LastStandMedia : Sacred Symbols, Episode 344: The Thread

Hey CDC, With the announcement that PS4 games won't be a part of playstation plus next year, does that mean the future Sony handheld will have to be something that's PS5 powered or very close? I think it's great to move on from PS4, just curious what that means for future handheld hardware capabilities.

Mason Mitchell

2025-01-30 11:29:30 +0000 UTC

Simply for Big C. Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. Am I silly to have hope again?

Stu Hall

2025-01-30 11:00:16 +0000 UTC

Hey boys first time long time, Colin, ever since you mentioned your Boomer Shooter kick with Prodeus and others I've been itching to recommend Turbo Overkill. I just knew you wouldn't touch the game with a 10ft pole on PC, but its finally out now on all consoles. Its in a cyberpunk setting with a badass synthwave soundtrack and fast paced gameplay similar to Doom Eternal. You also have a freakin chainsaw leg to slide into your enemies and turn them into meat chunks. Hell I have a feeling Dustin and Chris would be into this too. Hasta luego amigos. PS, as a former platinum earner I would like to share my psn and steam profile. I wish psn had the customization steam has. https://psnprofiles.com/whip_360 https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198038005137/

Whip

2025-01-30 08:16:36 +0000 UTC

Hi Colin, Chris and Dustin, When do you catch yourself buying games cause they are cheap? I recent bought some JRPG recommendations cause they were cheap on Switch and PS4/PS5. I got Chrono Cross just cause it was cheap on PSN and I heard it was great, do I plan to play it? Eventually, am I trusting my purchase will be there when I want to play it? Who knows? So do you see yourself playing old games you bought and didnt play and do you think your old stuff will be there to play

Raul Hernandez

2025-01-30 07:37:06 +0000 UTC

Hey Colin, I just went back to Doom 2016 and it really hit the spot going for the platinum. Gonna keep following your lead and replay Mafia DE for the platinum next. Just a quick question about it. How did you find going back to a 30fps-only game? I booted it up just to make sure my 2020 save was still working, and the dichotomy between Doom's 60fps certainly was a hit on the eyes. I know I'll get used to it though as 30fps is fine for a 3rd-person/more slow-paced game like this. Going from Doom to Mafia will just take a little longer to adjust than usual! Alex

Alex Treptow

2025-01-30 07:10:39 +0000 UTC

Hey y'all. I'm a little inebriated, but I have an idea for an upper tier patreon stream/podcast. It's titled something along the lines of, "This isn't for me.". The idea is that once a month, a member of the crew or ensemble cast has to play a game, decided by either the patreons or fellow crew members, for a certain period of time, and then talk about the experience. I could probably come up with better details, but I need to lay down. Thank you for all you do.

Wibble

2025-01-30 06:47:55 +0000 UTC

Dear CDC What's the holdup with MGS3 Delta? What are your hopes for the series remakes/remasters going forward ?

PolishExpieriment

2025-01-30 06:27:17 +0000 UTC

Hey, Sacred Crew! Has there ever been a stronger comeback year for franchise like Ninja Gaiden is having with 2025? Shadow dropping an excellent remake of a beloved entry to kick things off, having an awesome looking indie throwback spinoff to the series roots in the summer, and to then finish (hopefully) strong with a triple A sequel in the fall. I’m curious what franchises you guys would like to see get a similar treatment? As well maybe what Sony franchise in particular that you guys think would do well with a similar triple threat strategy? Cheers and thanks for all the great weekly shows from LSM!

Graham Batch

2025-01-30 06:19:11 +0000 UTC

Sup Fellas, Am I alone in worrying about the inevitable console-less future?Where Playstation and XBox are cloud based apps, where gamers subscribe and games aren't bought. It sounds hyperbolic but increasingly its becoming no ownership of anything. More people are forced permanent renters due to home costs. New cars are basically the same, even car features. Movies, TV and music are all subscriptions now. Hell, HP sells printers that lock up if your sub lapses. Anyways, am i alone in this worry, that ownership is near dead? Sorry so long Jeshua

Jeshua Anderson

2025-01-30 05:40:08 +0000 UTC

Greetings Sacred Cows, I contend that the promotion/restructuring at Sony is going to be the best in the short term, however these long term prospects are dubious at best. With a CEO focused on margin the remaster/remake train is full steam ahead. Surely this will mean day and date PC releases as applicable (dare I say even switch 2 ports of PS4 exclusives). However Sony still needs a constant stream of income from first party if it wants to keep its prime mover status in the Video Game space. Do you think this means that we could see another stream of Live service projects spun up, just more so in the second party space, or a doubling down on known IP with a more Xbox 360 like Gears Forza Halo? Thanks for all that you guys do in keeping me sane over the holidays. Have a “I wish I had the nine lives of Hermen Hulst” kind of day.

John Jacob Jim Ryan Smith

2025-01-30 05:09:14 +0000 UTC

What’s up boys, I ran out of podcasts earlier this week so I was listening to an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored where Piers referred to himself as a YouTuber. I’m particularly interested to hear how Chris feels about this, so please, discuss. Love you.

Adam Barnes

2025-01-30 05:00:37 +0000 UTC

Greetings Puritan Viper, Cummy Bear Viper and Autistic Viper, With Hermen Hulst getting a demotion and Hideaki Noshino becoming the sole CEO of SIE has me wondering. Why keep Hermen? Clearly he and Jim made some terrible decisions that has lost billions of dollars and hundreds of jobs. Is Hiroki Totoki Literature Club waiting to see if the Horizon mmo fail so he can force Hermen to ‘Power to the players’ himself? Glad to see SIE in the hands of the Japanese again. Now if they can be a bit more lax with certain sexual themes. Why can I see Jin Sakai cheeks without censorship but Lady cheeks from DMC 5 get a big flash covering the crack? I guess South Park was right, you don’t decide to be gay. The Japanese decide for you. Keep on, cumming on those bears.

Fernando Amigon

2025-01-30 04:10:53 +0000 UTC

Gong Xi Fa Cai gentleman, If Concord was a single player narrative closer to what they showed in the trailer, do you think it would of sold better? The trailer made it seem like it had a decent story element to it but then it was reveled to be a generic hero shooter, which killed it's momentum right away.

Daniel

2025-01-30 03:59:27 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Gents, A few weeks ago you all were talking about your hatred of talking on the phone. Like Chris, I enjoyed talking on the phone to friends as a teenager, but I despise it now. I thought I'd like texting more, but I got it much later in like 2010. The constant notifications bothers the hell out of me. However I have found that video chatting hits the spot. Not sure if it is because im more of a visual learner or if it's because eye contact is important to me during conversations. What do you guys think of video chatting? I don't think you want to communicate like that to deliver business news, but it's up to you.

Nevets

2025-01-30 03:37:25 +0000 UTC

hello sacred gentlemen. Today I come to you with a moral query. To start my friends and I play mostly on pc. A very good friend of mine just started playing Doom 2016, and he was streaming it for me over discord. We were having grand old time, and I noticed something odd. He decided to use some sort of cheating program, and gave himself infinite ammo for every weapon. Personally this really bummed me out, and I brought it up and he just said that he wanted to enjoy the game, not worry about picking up ammo. I let it go, but it is still bothering me. Am I being ridiculous? As always I hope you all are doing well, and I give you my heart with a roman salute.

dallas reynolds

2025-01-30 03:37:09 +0000 UTC

Hi CDC What genre do you all think that PlayStation first-party is lacking, and what would you like to see them invest in? I know recently you have talked about the lack of FPS titles since Killzone Shadow Fall in 2013. For me, I'd really love to see an RPG , À la Elder Scrolls, Fallout, or The Witcher. Anyway, thank you for the content, and leave that chicken alone.

chris holmyard

2025-01-30 03:29:18 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, Looks like Co-CEOs didn’t work after all. They sure changed this quickly. I know it was part of a bigger shake-up of senior leadership at Sony, but it’s still pretty bizarre. Curious to hear your thoughts.

Craptain Picard

2025-01-30 02:50:27 +0000 UTC

Good evening, Sacred Crew, Colin, I know you've mentioned on recent episodes that you’ve been trying to get into PSVR and that many have said that there seems to be a resurgence of interest in the platform, especially after the price drop over the holidays and its newfound compatibility with PC. I was curious to hear your thoughts on something: Since Insomniac owns the rights to its critically acclaimed VR games, why hasn’t Sony considered porting them to PSVR2? It seems like a great way to bolster the first-party lineup on the device without the high costs of developing entirely new VR titles. Would love to hear your take on this. Thanks, and keep up the great work!

Nicholas Bohm

2025-01-30 02:00:39 +0000 UTC

just wanted to drop a thank you note . nothing special but thank you for finally addressing some of the issues of toxicity in our communities . i’m one of the people that doesn’t say much but feel the move is needed and appreciated . thank you again !

Joshua LaGrew

2025-01-30 01:59:51 +0000 UTC

Hello gents, Any chance you caught the announcement trailer for Berserk Boy? Looks like a fast melee based Mega Man game. Thoughts? Thanks for all the great content.

Devin (the dude abides) Torres

2025-01-30 01:53:36 +0000 UTC

This question is for Colin. This past week, the New York Jets announced they have hired Aaron Glen as their new head coach and I wanted to hear your initial thoughts. As a Michigan native and Detroit Lions fan, I'm dissappointed to see Aaron go but I am grateful for all he had contributed to our great, yet disappointing, run this past season. Are you optimistic for the future of the Jets with Aaron leading the charge? Perhaps Aaron Glen with will be the Aaron to save the Jets, because obviously Rodgers is washed.

David Joyner

2025-01-30 01:43:59 +0000 UTC

Hi Gents, I am a couple of weeks late to the conversation but I have some supporting hypothesis to whether Apple watches truly and accurately record your day-to-day activities. About a month or so ago I reached my exercise goal whilst dumping out on the toilet. This particular excrement was neither soft nor firm and required an average amount of effort to discharge. The notification came before wiping so there was certainly no rigorous arm movements. So with this conclusive data, the TL:DR of it is that these watches absolutely and emphatically are 99.99% accurate in recording daily activities. Good day Scott Holdsworth

Scott Holdsworth

2025-01-30 01:40:08 +0000 UTC

Hi CDC, On a recent episode of Constellation, Colin was talking about his love for the “Transylvanian, Eastern European, vampiric” influences of Blood of Dawnwalker. With this in mind I wanted to offer a recommendation, At the risk of getting banned. Robert Eggers Nosferatu! Looking forward to the Colin review after watching it on his iPhone, Only after Oppenheimer of course. Much love from the sunny shores of Puerto Rico.

Areola Connoisseur

2025-01-30 01:39:35 +0000 UTC

Hello boys, I know this is a PlayStation progress, but now that a PS5 is an Xbox per Microsoft, I wanted to get your opinion on friend of the show Destin Legarie’s interview with Phil Spencer and the bits regarding more games coming to PlayStation? When asked if every Xbox game is coming to PlayStation moving forward, the only thing Phil committed to was that there are old games that have shipped that aren’t moving over. When asked about Starfield, he wouldn’t commit to that or anything else moving forward stating Xbox exclusive because their new strategy is not to keep games off other platforms because it doesn’t work for them anymore. At this point it really just is what it is, and anyone denying is just blinded by fanboyism or copium. Thanks and have a great show!

Sergio Pina

2025-01-30 01:31:51 +0000 UTC

Gents, I was pleasantly surprised this week when I noticed one of my favorite games, The Messenger updated with a free PS5 version update. I've been wanting to replay it lately, and a fresh list of trophies to chase is just what the doctor ordered. Which PS4 (or PS3) game would you like to see get a PS5 version soon? Stay frosty and remember to press X to "JASON!"

Dick Whiskey

2025-01-30 01:31:05 +0000 UTC

Hey fellas, On the most recent Punching Up, during a conversation on Super Ninja Boy being added to NSO, Gene said that he, and I quote, “loves ninjas and boys.” Please discuss.

Jeremiah

2025-01-30 01:25:35 +0000 UTC

Colin, I too have been perpetually high for years now. I smoke weed, but because of my tolerance, it feels like I’m just taking the edge off. I don’t really get high. Since I’ve been able to maintain productivity, I was going to keep this charade up forever. It feels wrong though, like I’m using a crutch. Anyways, was dead set to take that guilt outback, shoot it,bury it, and forget about it. Until I ran out of carts, wasn’t able to get more because of the snow storm, and then got sick. I haven’t been high in 2 weeks. And I feel like there’s no edge to take off. I don’t care if you quit, reduce, or become a dab king. I’m just providing a testimonial of someone who hits their pen CONSTANTLY. Perhaps the edge we feel we need to get rid of is our own doing. Thanks, Caleb P

Caleb Peacock

2025-01-30 01:25:11 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Men It's ironic that in just last week's Sacred Symbols, you were all discussing Insomniac's shift to three CEOs and now Sony is moving back to one CEO from two. With Hideaki Nishino now the sole CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment and Hiroki Totoki stepping up as Sony's overall CEO, what do you think this means for PlayStation's direction? With Nishino’s expertise being in hardware and services, do you see this change of the guard pointing to a bigger focus on cloud gaming, PSN services, or a shift in how PlayStation approaches first-party content? I'd have to think that the recent news of Sony canceling some live service titles and Herman Hulst being a proponent of them, especially Concord, was the cause for this. Do you think Sony finally has a clear vision and direction of where they want to be over the next 5 to 10 years with less of a focus on live service and more of a focus on hardware capabilities and single player games? Would love to hear your takes. Cheers.

ARGUS 4EVER

2025-01-30 01:24:00 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Gents, I know this has been mentioned for countless years on this show, and I don’t want to upset Colin any further, but the shovelware I found while browsing the new releases this week was nothing short of astonishing. All released within the last month, it started with Hentai Shop Simulator, I’m sure a great family game. Next was Street Food Restaurant Simulator, which was only notable for the AI slop key image blasted on the store. Next up, Grand Taxi Auto, a truly baffling title. But taking the cake this month, Call of Honor: Shooter of Warfare. The fact that this is allowed right next to great new releases like Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and Medievil is embarrassing.

Peter Archetto

2025-01-30 01:11:13 +0000 UTC

Hey Super Sacred Studs, With latest news that Sony is making PSN accounts optional with games on Steam do you think this will encourage more PC sales? Seems like that was only major hindrance for people to pick up PC versions. Love all the amazing content and stay sexy my friends!

BlueMoose

2025-01-30 00:51:33 +0000 UTC

Trepang2 is a poor man’s Doom, agree/disagree?

Super Stew

2025-01-30 00:50:25 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC! So the Raygun Moriarty ticket won unopposed for Dual Presidents of video games. What are your day one executive orders? Who are you sending to Guantanamo Bay? What will be your legacy for future gamers? What dirty gaming secrets come out during Dustin's confirmation hearing for Secretary of the Gamer Battalion?

Bono Clay

2025-01-30 00:45:38 +0000 UTC

Hi Colin Moriarty, Dustin Furman and Chris Raygun! When are you guys jumping into the yakuza franchise? I think it's time. Colin, just try to jump into the first game and just focus on the main story and the substories, you'll find you'll be caught up in no time! The platinum is difficult unless your're a mahjong guy! Lets go!

Earl Josh Beltran

2025-01-30 00:27:25 +0000 UTC

Taco Barn

fatty twatty sienfeld bass riff

2025-01-30 00:14:56 +0000 UTC

CHRIS! I saw you are watching Twin Peaks! How are you liking it? Who are your favourite characters? Rest in peace David Lynch you beautiful human you!

Ulysses Motherfucker!

2025-01-30 00:09:48 +0000 UTC

Hey Fat, The Industry should be making boring games. By boring I really mean mitigating risk. The Industry, in general, took a risk by focusing on high-fidelity. Budgets have skyrocketed and margins are razor thin. Buying Bungie and wasting years of 1st party publishers time, Sony has lost billions. Publishers are being called "woke" because their writing rooms lack the skill to make non-traditional characters. Would the Industry be healthier with simpler, safer games? Have a great day!

Jimbo

2025-01-29 23:52:29 +0000 UTC

Greetings Sacred gentleboys, I’m a bit late in bringing this up, but during the holiday discussions about Exodus, I was surprised that no one mentioned Matthew McConaughey’s involvement as the main character. Given that Interstellar is one of Colin’s top films and a key inspiration for the Twin Breaker series, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how celebrity involvement influences your interest in a game. The Exodus creature trailers have been particularly captivating, and McConaughey’s narration adds an incredible touch. Frankly, I’d play the game just to hear more from him. I am C.C. Orlev. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

DeathByClams

2025-01-29 23:48:39 +0000 UTC

Hello CDC, Colin, can we get your thoughts on the conference finals and the upcoming Super Bowl? Is the NFL in a Jordan Bull’s Era?

Sam

2025-01-29 23:43:31 +0000 UTC

G'day CDC, I'm keen to hear Chris' thoughts on his final hours with The Outer Worlds and the accompanying DLC: Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos. I recently revisited the game to complete both and was most impressed with the latter's take on a murder mystery mission and how it melds with the game's world of corporate greed. I found it to really highlight Obsidian's writing strengths and has made me even more excited for Avowed later this month. Much love from down under, Shane

Shane Bailey

2025-01-29 23:42:04 +0000 UTC

Colin, Was Right, Moriarty! Really wanna hear your thoughts on Berserk Boy! This game looks like a mix of MegaMan and Sonic. Are you disgusted? Are you morbidly curious? Are you cautiously excited? I can't help but imagining smiling at the trailer but then turning around and puking in a bowl when it finishes. I'm curious about Rusty Dusty and Piss Chris too. Love you guys! Sorry for the horrible nicknames 😅

SourdoughNorsk

2025-01-29 23:32:34 +0000 UTC

Why such the elitist attitude? You have to protect those precious trophies? I complete games on normal or hard.....have completed all the From Soft Souls games. I am talking about individuals who aren't as fortunate as the "normal" gamer. Those gamers with disabilities, had accidents or medical issues that prevent them from gaming normally. As a surgeon, I see many gamers like this. Games have become more accessible, why shouldn't trophy/achievements? To satisfy the "normal" gamer's ego....please. Who is defining this "normal" gamer....the developer by setting the difficulty level and attaching a precious trophy to it? What may be easy for you to complete, may be difficult for them....even on easy mode or with difficulty sliders. I pray you don't develop a condition that affects your gaming in the future...maybe then you would have a different perspective. If you want to brag about your trophies....then have the developer put ones in for completing on different difficulties.....then you would absolutely know how someone completed the game. But this would cause the "normal" gamer issues....because they wouldn't be able to get that coveted Platinum if they didn't have the skills to go up to hard.......isn't that the same for those with disabilities. Their level is just lower than "normal." Why not have some compassion for those less fortunate but still love this wonderful hobby of gaming.

Surgeon Ed

2025-01-29 23:27:52 +0000 UTC

Hey sacred diddlers, In your opinion, is there a difference between game content and game length? Looking at some reactions online about Ninja Gaiden 2 Black being too short is confusing me. Yes, the main story is short by today’s standards when playing on normal. But what about hard mode? What about punishing mode? How about all the ninja trials? If you manage to complete all those, you would have probably spent over 60+ hours. Isn’t that time worth the asking price for people that equate dollars to hours spent? Or maybe if those trials were on an open world map, people wouldn’t complain since it’s part of the “main story”. I don’t know. I just find it odd that people complain about “bloat” for games like FF7 rebirth, but it’s optional, and all side quests are varied. But other games like NG2 is “short”, but the only content they interact with is the normal play through. These “long” games, you are repeating the same thing over and over with different enemy variety. The same with Ninja Gaiden. I guess a progression meter is what NG2 is missing. Sorry if this post was a bit lengthy.

Daddy Diddler

2025-01-29 23:21:02 +0000 UTC

Greetings Sacred Boys. I'm damn near a week behind on shows, but that means I can throw in a follow up question while it's on my mind. In one of last week's opening stories the discussion of the rumors of GTA VI being$100 brought with it the inflated costs of games to maintain the current level of fidelity. My question is if it needs to be maintained? Would The Last of Us or Red Dead Redemption be worse games if they looked like Metal Gear Solid 2? The industry is trying to hit consistent 60fps with 4k or higher, and meanwhile Nintendo is doing better than both sales wise with games running at 1080p and barely hitting 30fps at times.

Nicholas Brilhart

2025-01-29 23:20:07 +0000 UTC

Hey Colin the Crawfish, Dustin the Didgeridoo, and Chris Christy, You recently had Stuttering Craig on a sacred symbols + and he had his real game awards show. Did you see how the creator of the game who one Best Racing Game solely on fans liking the game and they ended up going on a tirade, wanting the award rescinded demanding they be recognized for their identity as being trans and be reduced to their sexuality etc? Pretty unhinged and antithetical to how people and products should be judged. I feel like no matter what, these people will never or satisfied - many say they just want to exist in the games sphere and to not be treated any different than anyone else, but then you have someone not even wanting an award based on their merit and ability but want to be reduced to one or two traits. Any thoughts? Have a great day and weekend

PairOfShuse

2025-01-29 23:00:37 +0000 UTC

What's up CDC, Colin, I'm going to need a full breakdown of the exact liquid to bean ratio discrepancies between the smallest size can of Bush's baked beans and the larger sizes. Big news, if true. I'll hang up and listen now.

out_of_focus_bigfoot

2025-01-29 22:33:53 +0000 UTC

Hey Colin and Crew, I am not someone to recommend content often, but you guys must take 5 min to check out proximity_chat on Instagram and/or YouTube. This dude goes into VR worlds and talks to the weirdos there and it’s so fucking funny. It’s such a great idea. Some of the funniest content I’ve seen in a while, especially the short clips on his Instagram.

Tabes

2025-01-29 22:33:30 +0000 UTC

Alright, lads Following on from the game pricing discussion last week, I'd like to offer my opinion. Firstly, I do agree with games being extremely cheap when looking at cost per use (or time) compared to the cinema or other hobbies. However, the initial cost being £70/$70/€80 is quite prohibitive unless you know for certain you'll enjoy it. If I waste money at the cinema it's, at most, £20 where I live (and can be as low as £6). If I waste money on a game I don't enjoy, I'm out 3 or 4 times the amount and my cost per hour becomes exorbitant. The initial outlay becomes a barrier for anyone on a budget. The only way I can get on board with further price increases for new games is if everyone can adopt the Steam model of refuding games within a certain time played. If games continue to rise I would have to stop buying games at full price and wait for the sales 6-12 months after release, which I'm more than happy to do. I don't want this to come across as me complaining, as I understand it's a luxury hobby, I just want to offer my perspective on the issue as someone trying to maintain a budget. Cheers guys!

EddieJF

2025-01-29 21:55:24 +0000 UTC

This one is for Chris, watched Rise Against live in Belfast tonight. ABSOLUTELY SLAPPED!!!! Amazing live!!!

Ryan Hughes

2025-01-29 21:49:15 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, Hope all is well. First, we never heard Dustin's thoughts on the 2 live service games being cancelled. Second, if you took over for Hermen today what would you be telling Bend/Bluepoint to get going on? What 2nd/3rd parties would you be trying to get on the phone? Keep on Keeping on.

Tasteless Box of Mashed Potatoes

2025-01-29 21:46:02 +0000 UTC

Hello boys, or otherwise known as the DEI Snark Tank. With the incoming release of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, I'm getting the feeling that this series is kinda jumping the shark. I know Yakuza is a bit silly, but this feels a bit extreme to me. This led me to think, is it possible to jump the shark in gaming? Can a series go so far were you kinda stop giving a shit (I.E. Fast and furious)? or more importantly, do people really care that a series has jumped a shark? Anyway, I hope you guys have a great week and sorry for the language. Be Well! Osama.

Osama Bin Kirby

2025-01-29 21:41:34 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred boys, I recently watched Alien: Romulus and Civil War, and I have to say—I'm seriously bummed that Cailee Spaeny isn’t playing Ellie in The Last of Us show. Not that Bella Ramsey is doing a terrible job, but something just feels off. It doesn’t fully click. And then I see Cailee Spaeny in those movies… Damn, the resemblance is uncanny. It’s honestly frustrating, especially knowing she actually auditioned for the role, yet they still went with Bella. What’s your take on this?

Big Boss BE

2025-01-29 21:30:30 +0000 UTC

Sacred Crew, I hope you’re all well! This question is for Chris. What’re your thoughts on the Splinter Cell remake given Ubisoft’s current state. Personally, I want it canned until they get their shit together. I have this sinking feeling that too many of the wrong types of people are in the kitchen. I’ll hang up and listen now.

Don’t Touch Me There, Touch Me Here Instead.

2025-01-29 21:25:57 +0000 UTC

Hi CDC, Simple question with Hermen Hulst getting demoted how long until PlayStation needs a new head of their studios? I think getting demoted is definitely Sony telling him to start looking elsewhere to go to. I also wouldn't be shocked if he gets demoted further a la Shuhei. Thanks for all you do each week.

Card Captor Corey

2025-01-29 21:24:49 +0000 UTC

GO NINJA GO NINJA GO! GO NINJA GO NINJA GO!

Mexican Zoidburg

2025-01-29 21:23:22 +0000 UTC

Greetings fellas, I recently purchased the deluxe, boxed edition of Slitterhead. As a long time LSM listener and patron, this was a no brainer. I have no intention of playing said game, but how can I say no to Sacred Symbol's Shroud of Turin equivalent via Amazon? Have you ever purchased a full game only for the novelty of owning it? Much love to you all from the deep, deep South.

Heretic The Intergalactic Prophet

2025-01-29 21:16:40 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, I don’t recall hearing you discuss FBC: Firebreak, the multiplayer project from Remedy set in the Control universe. It was announced a while back with an actual game play trailer, but there seems to be very little buzz around it. I adored Alan Wake 2, but it seems like its commercial success wasn’t huge, and now I’m wondering if Firebreak is suffering from the same lack of mainstream attention. Sorry if I missed you guys talking about it or just forgot, but it feels like this one slipped under the radar. Do you think the lack of hype is a sign of low interest, or is it just too early for people to care? Would love to hear your thoughts! Also, greetings from Slovakia! Love the show—listening to it helps me forget that while we do have free healthcare, if I ever need surgery, I’ll probably have to bribe someone or hope I respawn. Thanks, Martin

Martin Senitka

2025-01-29 21:12:14 +0000 UTC

Hey fellas Chris, I learned for no intentional reason just now that your middle name is Raymond, (there’s the Ray gun I suppose)? Theo Von once remarked it’s the name of a very old man; which is true, it is a name from a bygone era. It seems like a lot of us have these odd and old fashioned middle names. Should we just stop giving these out? It also feels like there is often external pressure to put your uncle or some other relative’s name as your child’s middle name, which is weird. Cheers

Hugh Jalode

2025-01-29 21:03:04 +0000 UTC

Good Day Sacred S's Just writing in to let Colin know how his idiom of "Questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, or ideas" has entered my lexicon and is used on a daily basis while I teach my history students. After a lecture or an assignment is assigned I ask the students these questions with the addition of complaints. Nearly every time they look at me with the same expression that I assume the first humans looked at with fire. Though there are the rare gems of a well thought out questions. Let it be known that the future generation of voters is being slightly influenced by Colin and the Sacred Crew. Has any of Colin's phrases wormed their way into the other hosts vocab? I'll see myself to the door and leave you all alone with that chicken.

Dillon K

2025-01-29 20:59:19 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Crew, I’ve loved hearing through the show about games inspired by literature. I just read The Road, clearly an inspiration for The Last of Us, and Colin in particular has called out Ayn Rand’s works, Starship Troopers, and Utopia as inspirations for Bioshock, Helldivers II, and Metaphor: Retardazio respectively. I plan to read all of these works this year. What other games were inspired by literature or other media? I’m loving diving into these connections and I’d love to know what else you guys can think of. I’ll hang up and listen

John Carr

2025-01-29 20:56:36 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Ghouls, At around the 34 minute mark of the last episode of Sacred Colin brought up Radon Daughters as a possible grunge band name and it reminded me of the true story of the Radium Girls. They were factory workers in the early 1900s who got radiation poisoning from licking their radium covered brushes before painting it onto the face of a watch to cause it to glow in the dark. The after effects of the radiation poisonings were brutal but it's an interesting story about how little people understood about radioactive elements at the time.

Brandon M

2025-01-29 20:49:44 +0000 UTC

Hello sacred gents, Maybe I’m misremembering but I do not recall you guys talking about the potential cancellation of NCSoft’s Horizon MMO. The rumor mill was pretty strong with this one with most outlets seeming to report on it. However, now that I’m digging a little deeper, I noticed that there aren’t any articles from IGN, Gamespot, or Bloomberg despite other sites like Eurogamer and Forbes posting about it. Is the silence from more trustworthy sites why this rumor was left off the docket for last week, or did you just happen to miss this news cycle? If it was due to the former, I’d love to hear a discussion about how you know when to trust certain rumors vs. others. Thanks as always!

Josh Bartlett

2025-01-29 20:45:55 +0000 UTC

Hey, gentlemen! I’m curious to know how much the team at LSM examines performance analytics for your network. As a professional in social media marketing, a bulk of my day-to-day is spent poring over analytics to determine what works and what doesn’t. I’d love a bit of behind-the-scenes knowledge on this aspect of your business. All the best!

Ember's Arcade

2025-01-29 20:43:37 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Boys. With Akira Toriyama’s passing last year, do you think Dragon Quest should continue with his art style after 12? Personally, I’m not a fan of Toriyama-impostor art like we saw in the Dragon Ball Super manga. I think it would be cool if they passed the torch to a comparatively popular manga artist such as Oda of One Piece fame. What say you?

Diddy’s Dong Quest

2025-01-29 20:43:35 +0000 UTC

Hello Fearless Leader, Bold Second In Command, and Unpredictable Wildcard Do y'all have a game that y'all played an unfathomable amount to the point you know all the secrets, y'all played the new game plus with multiple characters, did all subquests and main quests, basically doing more than %100 but %120 cause of DLC. My game is Borderlands 2 from the Handsome Collection. I got my main character, Axton to 80 and yet to try the OP levels so I'm still not done but I've completed the main game and DLC campaigns multiple times with all the trophies way pass the Platinum. I just love this game so much Take care Weilders Of The Sacred Symbols

BMJ614

2025-01-29 20:39:36 +0000 UTC

Gents, I'm finding all the griping about DEI inclusion frustrating, yes, as a person of color. Mind you, I'm not seeking after representation in every single piece of media I engage with; I understand the importance and merits of artistic/creative intent and such. But griping and labeling something as DEI in the realm of art anytime a person of color, queer person, etc pops up is frustrating and more often than not still feels rooted in subconscious prejudice in a way because for the complaint to even be issued in the first place, it essentially require white and typically male to be viewed as DEFAULTS. By nature of presuming there even IS a default and, sometimes spoken and unspoken, that that default should be the one specific thing it has been for the longest time such that anything else can be automatically lumped into 'DEI' feels like it has little space to be anything other than prejudiced on some deeper level. Ironically, sometimes the very people complaining about this will also say stuff like "their skin color shouldn't matter!" and so on... YES! So if it supposedly doesn't matter, then what are you complaining about if a character isn't the 'default'??? Mind you, not saying you guys ascribe to these viewpoints, but this is my expression and reasoning behind the just utter fatigue I feel at times over all this

Javin Mather

2025-01-29 20:37:49 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, With the Xbox Series consoles selling worse than the Xbox One at the same point in their life cycle, it appears that Xbox is slipping further away from a hardware competitor to Sony. I wonder what this means for the next generation. Are we going to see Sony increase console profit margins/prices simply because they can? Or will the Switch / PC gaming keep them in check? Cheers from Canada, and best of luck in the looming trade war.

Xstar25

2025-01-29 20:35:00 +0000 UTC

I've heard you comment many times that the problem with a game like Concord isn't really "wokeness" but actually just that the game is shite. This may be true but it also misses the point. The point is that prioritizing ideological messaging in the creation of art tends to degrade the quality of the art. Is it possible to create an amazing live service hero shooter that also is fully compliant with all tenets of the eastern orthodox church or the chinese communist party? Sure, but it's less likely. Do you see how the emphasis on dogmatic adherence to any ideology in the creation of art can tend to have a negative impact on its quality?

Eugene Lanzoni

2025-01-29 20:33:03 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Crew, This is mainly for Colin, in reference to his VR struggles. When I bought the PSVR2 at launch, it was my first ever VR experience and it was very rough. I was nauseous within 10mins of the first game I played. The suggestions Dustin made are definitely great ones, specifically the point to point turning. My only suggestion is don’t give up on it! As you get your “VR legs” as the term is known, your play sessions can stretch out to hours, not minutes, and you even eventually get to a point where you doing need to point to point turning. As disappointing as it can be at the beginning when you want to jump two feet in and play as long as you like, the commitment to continue does pay off. Don’t stop playing as you’ll never quite get over the hump. Happy VR gaming! There’s so many great single player experiences on PSVR2 now, it’s really come into its own as a solid device that’s well supported.

Tdot’s Finest82

2025-01-29 20:32:38 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, Certainly not the biggest news of the week but how do you all feel about PS4 games not remaining a key addition to the PlayStation Plus monthly game catalog starting next year? While I am sad for my friends who are still playing on PS4, I can't help but feel that this move is natural at this time, and am looking forward to Sony prioritizing the PS5 more. I'm glad they gave us a years notice, which is a much more generous window than when they remove online servers or threaten to shut down stores on legacy platforms. What say you all?

Jon Barnett

2025-01-29 20:31:32 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Men, Do you all hate how pissy the PS4 and PS5 get with you if your power goes out? Upon a restart it beeps obnoxiously at you, puts up warnings like you're stupid enough to not know to not just pull the plug out of your console. And then acts like your hard drive has a massive issue and "repairs" it. My Xbox, Switch and PC don't do that so maybe our PlayStation consoles can stop acting like we are baby ass babies. Does this aggravate any of you? I'll hang up and listen. P.S. a recent power outage happened to me. My PS5 was fine but all the save data was wiped from my PS4 Pro where I happened to be 35 hours into Trails into Reverie... I think has killed my entire desire to complete the game and the series in general, take care.

James York

2025-01-29 20:31:31 +0000 UTC

Dear Colin, On a scale of bronze to platinum, how excited are you with the hire of Aaron Glenn? Be well! David

David Wilson II

2025-01-29 20:28:58 +0000 UTC

Hello gentlemen, Am I being overly optimistic or is there something on the horizon with serious potential to temper some of the hysteria surrounding race and gender in gaming? I’m talking about Grand Theft Auto 6 and its protagonist Lucia. Seems to me in a world where everyone and their grandmother is playing a game starring a brown woman, anyone complaining about wokeness and DEI is going to sound like a huge fucking dork.

Spencer Conwell

2025-01-29 20:28:55 +0000 UTC

Good day, gentlemen! I’m sorry, but it’s got to be asked. What’s with all the technical issues recently? Seems that not an episode goes by without some kind of technical hiccup these days. sometimes 2 in 1 episode. Not a complaint! Just an observation. Love your work. All the best from good old isolated Western Australia.

Mitchell Hogan

2025-01-29 20:24:55 +0000 UTC

No. YOU stand down. Completing games on easy modes is not actually completing the game. Most easy modes are easy because they dumb down a game significantly and even leave out important systems altogether. Play the game as it is intended by the creators to get trophies. This means nothing easier than "normal".

Jason

2025-01-29 20:23:42 +0000 UTC

Hey boys, after the news of SIE’s management shakeup, do you believe this will fix anything at all? Concord didn’t sneak past the goalie, Hermen was allegedly backing that game 500%. Was his other managerial responsibilities the cause of Bluepoint and Bends uncharacteristic projects? I’m not calling for Hulst’s head, I don’t think we know everything to even make certain judgments. But he’s been in charge of first party for a while now, no one is thrilled with their output, so to what end are they going to snub Hermen of his promotion and not begin to question his high esteem and position as head of first party? I really wish we knew who canceled what and who’s to blame for this mismanagement. Thanks for everything, take care and be safe.

Red Head Redemption

2025-01-29 20:23:39 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Gentlemen, I have been following Colin’s gaming coverage since the beyond days. After last week’s conversation about Colin’s frustration with the two week lead time from Herman-miller; I thought you might appreciate a peak behind the curtain. I worked on a Herman-miller assembly line for six years before departing from the company two years ago. When I worked there there was very little back stock. Everything was made to order. Especially the more popular items such as the Aeron chair that you ordered. Thank you for providing an excellent four hour long podcast every week. I now work the front desk at a hotel and it really helps my shifts fly by.

Tim Russell

2025-01-29 20:21:14 +0000 UTC

Goodday Sacred Dogs (woof woof), What are your thoughts on the decision to drop PS4 games from the monthly PS Plus games in 2026? With the constant support for PS4, even in 2025, I am surprised on the choice to step away from a key pool of users. All the best!

Jonesytheydont

2025-01-29 20:20:13 +0000 UTC

Greetings and salutations, What are your thoughts on the latest Sony executive shakeup? Is it just me or is it crazy that Herman Hulst is still in charge of PlayStation first-party development? Thanks for all that you do and STAND DOWN!

Captain Canada

2025-01-29 20:19:06 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, now that there’s rumors of even the live service Horizon game getting cancelled, are we seeing a total rejection of everything Hulst or is this somewhat incidental to Sony’s overall approach away from all things live service and Hulst is caught in the middle of it? Also would love a SS+ on what the status of all the PlayStation Studios are up to in 2025, a run through of who’s on what and what we know about each. Take care!

Rube Rupak

2025-01-29 20:17:55 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Crew. This one's mainly for Colin. You have mentioned several times - including in last week's episode - about a proposal to bring together a development team that comes together to create one game, then disband afterwards, similar to how some movie production houses operate. With the concern of ballooning development costs and the fact that some studios gain time and budget efficiencies by reusing assets and benefiting from "lessons learned" for sequels, how do you square your proposal with those considerations? To a layman, it seems like your proposal would make development even more inefficient than it seemingly is. I'll hang up and listen.

NHindian

2025-01-29 20:17:34 +0000 UTC

Dustin - I’m trying to get back into Jimmy Eat World. Futures is my favorite album of theirs. Chase This Light is hit or miss and Bleed American, while certainly a classic, is almost saccharine sweet in its pop at times. Any recommendations for their new(ish) albums? Colin - I’m 99% sure you and I were at the same Dredg concert back in ~2012. It was at the Catalyst, a few years after they released The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion. I remember them playing a decent number of songs from their catalog when Gavin suddenly announced, “We’re going to play El Cielo,” and the crowd proceeded to lose its collective shit. I don’t recall seeing you but in fairness, I was on a lot of acid. I do, however, recall the singer from the opening act grabbing a megaphone at one point and yelling Spanish gibberish into the crowd and the crowd “singing along”… that happened, didn’t it? Anyway, small world if you were there. I hope all those collector’s edition boxes Dredg sold a few years back to fund their next album didn’t amount to nothing. Chris - I dunno. Hey.

John Wendell

2025-01-29 20:16:01 +0000 UTC

Good afternoon Sacred Crew. Did you see that they had a Gooneral Service for the Goonicide? How can this be?! Would you light your candles in vigil for the fallen gooner?

Retlaw

2025-01-29 20:15:42 +0000 UTC

Hey gang, as season 2 of Severance is ramping back up I know most of you are subscribing back to Apple TV + I have a show I recommend: Mythic Quest starring Rob McElhenney from Always Sunny. It’s about a video game company and the inner works of it. Almost every thing about the industry is poked fun at but also can be very emotional at times. (The COVID episode always makes me cry) It’s a laugh out loud show and I’m sure everyone here will love it.

That Strong Nerd

2025-01-29 20:15:20 +0000 UTC

Cringe

Alex Bolton

2025-01-29 20:14:56 +0000 UTC

Hey guys, You might have covered this before, but I can’t remember. How DO games cost as much as they do? Take Naughty Dog for example and The Last of Us Part II. It says online that they employ “400+” people. Let’s just call it 450. The Last of Us Part II cost $220,000,000 to develop over the course of about 5-6 years. Is that entire cost from payroll? And if so, how does Call of Duty operate? Apparently, Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War cost $700 million and it came out the same year as Part II. How could that possibly cost more than double? Could you break down the cost of these games to give me and the audience a better understanding of how things could balloon out of control like they have? Thanks for all you guys do and love all the content!

Nick Vieu

2025-01-29 20:12:53 +0000 UTC

What’s up fellas, Do you think the PS5 Pro may forbear some people from upgrading to the PS6? With the PS5 Pro being out a few months now, I can’t help but feel a little let down. Obviously, botched Pro patches are one thing, but the incremental improvements from base PS5 to the Pro are comparatively smaller than we’re used to. We’ve already seen a lag in PS4 users adopting the PS5, but I’m wondering from the perspective of three Pro owners, would you be jumping at the PS6 if it weren’t for your job as content creators and podcasters? Have a great day, Nick

Nick La Creta

2025-01-29 20:12:16 +0000 UTC

Sacred Boys: You know how Mario Kart likes to give the good luck to the losing racer and then give a crummy green shell to the lead racer? That's what it feels like to see Sony's live service woes and XBox's new lineup of games. A little competition is interesting though. "Carthago delenda est", Carthage must be destroyed.

towtansua

2025-01-29 20:12:12 +0000 UTC

Hey sacred sluts, Colin now you've found "the rest is history" you've got to try "the rest is politics" it's part of the same network.

Murderer Kevin

2025-01-29 20:12:08 +0000 UTC

cringe

Steve Carley

2025-01-29 20:11:51 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Men, Are any of you playing Eternal Strands? It's a physics based, RPG sandbox, with Shadow of the Colossus-like fights. Looks like something Chris would be into? Thanks and Coat that Throat.

Anton Kaye

2025-01-29 20:11:27 +0000 UTC

God bless President Trump!

Alex Bolton

2025-01-29 20:11:20 +0000 UTC

Go Birds!

No Relaxation without Taxation

2025-01-29 20:10:55 +0000 UTC

Hey CDC, For a couple months I have realized I am a co-worker to someone who podcast at LSM. He is a brother to one of you 3. I’m in finance and in a different office so our paths will never meet. But I’ve been debating if it would be creepy or unprofessional to email him since his name is in our global address book. Nothing weird but just thought I’d say hi. Is this weird/creepy thing to do or a nice gesture?

oh that pesky dna

2025-01-29 20:10:47 +0000 UTC

Sup Boys, Chris had a funny Instagram story over the weekend. It went something like this. "Ninja Gaiden is whilin. I am only a person". Can Chris please explain what that meant? It sounded like he was euphorically happy. It was very funny. Personally I'm thinking this might just be the best shadow dropped game of all time. - Keanu

KeanuReeve

2025-01-29 20:10:00 +0000 UTC

Hello CDC So I listened to the scared+ episode on KF interview with the revered one Shuhei Yoshida, great episode. One thing you dint touch on was Shu talking about Ghost of Tsushima, and how when SP would show him parts of the game, he would tell them what to take out, because it wasn't Japanese, but part of a different Asian culture. It's funny how no one in games media picked up on this and paralleled it to AC shadows chinese architecture, broken Tori Gate, etc. What do you guys think about this?

Angel DeJesus

2025-01-29 20:09:38 +0000 UTC

Hey Guys, long time listener, first time writing in. Thanks for all your content. I saw this a few weeks ago and was going to write in but didn’t. Last week Chris mentioned that resistance is still not available, but all three are on plus. (I know! but I played fall of man and it played well). I’m in Ireland on the European store but doubt that matters. Anyway, just thought I’d mention it in case you weren’t aware. Thanks for all you do. Makes the work bus journey go by.

Sean Lawlor

2025-01-29 20:09:37 +0000 UTC

Hello Sacred Bungalos! This question is specifically for Collin but I would love to hear everyone's thought on it. I am currently a 24 year old Junior in college studying Journalism. I am specifically focusing on entertainment journalism. My biggest dream was to work at IGN growing up just because of the influence it had on me. We all know know where IGN is now and where the industry is overall for journalists. What is everyone's biggest tip of advice going forward? It is my dream to talk and write about games/movies! Thanks guys!

Deyton Dykes

2025-01-29 20:09:18 +0000 UTC

Hello sacred scallywags, With all the changes in management in sony happening right now, are we seeing a dangerous tremor that threatens to topple our favorite corporate house of cards? This many changes in such a short amount of time has never been a good thing in my line of work. Thanks for all you do, and consider having sex with the hen instead of the chicken sometimes, no matter how perverse it is.

Bleedingedgeofpoo

2025-01-29 20:08:32 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred Boys, could you each share what your Fursona would be? What kind of animal? What color? Think of the potential fan art

Steve

2025-01-29 20:08:30 +0000 UTC

Colin, I kindly ask you to Stand Down. On last week’s podcast there was a discussion about the difficulty sliders associated with Doom: The Dark Ages. I imagine these sliders were instituted in the game to allow more individuals to enjoy the game, whether that be gamers with disabilities or aging gamers whose reflexes aren’t what they used to be. As an aging gamer myself I welcome these additions. Thankfully with being a general surgeon, my reflexes have stayed adequate enough to still complete games on the “normal” difficulty setting. In that discussion, you didn’t mind these additions as long as the trophies associated with the game were not tied to these sliders….while at the same time rewarding completion trophies for only the “normal” difficulty. I disagree. Why not reward anyone who completes the game on any difficulty slider that they choose to play at? Gaming should be fun for all, not just those that can complete it on the “normal” difficulty. Those gamers that utilize the sliders may also still be playing at a level that is still challenging for them. What harm does it cause you if a trophy pops for completion at any difficulty slider? Does it truly devalue your trophy accomplishments to allow this? What it the true “value” of a trophy if not to provide some joy and sense of accomplishment to gamers? Let all gamers, despite their underlying ability, experience this joy of “popping” a trophy. Studios can always add additional trophies to satisfy those gamers who feel the need to “pop” one based on completing a game at a given difficulty setting. Thanks and take care. Surgeon Ed

Surgeon Ed

2025-01-29 20:08:05 +0000 UTC

Hey Sacred boys, with the shake-up news at Sony - what do you think is next for Hermen Hulst now that he's no longer co-CEO but continues as CEO of the Studio Business Group at PlayStation? Do you anticipate a shift in the strategy now that he'll have to report to Nishino? Cheers and take care!

Kazden Risk

2025-01-29 20:08:02 +0000 UTC

Hey boys, Slop voice prompt? In your slop voice, can you slop all over the metroidvania genre? “Oooooh I gotta fill the map, or my OCD is gonna take over oooooo” If you desire, of course. I’m not your sloppin dad.

MeggerDeath

2025-01-29 20:08:00 +0000 UTC

Greetings gentlemen, How much do you think we can glean from Sony moving away from the co-CEO structure? Is this more of an indictment on Hulst being spread too thin or is it a reflection on the state of the first-party cancelations we've seen? Curious to hear your thoughts. -Dimitric

Dimitric E.

2025-01-29 20:07:54 +0000 UTC

Hey Elon's second favorite SS, Colin this one is for you. I see that the game Berserk Boy is launching on PS5 this February after a steam launch last March. Reviews seem pretty positive for this heavily Megaman inspired sidescroller. Does the announcement trailer do anything for you, or is it maybe a bit too Megaman X for your taste? Keep on keeping on.

Jeff Steitzer yelling Goonicide and Goonimanjaro

2025-01-29 20:07:11 +0000 UTC

Alright gents, as Americans you use the word underpants as they go under your pants (trousers) but what do you call them when they're under your shorts?

Elliott Wilson

2025-01-29 20:06:00 +0000 UTC

Greetings Sacred Trinity, In the shadow of some much bigger, albeit inevitable, news this week, “Berserk Boy” has been announced for the PS5. Man, if this is not an ode to the Mega Man X games, I don’t know what is. Colin, have you had your eye on this one? Chris, and Dustin, are you guys at all interested. The game looks sick, the soundtrack is dope. I will for sure be checking it out. 344 episodes strong with absolutely no signs of slowing down. Congrats, and keep it up!

Nick Gagas

2025-01-29 20:05:23 +0000 UTC

Colin Metro Awakening is $10 off. Go get it

Maxx Lazos

2025-01-29 20:03:50 +0000 UTC

Hey kings, Colin, out curiosity, have you read any of Jason Schreier's books? I've read all three (Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Press Reset, and Play Nice) and found all three of them to be very well-written and interesting. If you've never read them I highly recommend it and the same goes for any listener on the fence. I can't wait to see what he writes next and what part of the industry he focuses on. Anyway, not trying to sound too biased here but i was just curious if you've dabbled. I love you, Steve Carley