Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast show

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

Summary: Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast is a weekly show all about PS5, PS4, PS Vita, and PSVR. Co-hosted by games industry veteran Colin Moriarty, comedian Chris "Ray Gun" Maldonado, and Dustin Furman, Sacred Symbols aims to both inform and entertain, going through the news of the day, scouring the most recent games, and taking plenty of questions and comments from the audience. New episodes post each Monday. To get early access to each episode, support the show on Patreon at patreon.com/laststandmedia. We wanna make the podcast even better, help us learn how we can: https://bit.ly/2EcYbu4  For advertising opportunities please email PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com    Privacy Policy: https://www.studio71.com/us/terms-and-conditions-use/#Privacy%20Policy

Join Now to Subscribe to this Podcast
  • Visit Website
  • RSS
  • Artist: Last Stand Media & Studio71
  • Copyright: Last Stand Media & Studio71

Podcasts:

 #164: Get to the Chopper! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 10765

In 2015, Sony quietly opened a brand-new, British first party team called Manchester Studio. Their charge? Make PSVR games. And so they did. Or, they tried to, anyway. Five years later, before even announcing their project or even leaving pre-production, the studio was shuttered, and now -- for the first time ever -- we know what they were working on and what went wrong. Their search-and-rescue virtual reality adventure sounds interesting, but leadership left much to be desired, and their execution was non-existent. So let's discuss. We'll also get into Call of Duty: Vanguard's proper reveal, chat about relics of The Last of Us: Part II's scrapped multiplayer functionality left in the game's code, wonder at the first-ever release of the original Quake on PlayStation hardware, and more. We'll also get into the mailbag, fielding your questions on topics ranging from emotion in our medium and the meaning of AAA to corporate consolidation and an unfortunate catastrophe concerning a Kit-Kat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #163: Liberty, Vice, and Everything Nice | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 10448

These slow summer days have been suddenly interrupted by a most-tantalizing rumor: PlayStation 2's classic trilogy of Grand Theft Auto games are migrating over to PS4 and PS5, reworked and modernized (though not remade!) for a new generation. Yes, it's true that GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas are already natively playable on PlayStation 4, but in their stubbornly-old formats. Let's talk about returning to Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas in full, retro effect, and how excited we are to delve back in for all the fun and mayhem. Plus: Sony has officially acquired anime streaming giant Crunchyroll, timed PS5-exclusive shooter Deathloop has gone gold, the US Congress is looking to stomp-down on lootboxes and microtransactions, Focus Home Interactive grows its internal roster of studios, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Is 2022 shaping up to be the craziest year in gaming history? Should Sony revive Massive Action Game? Is it possible (or even worthwhile) to boycott a game or a company without actually hurting it? Why does Colin sleep like Winnie the Pooh? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #162: Distant Horizon | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 12272

The news out of Sony-owned studio Guerrilla is bad, at least if some recent rumors are true. Horizon: Forbidden West -- once promised for both PS4 and PS5 this fall -- is likely going to come out in 2022, instead. This leaves PlayStation 5 fairly barren for the rest of the year, with only the likes of Kena and Deathloop filling in the timed-exclusive gaps. Should PlayStation fans be disappointed, or even worried? Or is the old adage as true now as it has always been: A delayed game is never worse-off for being pushed. Let's chat about it. Then: Sony has overcome a major obstacle in the manufacture of PS5 consoles, PlayStation 4 is predictably losing steam, new PSVR rumblings sound awfully tantalizing, and Grand Theft Auto V sets a new, incredible sales milestone. Let's then wrap up our show, as we always do, with your inquiries. In light of Activision-Blizzard's recent scandal, how should Sony manage its exclusivity and marketing arrangements for Call of Duty? Considering staggering advances in AI, should we allow artificial intelligence to assist in making games? With both PlayStation and Xbox thriving, why are the fanboy wars seemingly worse than ever? With time as our barometer, will Colin ever get over the time he accidentally smoked a hit of opium at a frat house 19 years ago? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #161: Grandeur | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 10967

This generation is well underway, and it's official: Sony's PlayStation 5 is 'winning' by a lot. At 10 million units sold and counting, PS5 is the fastest-selling home console ever and a testament to a clearly well-oiled corporation that launched hardware in a supply-constrained, virus-infected environment. We discuss what this huge figure (and accompanying software data) means, and whether Sony should start getting comfortable as the Big Dog yet again. Plus: A new PS5 firmware update is about to fix many of our most glaring UI issues, Mortal Kombat is now the best-selling fighting franchise of all-time, ex-PlayStation CEO Shawn Layden is still very worried about the cost of making games, new PS+ games are on the horizon, and much more. Then: Has a game's controls been so bad that you've refused to play it? Is the Valve Deck about to change everything? Are we underestimating the appeal of XDefiant? Will Colin ever update his LinkedIn profile? To get a 2-year plan plus a bonus gift with a huge discount go to https://www.NordVPN.com/symbolsvpn and use code SYMBOLSVPN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #160: Red Storm Rising | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 12313

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? To get a 2-year plan plus a bonus gift with a huge discount go to https://www.NordVPN.com/symbolsvpn and use code SYMBOLSVPN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #159: Wire Act | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 11404

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? To get a 2-year plan plus a bonus gift with a huge discount go to https://www.NordVPN.com/symbolsvpn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #158: Hunting the Hunter | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 14144

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #157: Marque and Reprisal | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 13587

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #156: Alive Space | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 9800

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #155: I Want to Believe | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 12021

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #154: All's Not Quiet | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 17083

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #153: Generational Divide | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 10961

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?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #152: A Storm Is Coming | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 12080

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #151: Agreeing to Disagree | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 11420

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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 #150: Epic Money | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 12024

Who knew Epic Games' lawsuit with Apple would be rife with so many interesting tidbits about our beloved PlayStation? Here's one piece of news: The House of Fortnite apparently offered Sony a staggering $200 million to port between four and six of its exclusives to its PC store. Sony -- at the time owners of 1.4% of Epic -- doubled-down by refusing the deal and nearly doubling its investment into the company instead. This is a strange story, so let's explore it! We'll also get into the week's other pertinent news, too, like PlayStation's (apparent) 25 games in development, fresh rumors circulating around PSVR2, the first new DualSense color schemes, and much more. Then: Listener inquiries! Are Sony's recent moves answering its naysayers? Will EA ever revisit Dead Space? How will monetary inflation affect the games industry? Can Dustin survive his role as full-time member of our show? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comments

Login or signup comment.