Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

As you probably know, Chris has a very specific arcane power: He can seemingly wish games of his choosing into existence. So when Crash Bandicoot 4 was revealed, it appeared that the planets aligned for Ray Gun (it's one of his favorite series, after all), and so we have much to talk about with that topic alone. But there are other important pieces of news to get to, too, including a deep dive into the recent allegations of sexual impropriety that have engulfed the industry as of late. Plus: Ghost of Tsushima goes gold, Ready at Dawn gets bought, Rocksteady is making Justice League, and much more. Then: Listener inquiries! Does Mixer deserve a rousing eulogy? Should older games pack content disclaimers? What happened to gaming journalism, anyway? Does deodorant belong in your buttcrack? Once more unto the breach! (Pardon the pun.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Publisher Electronic Arts gets a lot of grief -- much of it earned -- but it also announces something truly exciting and different on occasion. Star Wars Squadrons is one such game, a dogfighter in the same spiritual vein as beloved Star Wars-related franchises of the past like Rogue Squadron and X-Wing (vs. TIE Fighter). It sounds pretty awesome, and we go deep into why we think so. Plus: We talk about all of the rest of the news EA announced (including the unexpected reveal of Skate 4), we go over plenty of clarifications and new morsels from the recent PS5 event (touching on the likes of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Horizon: Forbidden West), we talk about Cyberpunk 2077's newest delay, and much more. As always, your listener inquiries round things out, as we ponder the sheer meanness of games media, the tantalizing possibilities of Silent Hills, the "racism" scandal hitting Little Devil Inside, and much more . We even dedicate time to confirming the proper pronunciation of the word "caramel," because this is indeed a PlayStation podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's hard to believe, but the time has finally come, for Sony hasn't only shown PlayStation 5 games galore, but PlayStation 5 itself. That's right: The box. Now that we know what the console actually looks like, it's time to discuss its aesthetic. But more importantly, it's time to discuss the titles that will run on the machine. From first party to second party to third party, Sony brought out some of big guns, and there's much to chat about. A new Horizon? A new Gran Turismo? A new Ratchet & Clank? Yes, yes, yes... and even that Demon's Souls remake that's been long-rumored? That's also real. We've got a ton of games to sort through, so let's get into it. (Plus, we parse through all of the week's other news, too, so fear not.) These are exciting times! Let's embrace 'em. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here in America, a cop's murder of an unarmed black man has temporarily torn our society asunder. It's caused peaceful mass protests around the country, and the situation has occasionally fallen into outright rioting and looting as well. In other words, we're experiencing a period of substantial unrest. That unrest has naturally transferred its way into the World of PlayStation, where Sony's much-awaited reveal event for some first (and second and third) party PS5 games was delayed out of respect for the moment. With that, we're left to speculate about what Sony's plan is, and when this event might take place in the (hopefully) near future. It hasn't stopped PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan from talking extensively about his company's plans for the console, though, and so we've much to discuss. Plus: More news! Konami is silently creeping back into the publishing game, Paradox Interactive is now officially a union shop, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is making a welcome comeback, Hideo Kojima vaguely talks about his next project, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Should Sony attempt to bring EA's BioWare into its own first party fold? Is it time for Twisted Metal to make a comeback? How much better can sport sims become? Is it psychotic to buy the Pop-Tarts without frosting? Well... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've somehow made it 100 episodes, and it's all thanks to you, our precious listeners. To celebrate our auspicious milestone, we thought we'd do something a little different: Answer 100 minutes worth of listener questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas. You can find that at the end of the normal show. In the meantime, though, there's a ton of news to get through, and we discuss it all. We cover Naughty Dog's impressive 30+ minute State of Play for The Last of Us: Part II, discuss the NFL's renewed exclusive license with Electronic Arts, chat about Sony's strong PlayStation Plus lineup for June, consider the future of Silent Hill upon the reveal of some random SH-related content for a completely different game, opine about the new Dragon Quest action-RPG, and much, much more. Oh, and that aforementioned 100 minutes of listener Q&A? We cover our favorite demos, the future paths of Final Fantasy VII Remake, the new high water mark set by The Witcher on Netflix, the dearth of dinosaur games, Insomniac's possible direction with Sunset Overdrive, and so on and so forth. Thanks again for making Sacred Symbols a smash hit. We couldn't do it without you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're getting close now. Really close. Compelling rumors are now circulating (along with some vague words from Sony's CEO himself) that PlayStation 5's official reveal is close on the horizon, and may happen in just a few weeks, along with the first showcase of Sony's first party, next-gen offerings. So let's chat about the rumors, what we think will happen, and when we can expect everything to go down. Plus: Let's delve deeper into Ghost of Tsushima, talk about that bizarre (and very real) Gears of War 3 PS3 port making the rounds, consider Call of Duty's pivot back to the Cold War, assess the newly-revealed PS4 and PSVR bundles, opine over PlayStation Now's impressive new numbers, and much more. Then, user inquiries! Is the industry becoming to reliant on remasters and re-releases? What cultures could be better represented in upcoming titles? Could historically inaccurate games injure the real-life study of history? Which of the Seven Dwarfs would we want to be in a relationship with? It's go-time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to Ghost of Tsushima, Sony-owned Sucker Punch has the distinct honor of delivering PlayStation 4's very last first party AAA exclusive. Yet, there's no doubt that both the publisher and developer of the 13th century samurai adventure have been pretty quiet about it, which raised some doubts about whether it'd be any good. The silence has been broken, though, with an 18 minute-long presentation shining some much needed light on the open world action game. Were we impressed? Well... Plus: There's a lot of other news to get through, too! PlayStation 4 has surpassed 110 million units sold, Sony is rebranding its family of exclusive devs, Epic has unveiled Unreal Engine 5 running on PS5, and both Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Mafia are making big-time comebacks. To round things out, we go to the audience, with inquiries concerning the future of Crysis, Naughty Dog's misbehavior on YouTube, Ken Levine's inexplicable silence, and -- yes indeed -- nachos. Because for some reason, we can't stop talking about wonderful, glorious nachos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The hunger for next-gen information is palpable, and with this week's Xbox event, it seemed like Microsoft was keen on going first in some sort of substantive way. Instead, most fans were left confused by their showing. But there's good news for us here in PlayStation Land, because concentrating on third parties simply means that what's coming to Xbox Series X is coming to PlayStation 5, too. We discuss. Plus: Sony reveals more details about TLoU2's catastrophic leak (as the game goes gold), rumor has it The Mass Effect Trilogy is finally (finally!) coming to PlayStation 4, two AA publishers randomly (and we mean randomly) trade IP with one another, and Techland refutes rumors of Dying Light 2's reported development difficulties (though we remain skeptical). As always, we sprinkle your inquiries throughout the show. What's going on with Doom Eternal's soundtrack drama? Cyberpunk 2077 is letting you do WHAT with your genitals? Should Sony pursue From Software and make them first party? When given the choice between French fries and onion rings, in which direction does one go? Let's do this thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our shifting podcast schedule couldn't have possibly come at a better time, because it just so happens that the last seven days (or so) in the gaming industry have been among the most news-packed in recent memory. For starters, The Last of Us: Part II has a new release date, but such a revelation comes on the back of something truly traumatic for Naughty Dog, Sony, and TLoU fans: Catastrophic story leaks that threaten to ruin the game for everyone. (Don't worry: We don't discuss ANY spoilers in this show.) Ghost of Tsushima also got a new release date, but is Sony quietly burying Sucker Punch's long-anticipated adventure? Meanwhile, the Assassin's Creed rumors are true, and the series is going Nordic and turning to 9th century England for its next entry, and Square Enix doesn't know quite how it's going to finish Final Fantasy VII Remake, or even how many games will be required to do so. Amongst other news are plenty of listener inquiries, as always. Why don't games seemingly ever visit the Korean and Vietnam Wars? Could video games treat religion more positively? What's with awful difficulty spikes? Are nachos an appetizer or an entree? Let's go! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

That face in the thumbnail? That's the face of your doom. It's also the face of a bizarre patent Sony filed for a robot that can experience PlayStation games right alongside you. What does it mean? We don't exactly know, but we're definitely afraid of it. Also: A new Bloomberg article talks much more about PlayStation 5 and when we can expect it, and even how much it'll likely cost, giving us much to discuss. Meanwhile, Crytek is bringing Crysis back (kinda), Grand Theft Auto VI is in development (but be patient), and Cooking Mama is in trouble (for real). As always, we wrap up with listener questions, this time regarding The Last of Us: Part II's religious villains, Ghost of Tsushima's lack of waypoints, the endless PS5 backwards compatibility saga, and much, much more. Hit play and take a listen... and look under your bed and in your closet for that scary face, while you're at it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Final Fantasy VII Remake has finally arrived, and with it a bevy of high expectations. Have they been met? Well, for one of us, anyway, expectations have been far exceeded. We're excited to gush about Square Enix's fresh tour-de-force, and dedicate tons of time to Cloud's new-old adventure. Of course, we won't forget about the news! DualSense is PS5's new controller, Resident Evil 4 Remake and Silent Hill Remake both get new rumors, Sony is automatically refunding people's digital pre-orders for The Last of Us: Part II, CD Projekt is feeling confident it's going to get Cyberpunk 2077 out on time, and much more. And then, naturally, there are listener inquiries! Is the Gearbox/Borderlands 3 bonus situation as bad as it seems? Can we expect more special editions toting digital games? Are people getting too uppity about PS+'s "free" games? Chicken nuggets may not be meatballs... but how about popcorn chicken? All that and more on this Very Special Episode of Sacred Symbols. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to gaming, anyway, Coronavirus has officially claimed its greatest victim yet: The Last of Us Part II. As predicted on this show more than a month ago, COVID-19 has forced Sony's and Naughty Dog's hand, and the most anticipated PS4 exclusive of them all hasn't only been delayed, but delayed indefinitely. We don't know when it's coming out, now, and it's a huge deal, which we discuss in-depth. There's lots of other news to get through, too! Resident Evil 8 is rumored to be PS5-bound in 2021, Minecraft Dungeons and Wasteland 3 both have fresh release dates, Sony is furthering its XDEV initiative in Japan, and much more. Plus -- as always! -- listener inquiries. Did Microsoft reveal too much too soon about Xbox Series X? Why do devs and pubs insist on spoiling their own games in trailers? Is innovation in a rapid decline around the industry? Is a chicken nugget a meatball? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are you losing your mind yet? Hopefully not, for while Coronavirus is running roughshod over societies around Earth, imagine how bored you'd be if you were isolating yourself and surviving a pandemic in, say, 1900. With the Internet, video games, streaming TV, and much more, we can stay entertained and connected even through these trying and historic times, but it doesn't mean it's not taking a toll on many of us. And, not surprisingly, COVID-19 is taking a toll on the gaming industry, too. Speculation continues to rage about the likelihood of PlayStation 5 launching this year, while even Sony admits that first and second party delays are possible, and imminent third party releases -- like Resident Evil 3 and Final Fantasy VII Remake -- may have problems getting to you in physical format. Business moves are being made during the crisis, though: Both Avalanche Studios and Epic Games have announced reorgs and publishing deals, and tons of titles continue to come to PSN. We talk about all of that and much more (with plenty of listener inquiries) this week on Sacred Symbols. Stay safe out there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here on Sacred Symbols, we like to make fun of Chris Ray Gun for all sorts of reasons, but it's his undying love of Doom that's perhaps easiest to target. After all, he brings it up nonstop. But this week is Chris' week, friends, because Doom Eternal has finally arrived, and our young Puerto Rican friend is hyped up and ready to talk all about it. Let's give him the floor, shall we? Then, let's jump into the news! Sony's bizarre PS5 tech reveal was so confusing and ill-conceived that they had to release some clarifications, GameStop is closing its doors (temporarily?), Final Fantasy VII Remake's release will be kinda-sorta uninterrupted, and much more. Then, listener inquiries! Does Microsoft have to pay Sony for Xbox's use of Blu-ray? What could a Castlevania game on PlayStation 5 look like? Is Ghost Recon about to ruin Splinter Cell? Is Colin really an anime dork, after all? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode of Sacred Symbols -- like every one before it -- will become a time capsule. It's just that, in these seemingly historic days, this time capsule might be a little more real than the rest. The world is going through a tumultuous period, and in our little corner called The Gaming Industry, we certainly aren't immune. E3 is cancelled, for starters, but that's no surprise. And word of distress is emerging from Naughty Dog about harsh working conditions, too. But perhaps the biggest news of all is about PlayStation 5's seemingly inevitable delay into 2021, something not yet confirmed, but something being widely speculated about. It's big news not only because it pushes next-gen into the distance, but because its delay would come because of the Coronavirus that's currently giving us a run for our money. So let's talk candidly about the troubles facing our hobby and ourselves, and spice in some humor, listener inquiries, and other pieces of news, too. No, this certainly isn't the apocalypse. But who can blame you for feeling like it is? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices