern gamer while avoiding giving money to Chinese interests? Should developers be forced to release demos for their projects? Will Colin ever play "That Communist Game?"

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#152: A Storm Is Coming May 31, 2021

Show notes

We've known for quite some time now that Horizon: Zero's Dawn's long-awaited sequel was en route. We've even had a title (Forbidden West) and target platforms (PS4 and PS5) since it was first revealed in 2020. But now? Well, now we have 14 minutes of gameplay to talk about, along with a very, very conspicuous absence of a release date, or even year. So, let's jump back into Aloy's futuristic (yet crumbling) world and measure our excitement for and expectations of Guerrilla's new project. Let's also return to the realm of JRPGs, specifically with Square Enix's dueling franchises Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The former is rumored to be getting a PS5-exclusive spin-off based on the original game, while the latter's 35th anniversary celebration brought with it a few games worth discussing. Finally, we'll work our way through the rest of this week's news -- PS+ games, Uncharted 4 on PC, new Sonic titles, and more -- and end, as we always do, with listener inquiries. Where should Grand Theft Auto VI take place? Should Sony be better at calibrating PS5's supply with demand by adjusting pricing? What's the most important IP to ever run on PlayStation hardware? Is Chris' constant state-of-being simply one long yawn?

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#151: Agreeing to Disagree May 24, 2021

Show notes

The last week in our beloved gaming industry has been interesting, and of course we're going to delve into all the news that's fit to print (well, say) here on Sacred Symbols. Many, many people wrote in to ask us about IGN, Israel and Palestine, and the general drama surrounding all of that -- and we oblige, complete with timestamps so you can skip the politics at your leisure -- but the core of this week's episode has much more to do with PlayStation itself. Returnal isn't selling well, but it's growing on us (and audiences) a great deal, and Housemarque seems to be primed to keep running forward if a recent interview is any exception. Meanwhile, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has gone gold while The Last of Us: Part II is finally running at 60 on PS5. Plus: Hades is coming to PS4, TimeSplitters is being revived, AT&T is splitting WBIE up after all, and much more. Then: Listener inquiries! Can we please stop talking about game pricing? Is it time to kill the QTE once and for all? How should Square Enix celebrate Dragon Quest's 35th birthday? Has Colin turned Red?

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