CORE - Core Gaming for Core Gamers
A weekly video game podcast from the FrogPants network, hosted by Scott Johnson, Jon Jagger, and Beau Schwartz. The show focuses on video games and the issues surrounding them, offering discussion and commentary for core gamers. Each episode delivers regular gaming news, opinions, and insights from the hosts.
Episodes
CORE Supplemental: Jon and the King
And important bonus bit of content this week from Jon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 538: Something is Forever
New Warcraft? Check. Scott gets weird with old-school rogue-likes? Check. Onimusha was AWESOME? Check! Plus a ton more. This is our biggest episode of 2026 for some reason.VIDEO: https://youtu.be/erOnXsJf-qY Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Instance: 2026 Blizzcon Opening Ceremonies
WoW Forever, new Starfcraft shooters, Diablo V, and lots more! With Scott, Bobby, Jon, and Beau.VIDEO: https://youtu.be/7APXbF-qi3g Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 537: Year of The Sword
Turns out, Capcom has YET another winner on it's hands with the Onimusha. Blood of the Dawn Walker might not really need that timer afterall. Scott played Security 51 and more Shadow Dungeon. Jon in addition to Oni, played a load of FFR, and more Vampire Survivors. Beau is all back in now that Valheim 1.0 is out. Slay the Spire 2 too. We breakdown the Nintendo stuff this week, as well as Playstati
CORE 536: Grand Theft Automatic
We played a load of Zero Company! Jon even beat it! Was it good? Oh, it was VERY good. Plus, GTA6 is at maximum hype levels, State of Play happened today at Sony, Zero Company's company is having a bad week for no good reason and more. Scott played some Blood Dungeon and Shadown Dungeon. (Different games.) Jon played the early bits of Blood of The Dawnwalker. Beau played Palworld and gave us an up
CORE 535: Zero Hour for Zero Company
Let's do this! We talk about the games of September. Gamescom Opening Night recap. Star Wars Zero Company day is here. Scott played and LOVED Shape of Dreams. Also, Spinny Dungeon, and Truck-kun is Supporting Me from Another World?! (That's a real title.) Jon finished How Many Dudes, and is playing Journey with his kiddo! Beau played nothing but played around with game dev all week! An email in de
CORE 534: No Man's Game
Beau and Scott played a lot of TCG Card Shop Simulator. Scott played Xeno Tilt, Demon's Tilt, Cult of Pin, and Pokemon Pinball. Notice a pattern? Jon is playing Pokemon Go again. Also more How Many Dudes other odds and ends. We talk about that Star Citizen livestream nightmare, the Horizon Hunters Gathering mess, and Fortnite going hard on outside game characteres. Also Blizzcon is stacked with ce
CORE 533: Fix That Thing!
It's that time of the week! CORE is on. And we wanna talk about stuff like Restory, How Many Dudes, Ghost Recon Wildlands, Cult of Pin, Black Jacket, Marvel Tokon, Agent 64, Death Howl, DragonSword Awakening, TCG Shop Simulator, Helldivers 2, among other games. Plus Lord of the Rings comes back from the 2011 death hole! Blizzard is the best performing studio XBOX has right now. We could use more S
CORE 532: Arachnophilia
Turns out, Spider-Man movies also inspire spending money on games. We get into it. Also, Scott played Granblue, messed with a Taco, played AC Valhalla and more. Jon played some Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, The Remake of the End of the Greatest RPG of All Time, How Many Dudes, and more Midnight Suns. Beau played a TON of DragonSword Akwakenings. Your emails and more!VIDEO: https://youtu.be/iyb_H54U
CORE 531: Pandora's Box
A quick note about Frogpants Replay at the top, and then off we go! Scott played a lot more AC games, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. And more fun with Sunshine and Moonlight with retro games. Jon still playing Marvel Midnight Suns, with some twists. Shader mods on Rebirth, and his son beat Astrobot on his own! Beau played DragonSword: Awakening, Tears of Metal, and more Nightreign. He also gave
CORE 530: Wash The Walker
Power washing gets a lot more fun when you put Star Wars stuff in it. Also, Scott played a lot of Black Flag Resynced, Farcry 4 (wait for it), Granblue Fantasy Relink, and a couple indies. Jon got all back into Marvel Midnight Suns, and Beau played DOOM The Dark Ages Revelations, and more Nightreign. He also really likes Chinese art books it seems. Microsoft is bringing a slate of classic Xbox tit
CORE 529: Higher Seas
We start with the games we played this week! The Aventures of Elliott still gracing Scott and Jon's screens. Scott is ALL in on Black Flag Resynced. He also configured Moonlight on his network and has praises for it. Palworld 1.0 for Scott and Jon as well. Jon played Denshattack, and Beau still mainlaining Nightriegn like a pro player. Then some talk about Glen Schofield pulling out of games, MS d
MORE CORE: Rock Band, and beyond: Where will we play these games?
Let's talk about it in today's email. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 528: Ex-Box
A reminder about a few new posts on the feeds, and then off to the exciting world of how Xbox seems to be shitting the ENTIRE bed. Plus Games Done Quick, and the summer sale stuff. Scott tested the hell out of the state of GeForce Now, and did it with a load of games, including Just Cause 3, Diablo IV, Black Flag Resynced, Disco Elysium, and Ghostwire Tokyo to name a few. Jon played AstroBot and T
MORE CORE: Making the indie game, "Gyro", with solo-dev Shane Maddox.
We get into what it takes to build your own game, and actually launch it to the public. And go wishlist/get the game on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/4822290/Gyro/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 527: Practical Eve
We have Jon Show mugs in the store! Because why not? Also, what about cloud gaming in all these discussions around hardware prices? Plus, Sony says goodbye to physical media, and at the same time closes a couple stores, and took a bunch of movies away from people. Not great. XBOX will likely follow suit. CyberPunk Edge Runners S2 gets a new trailer. The full roster for Fighting Souls is upon us! W
CORE 526: The Gabe-Cube
Welp, the Steam Machine is here, and it's expensive as we figured it might be with the RAM wars and all. Let's break it all down, and highly discourage Canadians from getting one. :) We also talk about the big games of July, Xbox increasing prices, GTA VI costing too much, Gamestop STOPPING something good, Capcom still trolling with the Engine name, Switch 2 getting pricier too, the Summer Sale on
CORE 525: Address The Pile
Guys, there were a lot of video games announced lately, and we take it upon ourselves to talk about the ones that make us the most excited! Plus, all the games we played and more!Games we played this week:Magic the Gathering, the Commander Decks from Final FantasyResident Evil 9 RequiemVoidling BoundDynasty Warriors OriginsAstro BotAstro's PlayroomBurnout Paradise CityLibrary Tidy Up the Arcane Li
CORE from Nerdtacular 2026!
With Scott, Jon, Beau, Randy, Brian, Bobby, and the one and only LIAM O'BRIEN! Enjoy the archive from our live episode! Video coming soon to the Youtube Channel as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE + Summer Games Fest LIVE!
Scott Beau and Jon get together and watch SGF live with commentary! The video version is up on the youtube channel as well: youtube.com/scottjohnson Expect more in future as we break down what’s coming ands what has us the most excited. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE Coverage of the Sony State of Play for 6-2-2026
CORE Coverage of the Sony State of Play for 6-2-2026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
FREEBIE! CORE Preshow for 5-30-2026
Enjoy this preview of what pre-show sounds like for patrons of the show! Free this week! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 524: Wind's Howling...
On this week's CORE, we talk about the Witcher III getting a new expansion next year. Also, the games of June, Dragon Quest XII, the announcement of Unreal 6, Steam Deck getting a $300 price increase, Fable getting pushed again, the upcoming Sony State of Play and our coverage of it. We played Lego Batman: Legacy of The Dark Knight, 007 First Light, Duck Game, Deep Rock Galactic Rogue, Tidy Up The
CORE 523: Fight Me!
Seems like everyone is really into the new Lego Batman game. Also, Sony confirms, no PC ports for their big single player games anymore. We have more thoughts. Warhorse is making a Lord of The Rings RPG. Virtua Fighter 6 leak has us excited. Bungie says Destiny 2 is over. Big Warhammer dump at Skulls Showcase this year. Quantic Dream MOBA actually happened. GTA6 is STILL happening this year...we t
CORE 521: Overnite
Today on CORE, turns out those Overwatch coming to Fortnite rumors were true! We talk it about. GDC changes their name. Forza H6 and Subnautica are having a very good week it seems. Capcom is doing really well, and also dominating the digital and PC space for a company like that. Maybe FF7 rebirth is for the olds? Zelda movie has a NEW date. Check out the cool stuff in the CORE store! Scott review
CORE 521: And...it's gone.
Let's get into another CORE episode today! Some quick Nerdtacular talk, and then straight into Star Fox getting a a new game, this time a remake of the N64 game! Looks neat and the price sounds like it might be right. Also, big talk about how hard it was to get a Steam Controller on launch day. Tips on avoiding family trips. Are steam machines incoming too? MK II the movie seems like it might be b
CORE 520: A Salty Remake
This week on CORE, the hosts are feeling the heat with only 42 days left until Nerdtacular 2026! Scott, Beau, and Jon dive deep into a massive week of gaming news, starting with the official launch of the Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred expansion. We break down the new classes and whether the Horadric Cube lives up to the name. How stoked are we for the Black Flag remake? Very. We also look ahead at a p
CORE 519: D Day
The Big Stuff:- Nerdtacular All-Stars trivia team, all three hosts ended up on the same team with Scott's sister Wendy- Team name brainstorming (Cerebral Cortex, Obsessive Core Pulsive, Psycore Logical Corefare, etc.)- Trivia seeding test results and strategy- 500 episode milestone / mugs still available- Patreon/Core.show support plugGames Discussed:- Diablo IV's new expansion (record-breaking se
CORE 518: Swung Too Far
We talk a bit about all this Windrose news in our feeds. But then to the deep stuff, like a visual grid of the kinds of gamers we are. Baldurs Gate 3 is getting modded with a remake of the original GB game, done by fans. Microsoft is rethinking gamepass, and saying its too expensive. Maybe they go with ads, bundles, and more? We kinda hate this. Rockstar got hacked and it was kinda lame what came
CORE 517: Just Grab The Fish
No Man's Sky adds Pokémon-style Xeno Arena minigame. Split Fiction studio hits 50M games sold. Graveyard Keeper is free on Steam. Brief OW announcements note. Swear word appreciation, Warhammer 40K musical announcement, StarCraft tabletop minis preorder, Barrett/Animal Crossing crossover bit, scissoring education, game you bounced off question, memorable NPCs question, EverQuest Legends hype, Tran
CORE 516: Inflation Station
Nerdtacular 26 tickets, bags, and CORE swag. Sony raising PS5 prices. Stormgate losing multiplayer after server partner pivots to AI. Super Mario Galaxy Movie reviews are bad. Classic Resident Evil games on Steam, go GOG instead. Scott and Jon played Resident Evil Requiem together (Tuesdays 1pm). Scott in WoW and Dragon Quest Builders 2. Jon hooked on Crimson Desert. Beau wrapped Pirate Yakuza, mo
CORE 515: Nintendollars
Nintendo's surprising decision to make physical Switch 2 games more expensive than digital versions. EverQuest is relaunching in a format designed for time-strapped adults and old farts like us, Capcom is patching out some “accidentally” written incest from Street Fighter 6, Clair Obscur's devs confirm there's no canon ending, new gameplay footage dropped for both Exodus and The Expanse: Osiris Re
CORE 514: Crimson Desserts
Crimson Desert launched today, reviews are mixed as expected, amazing open world, minimal story, no traditional leveling, open-world jank. John is at Disneyland! DLSS 5 announced by Nvidia, AI-yassifies characters without permission from devs like Capcom. Listener indie game Garden and a Goat announced, wishlistable on Steam. WoW Midnight discussion, level boosts are hard without knowing your clas
CORE 513: Ramdemic
Nerdtacular 2026 tickets holding at early bird pricing, plus a swag bag-only option now available at frogpants.com.
News:- NetEase pulls funding for Gang of Dragon — future of the game unknown- Valve still targeting 2026 for Steam Machines despite RAM shortages; rumored to be a factor in Sony/Xbox strategy shifts- EA lays off Battlefield staff post record-breaking launch- Jeff Kaplan on his Blizza
CORE 512: Sony Goes Yoink
Looks like Sony is officially getting out of the port business and going all Nintendo on us again. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake is indeed happening. Highguard is officially leaving in just a few days. MetaCritic got weird with AI over the last few days. The games we played, a lake correction, Zillow and WoW, and some Diablo 2 stuff!GAMES PLAYEDScott- World of Warcraft Midnight- RoadCraftJon-
CORE 511: Claws Out
March 2026 is shaping up to be a massive month for gaming, with big hitters like Crimson Desert, Marathon, Pokémon Pokopia, Slay the Spire 2, Solasta 2, Death Stranding 2 on PC, and the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection all loaded up. Also, Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are out at Xbox, while Sony raises a few eyebrows by signaling a potential end to PC ports. Our eyebrows are defiinately raised
CORE 510: Creation of Ashes
That ashes of creation thing is just getting messier and messier by the day. Also, Unity wants you to type your next casual video game. We will explain. GAMES PLAYEDSHARED PLAY THIS WEEK- Diablo 2 Resurrected – Infernal Edition- Overwatch- Dobbel DungeonSCOTT- Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp- No Man's Sky – Remnant Mode- Escape from Ever AfterJON- Mewgenics- TR-49 - Resident Evil 2- Fortnit
CORE: Sony State of Play
Our live watch-a-long AUDIO of of today's Sony State of Play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 509: The Play of State
As we prep for the State of Play today, we talk about the games we played this week, and hit the news about all the Warlocks coming to all the Diablos. Highguard and 2XKO getting big layoffs, and the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 TV show!Games Played This WeekShared Play- Jon & Beau: MewgenicsScott- Animal Crossing (on Switch 2)- Goblin Sushi- V-Rally 4Jon- Mewgenics- Dragon Quest III HD-2D RemakeB
CORE 508: Just Take Off The 2
Overwatch might be making a big play with some re-branding, a slew of new heroes, and loads more. Will it put things back on top for the team shooter to beat? We talk about that, plus the Ashes of Creation mess, Steam hardware talk from Valve, and what might be the end of all things Outer Worlds.GAMES PLAYED- The Midnight Walk (Scott)- Butcher's Creek (Scott)- LUNARK (Scott)- Resident Evil 2 (Jon)
CORE 507: Highguard is Midguard
So, now that Highguard is out, what the hell is it? We have takes. Also, the games of Feb, new Mario trailers, Dispatch censorship worries, Hasbro up to no good, Bobby with a Mini Instance chat about the Midnight pre-patch and upcoming launch in WoW, all the games we played and more!Shared Play- Highguard Scott- V Rising- Caravan SandWitchJon- Final Fantasy VII: RebirthBeau- Like a Dragon: Pi
CORE 506: CORE Veronica
Let’s talk about the Xbox showcase today, as well as the dust up over CDProjekt Red and VR mods. Plus RE getting yet another remake, Highguard getting a freebie, Marathon maybe doing ok afterall, and Nintendo getting you guy another weird toy. GAMES PLAYED:SCOTTStar Wars Dark Forces Remaster Fire Emblem: Engage Terra PitJONI Final Fantasy VII RemakeBEAU Elden Ring Shi
CORE Special: Warren Davis & The Creation of Q*Bert
Scott sits down with Warren Davis for a deep look at the creation of one of the great arcade games of all time, Q*Bert, as well as his direct impact on everything from the Joust seires to Mortal Kombat to Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Check out his book: ‘Creating Q*bert and Other Classic Video Arcade Games’! Some amazing insight in this episode with Warren, and we hope enjoy it! Hosted on Ac
CORE 505: Episode, Not Studio
Where the heck is Highguard? Also, Kratos has been cast, RE:R got showcased today, Tomb Raider series gives us a look at Sophie Turner in the role, Ubisoft doing more Ubisoft things, we have an end date for New World, the end of Anthem this week, and more. We played Cozy Caravan, Marble's Marbles, Find my Buddy, OddCore, Trails in The Sky 1st Chap, FF VII remake, Yakuza Kiwami 2, FFI and IV, and a
CORE 504: Gateway Timeout
January Releases: Let's mostly focus on Animal Crossing and FFVII Remake for Switch 2, plus Code Vein 2 and Highguard. (yeah, we kinda forgot about Highguard too.)StarCraft Shooter coming to Blizzcon? It might be Blizzard’s third attempt at a SC shooter, reportedly an open-world project led by Dan Hay (Far Cry fame).Other stuff: Awesome Games Done Quick, a Starfield Star Wars conversion, and FF Ta
CORE 503: The 2025 OsCOREs
It's time for our anual personal and group awards for the games of the last year, and a few that are not. :) Join Scott Beau and Jon as they look back and forward and somehow up and down as well. Oh and this is the first time this gets called The osCORES. Big thx to Taz for the post art! Jump in! Full award notes: https://www.frogpants.com/corepicks2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
CORE 502: O' Holy CORE!
Diablo IV: Both Scott and Beau are back in for Season 11. Scott’s "Hot Take" is that the game is officially "very good now”, and he does not care who knows it. (Paladin to 46); Beau claims it’s the best season of "Diablo 3" yet. (lol)Scott: Revisiting Overload (on sale), playing Escape Room Simulator 2, and starting Banquet for Fools.Jon: Reached the new area in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and is
CORE 501: Clarity
Get your ‘500+ Episodes’ mugs at Frogpants.shop now before its too late!. We recapped The Game Awards: Jon loved Resident Evil Requiem, Scott is into Total War Warhammer 40k, and Beau liked Gang of Dragon. We mostly bounced off Highguard.News: Steam Winter Sale is live. Fallout Season 2 has started. We discussed Netflix buying WB (details at core.show). Supervive is shutting down after 7 months.Pl
CORE SPECIAL: 2025 Game Awards
Audio edition of our watch-a-long! Listen along with us! Video version will be up on CORE.SHOW shortly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 500: 500 of These!
Welcome to episode 500! Finishing Dispatch, loving Split Fiction, playing Demeo DND, and the Hordes of Hel! Plus Shinobi is underrated, Divinity still has a lot of stuff on the ground, Witcher 3, and a LOT of prep for tonight’s Game Awards. (coming in a separate post.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 499: Primed
🎉 500 EPISODE MUGS NOW AVAILABLE!Get yours reserved before we hit the limit!https://frogpants.shop ⚠️ SPOILER POLICY CLARIFICATIONGoing forward:1. We'll do our best not to offer major spoilers on narrative elements2. We'll give ample warning to pause, skip ahead, or come back later3. We'll front-load discussions with spoiler-free content- Scott will play BGM over spoiler sections for podcast
CORE 498: Law of Threes
Scott dropped a Patreon vs Core.show support comparison video—check it at Core.show for the breakdown. Also posted an article about RAM prices going absolutely bonkers right now. The advice? Wait it out. Don't be the person overpaying because you can't control yourself. News Roundup: WoW: Midnight Gets RealJon brought the news: World of Warcraft's next expansion drops March 2nd, 2026. Ma
CORE 497: Claire Obscured
Main Topic: Game Awards Nominees. Megabonk dev withdraws "Best Debut Indie" nomination (made previous games). Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 breaks record with 12 nominations. Notable snubs: ARC Raiders, Dispatch, Sonic the Hedgehog 3.Other NewsXbox Partners Showcase (Tides of Annihilation, Vampire Crawlers, Total Chaos)Epic/Unity partnership for Fortnite integrationKrafton AI controversy re: Subnau
CORE 496: Open The Valve
Valve has three new hardware options for you, and we talk about them in detail today. Plus all the news and stuff you can stand, as well as a visit from Bobby for a nice little WoW update! GAMES PLAYEDSCOTTTavern KeeperJONDispatchCyberPunk 2077BEAUFarthest FrontierJump SpaceREPOARC RaidersVampire Survivors VR Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 495: Laminate Your Stones
All the details on CORE.show, and what you can get from it! WoW is not coming to consoles, says game lead at Blizz. Fortnite has all the cartoon dads now. Rockstar doing some devious firings. Your Steam Deck can now download while asleep! Warhammer Survivors is HAPPENING! Blizzcon tickets go up tomorrow. Playstation Portal finally does cloud. The return of Nexeopardy! All the games of the week and
CORE 494: Cross Me Again...
Nintendo wants you to feel like those happy pandemic times again with a big update to Animal Crossing on Switch 2. Also, all the games of November, the Amazon Games layoffs and the apparent shutter of New World. Civ 7 trying to fix things. Claire and Cloud together at last. All the games we played plus all the usual stuff Enjoy!SHARED PLAY THIS WEEKSlots & DaggersSCOTTPowerwash Simulator 2Wars
CORE 493: Impossible Task
How does anyone make a definitive list of the best games? It’s impossible, but we talk about the latest attempt anyway. Plus, Remedy losing their CEO after Firebreak did so poorly, and Vampire Survivors adds DLC to DLC. We also field a load of your questions this week, along with the usual dork-athon, and the games we played to boot! SHARED PLAY THIS WEEKBattlefield 6SCOTTSuperliminal (beat i
CORE 492: Ex-Ally
Early reviews for the Xbox handheld are out, and it is a mixed bag to say the least. Understanding Fearless Drafts. Glen Powell wants in on E33 movies. EA employees not happy about the sell out. Quantic Dream is making a….free to play MOBA? Yep. Also, all the games we played and loads more!GAMES PLAYEDSCOTTBall X PitThe Exit 8.Funguys SwarmSoulstone SurvivorsSilent Hill fJONMegabonkBEAUBattlefield
CORE 491: Goes Up & Down
Straight into Hades II gameplay talk! Covering the “rat boss,” progress paths, end-game challenges, and tarot upgrades, all leading up to some admittedly broad comparisons to ARPGs and roguelites. Design depth, storytelling, and character reactions, Greg Street’s studio troubles, praise for Megabonk. Not to mention the mess that the gamepass changes continue to be. Sackbird Studios has our hopes.
CORE 490: I'll Pass
Scott & Jon’s Horror Video Game Fun Time kicks off Friday with Silent Hill f, running each Friday this month. Main topic covers October’s big releases like Ghost of Yotei, Battlefield 6, Little Nightmares 3, Pokémon Legends Z-A, Ninja Gaiden 4, The Outer Worlds 2, Mina the Hollower and more. Other news: Microsoft hikes Game Pass, EA goes private, Fortnite pulls Peacemaker, Capcom coy on RE9. D
CORE 489: Straight Out of Hades
Happy ten years to CORE! Plus, Beau reminds us about a Kojima credit card coming soon. Highlights from TGS like Kojima’s new horror game OD and Capcom announcements including C. Viper in SF6, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, Pragmata, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. PlayStation’s State of Play brought a bag of goodies: Saros, Zero Parades for Dead Spies, Flight Simulator 2024, a Deus Ex rema
CORE 488: Hedge Your Bets
Nintendo Direct dropped big news: Metroid Prime 4, more Fire Emblem, a quirky “Ditto Crossing,” and even Virtual Boy stuff, plus Hades 2’s 1.0 launch date is September 25. Meanwhile, Randy Pitchford remains the industry’s baffling clown in an ill-fitting suit, Sega is back with some old-school “Ninten-Don’t” ads, and speculation heats up around Cyberpunk 2 possibly including multiplayer (though Sc
CORE 487: Give Silver a Hand
Frogs, flies, and state borders! Keanu Reeves expressed willingness to bring back Johnny Silverhand in future Cyberpunk projects, fueling speculation about DLC or cameos. PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct, hosts, and more. Exhibition 33’s concert tour selling out instantly, Halo Infinite getting Invasion mode, and Steam reviews for Silksong differing by language, with Chinese players criticizing localiz
CORE SPECIAL: Gamescom On The Ground
Scott sits down with Tanner Goodman, who just got back from the EU, and his time at Gamescom in Germany. They talk about everything he saw! Including the standout demos like Crimson Desert (beautiful but overloaded with systems), Silent Hill f (creepy immersive theater), Honor of Kings: World (surprise hit with fun elemental combat and raids), and Valor Mortis (first-person Soulslike with grotesqu
CORE 486: Bon Voyager
Gamescom brought big World of Warcraft reveals: the new housing system with public, charter, and guild neighborhoods (50 homes each, customizable biomes, permissions, and community events), plus new solo content like Prey hunts and ongoing Delves. Blizzard is also integrating add-on features directly into the UI (boss timers, nameplates, DPS meters), raising questions for Deadly Boss Mods and othe
CORE 485: September Reign
Let’s talk the BIG September 2025 releases: Hollow Knight: Silksong (Sept 4), Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots (Sept 5), Borderlands 4 (Sept 12), Silent Hill F (Sept 25), Sonic Racing Crossworlds, Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles, Lego Party, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, plus DLCs for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac. News about Expedition 33’s success and its Clair O
CORE 484: GamesCom Ahoy!
Let’s star with Steam’s new language-based review system, which pushed Palworld to an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating in English, for example. We looked at the debut of the World of Warcraft launch cinematic in October 2004, before the game’s release. A detailed rundown of Gamescom’s Future Games Show including major stuff like Resident Evil Requiem, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, and loads others, alo
CORE 483: That Modular Life
Microsoft may shift Xbox toward a modular, PC-like system called Magnus, we have some debate over complexity versus convenience. Rod Ferguson has exited Blizzard, raising questions about Diablo IV’s future, while Blizzard’s cinematic team voted to unionize. Crimson Desert sees a delay, and rumors suggest Paladin could return in a Diablo expansion, too late or not. Mind blown around The Secret of t
CORE 482: Finish It!
Let’s talk about older consoles and approaching games in unconventional ways, and address while we are here, developments in the gaming business this week. MK: Legacy Kollection looking very cool. Battlefield 6 also seems like things are poppin. GOG says come get these free nudie games. Kirby fans finally know what they are getting soon. Lucy from CyberPunk is coming to…Guilty Gear Strive? Guntouc
CORE 481: Feels Itchy
We talked about upcoming games for August, including Metal Gear Solid Delta, House of the Dead 2 remake, and Gears of War: E-Day. We discussed the return of Nerdtacular in June 2026 in Salt Lake City and encouraged listeners to fill out the interest survey. We covered game delistings tied to payment processors, especially around sensitive themes, and had a broader discussion on censorship, parenti
CORE 480: Pulling It Back
Critical Role enters game dev, Outer Worlds 2 drops back to $70, and Splitgate 2 unlaunches. RIP Julian LeFay, and yes, that Hellraiser trailer is terrifying. Beau praises the SC2 World Cup. In “Dear Martha,” we “misremember” the PS2. Shared play this week: Donkey Kong Bananza. Scott tries Captain of Industry, Jon nears the end of FFX, and Beau dives into Pizza Tower, Slay the Spire, and more. Plu
CORE 479: Going Bananas
We covered Krafton's ongoing legal dispute with ousted Subnautica 2 founders, including a leaked memo and bonus extensions. The leaked Xbox Rog Ally price and portable gaming appeal. Steam's updated terms of service for adult games, shifting responsibility to developers and payment processors, were also reviewed. Our segment "Dear Martha" and Donkey Kong get together!. And loads more!GAMES PLAYED:
CORE 478: Sub-Delayedica
We discussed controller comfort and aging, the delay in finishing Ghost of Tsushima, and how handhelds like the Steam Deck affect game choices. We covered the Subnautica 2 delay and controversy involving Krafton possibly avoiding a $250M payout. We speculate on corporate motives, Unknown Worlds founders’ ousting, and Krafton’s Starcraft gig. We also hit on Romero Games losing a Microsoft contract,
CORE 477: Imperfect Dark
We have another bad case of layoffs, but this time, we hit the specific projects impacted by them. Some gnarly ones. Plus, Warcraft Rumble gets hit hard too. On the upside, we talk about the games un-effected, and the teams that are doing to stay intact. Leon S. Kennedy predictions. Stop Killing Games in the EU. Marvel Rivals is trolling fans. Dear Martha! Our week in games, and some great texts a
CORE 476: Death Standing Tall
We discuss our sleep schedules, gaming habits, and Xbox’s evolving hardware strategy. We share frustrations with Microsoft and Windows, and talk about competition between major gaming companies. We cover upcoming July games like Mecha Break, Micropunk, Donkey Kong Bonanza, Robocop: Unfinished Business, Wildgate, and Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound. We react to Death Stranding 2’s high early praise, debate
CORE 475: Coming From The Inside Out
Let’s start with a funny story about a kid and a video game character. Then a bit about Foamstars, the changing nature of music discovery via memes and platforms like TikTok, Hideo Kojima’s comments on Death Stranding 2 being “too good” and altered to be less mainstream, Microsoft’s strategic moves with Xbox to create a unified gaming platform that includes Game Pass, Steam, and other services, an
CORE 474: State of Showcase Direct Fest Play
Let’s talk about the Xbox ASUS Ally X handheld—its specs, price speculation, and use of Hall Effect sticks. They critique Nintendo's controller decisions and Steam Deck comparisons. And presenting a new way of highlighting standout games from Summer Game Fest, instead of full recaps. Titles we discuss include Clockwork Revolution, 007: From Light, ILL, Kepler, Stray of Heaven, Marvel T.R.C., Super
PSA about our Summer Game Fest coverage
PSA about our Summer Game Fest coverage Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CORE 473: Switch 2 Day!
It’s Nintendo Switch 2 launch day! And one of us got one. Impressions about the new hardware, the snappy performance of the eShop, and the sucky bits of game upgrade pricing—some titles requiring up to $20 for performance boosts. "Nintendo Welcome Tour" requiring accessories for full completion is nuts, and we talk on past console campouts. Canadian royalty, bathroom disasters at Blizzard HQ, and
CORE 472: Cat's Out of The Bag
We have “secret penises." Trust us, it will make sense. We’re giving away a copy of Doom: The Dark Ages, we speculate on Cyberpunk 2—its name, setting (possibly Chicago), and potential DLC—then dive into the animation studio behind the upcoming Cyberpunk anime followup. K-Pop Demon Hunters, Marathon possibly being delayed, and the over-saturation of extraction shooters…again. Love that Battlefront
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