The Easy Allies Podcast

It’s been a week of weak announcements. Hangar 13 stops developing Volt, Microsoft and SEGA team up in the cloud, Skydance is making a Marvel game, FF Tactics might be getting remastered, and Facebook is mostly now Meta. 00:00:48 - Corrections 00:01:45 - Starring Role 00:05:51 - Hangar 13’s Volt 00:15:18 - Microsoft and SEGA 00:25:46 - Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster 00:36:08 - Skydance and Marvel 00:42:26 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:45:12 - Facebook is now Meta 00:55:08 - Activision/Blizzard updates 01:06:57 - Also This Week 01:13:23 - Game: Middleware Multiple Choice 01:16:32 - L&R - I think I hate video games 01:28:41 - L&R - Ever walk away from a challenge? 01:34:38 - L&R - Ever overcome the impossible? 01:38:08 - Time For Bets 01:41:35 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sony sneaks in a State of Play before the end of the year, and Niantic believes Nintendo’s Pikmin can get people walking. Also, Halo Infinite finally details its single-player campaign, Grasshopper joins Netease, and Blizzard is rethinking Blizzcon among many other things. 00:00:46 - Corrections 00:04:02 - Starring Role 00:06:54 - State of Play October 00:32:03 - Pikmin Bloom 00:40:22 - Halo Infinite Campaign Overview 00:55:29 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:01:29 - Grasshopper joins NetEase 01:05:52 - Blizzcon 2022 canceled 01:18:12 - Also This Week 01:22:40 - L&R - Horror Returns or Retires 01:29:10 - L&R - Name your horror adaptation 01:31:44 - L&R - A game to cure what ails you 01:33:55 - Time For Bets 01:37:59 - Closing 01:40:17 - October 2021 Producer Credits Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies for 10% off plus free shipping! Go to http://getquip.com/allies to get your first refill free. Get 50% off your first 5 orders of $50 or more when you download the Postmates app and use code “EASYALLIES.” Le

The Uncharted movie trailer blows up the big screen and rumor has it a new Splinter Cell is in the works. We weigh our anticipation and revisit DC Fandome, that double-sided Animal Crossing Direct, and the best selling games of September. 00:00:56 - Corrections 00:02:22 - Starring Role 00:05:24 - Uncharted movie trailer 00:14:26 - New Splinter Cell? 00:24:24 - DC Fandome 00:34:03 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:40:11 - Switch Online Expansion Pack 00:52:22 - Animal Crossing updates 00:56:38 - September NPDs 01:05:33 - Also This Week 01:14:20 - Game: Lost in Translation: Taiwan 01:17:22 - L&R - Good gaming horror 01:24:03 - L&R - Horror setting essentials 01:27:57 - L&R - Other playable Bat-family members? 01:30:16 - Time For Bets 01:33:58 - Closing Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://candidco.com/easyallies and use code easyallies to save $75 on your starter kit. Go to http://imperfectfoods.com and use code ALLIES to get 20% off your first 4 orders.

Activision finally takes a proactive stand against cheating in Call of Duty Warzone while the EEOC and DFEH fight over who gets to litigate them. Also FIFA asks EA for more money, Google counter-sues Epic, and even more gaming properties come to the big screen. 00:01:08 - Corrections 00:04:23 - Starring Role 00:08:19 - Call of Duty’s Ricochet 00:32:34 - EA and FIFA parting ways? 00:44:59 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:47:59 - System Shock and other series 00:58:34 - Google counter-sues Epic 01:04:12 - DFEH vs EEOC vs Activision 01:10:02 - Also This Week 01:18:08 - Game: Name That Mario Party Mini Game 01:24:28 - L&R - How long until a game becomes great? 01:31:34 - L&R - Preferred review time? 01:39:49 - L&R - Underappreciated parts of the community? 01:43:56 - Time For Bets 01:47:33 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 months free on a 1-year package. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi

The biggest gaming season of the year is upon us, so we pick our favorites from the fall lineup. Also, the Resident Evil movie reveals its CG budget, Sora finally shows up, Ghost Recon ignores its fans yet again, and big-tech has big headaches when Twitch gets hacked and Facebook goes down. 00:01:08 - Corrections 00:03:13 - Starring Role 00:07:51 - Q4 Preview October 00:35:33 - Q4 Preview November 00:55:01 - Q4 Preview December 01:02:37 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:06:18 - Resident Evil movie trailer 01:17:13 - Sora in Super Smash Bros. 01:28:33 - Ghost Recon Frontline 01:32:55 - Twitch hack 01:40:56 - Facebook outage 01:45:31 - Also This Week 01:52:54 - L&R - Shocking non-gamers 01:56:22 - L&R - Replaying cinematics? 02:01:47 - L&R - Steam Next Fest favorites  02:04:10 - Time For Bets 02:00:00 - Closing Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals, including free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visi

Sony and Netflix go shopping for new studios that make us wonder what projects they have in mind. The Tokyo Game Show brings in exciting news from Capcom and Xbox, while Microsoft opens up to third-party storefronts, and the Activision/Blizzard case is over all of a sudden? 00:01:17 - Corrections 00:04:53 - Starring Role 00:07:56 - Sony buys Bluepoint Games 00:17:33 - Netflix buys Night School 00:26:17 - Xbox TGS ‘21 Showcase 00:32:51 - Tokyo Game Show 2021 highlights 00:38:05 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:41:47 - Microsoft and third-party storefronts 00:44:42 - Activision/Blizzard settlement 00:49:40 - Also This Week 00:56:40 - L&R - Top 6 Sony studios 01:05:12 - L&R - Did EZA pen “Shadow Drop?” 01:07:09 - L&R - Closely-related franchise surprises? 01:08:37 - Time For Bets 01:12:31 - Closing 01:14:23 - September Producer Credits Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://getquip.com/allies to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. Learn more about

This week is about playing demos and surprise remasters on the Switch while we keep laughing at or crying about the Super Mario movie cast. Also, THQ brings a batch of old franchises new life, Quantic Dream might be making a Star Wars game, and Titanfall 3 is not not happening 00:01:07 - Corrections 00:03:03 - Starring Role 00:06:23 - Super Mario Movie Cast 00:22:27 - Nintendo Direct Announcements 00:44:08 - Nintendo Direct Updates 00:59:27 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:03:59 - THQ Nordic Showcase 01:09:39 - Quantic Dream Star Wars Game 01:18:26 - Titanfall 3 hype 01:25:15 - Also This Week 01:30:35 - Game: Touhou or No Bro! 01:34:19 - L&R - Outside resource help? 01:38:03 - L&R - Average completion percentage? 01:41:49 - L&R - GOTY anti-spoiler preparation? 01:43:47 - Time For Bets 01:46:37 - Closing .Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly payments today. Go to http://candidco.com/easyallies and use code easyallies to save $75 on your starter kit. Go to http://h

This week we go over the fine print. August NPDs hold some surprising winners, Nintendo’s financials provoke rumors of a Switch price cut, and the saga of Epic and Apple comes to a complex and often hilarious conclusion. 00:01:05 - Corrections 00:03:36 - Starring Role 00:06:23 - August NPDs 00:19:53 - Switch price cut? 00:29:24 - Kojima and real-time games 00:38:12 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:41:57 - Epic v Apple ruling 00:56:27 - Also This Week 00:59:29 - Game: NICE 01:03:13 - L&R - Superhero villains 01:05:37 - L&R - UI and menu touchstones 01:10:38 - L&R - Can we fix user reviews? 01:18:53 - Time For Bets 01:22:29 - Closing Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 months free on a 1-year package. Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies for 10% off! Tune in September 9th on Rooster Teeth to see who’s the last one laughing. And catch up on Season 1 with all the episodes available to stream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

PlayStation finally shows up with a showcase and it’s worth the wait. Wolverine and Spider-man overshadow their fellow Guardians, KOTOR is remade, and Kratos is revealed running on the PS5. With fan favorite Alan Wake coming back into the light, and No Man’s Sky earning a “mostly positive” rank on Steam, it’s a week for big franchise wins. 00:01:06 - Corrections 00:03:14 - Starring Role 00:08:04 - God of War: Ragnarok 00:19:51 - Marvel’s Wolverine 00:30:25 - Marvel’s Spider-man 2 00:41:10 - Guardians of the Galaxy 00:48:06 - Knights of the Old Republic Remake 00:52:17 - PlayStation Showcase Updates 01:14:55 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:19:08 - Alan Wake Remastered 01:26:02 - No Man Sky is “mostly positive” 01:36:36 - Also This Week 01:40:30 - L&R - What’s next for Hazelight? 01:45:14 - L&R - Are pre-order bonuses worth it? 01:50:46 - L&R - Let’s talk about maps 01:59:01 - Time For Bets 02:03:08 - Closing Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use

We examine the PlayStation 5 from multiple angles - its new subtly advanced model, recently announced 2021 Showcase, and cloudy PS4 upgrade path for Horizon Forbidden West. Also, Dead Space looks early which is cool, and is Nagoshi leaving Sega? 00:01:20 - Corrections 00:03:43 - Starring Role 00:06:27 - Dead Space early look 00:22:55 - The New PlayStation 5 00:31:14 - Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 00:44:27 - A Word From Our Sponsor 00:47:16 - PlayStation Showcase Predictions 00:56:07 - Is Toshihiro Nagoshi leaving Sega? 01:03:46 - Also This Week 01:11:15 - Game: Tag That! 01:14:46 - L&R - Can Etrian Odyssey stand out? 01:18:29 - L&R - Getting over losing progress 01:24:24 - L&R - Gaming’s greatest achievement? 01:27:33 - Time For Bets 01:31:08 - Closing 01:32:36 - Damiani drives around the Lake Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly payments today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gamescom is live and the announcements are many. Opening Night Live drops some new IPs and revives old franchises while Halo Infinite and Xbox showcase a little less than anticipated.  00:01:19 - Corrections 00:03:45 - Starring Role 00:06:46 - Gamescom Opening Night Live 00:12:10 - Saints Row 00:17:05 - Marvel Midnight Suns 00:21:45 - DokeV 00:24:31 - Gamescom ONL reveals 00:31:12 - Gamescom ONL announcements 00:43:07 - Gamescom ONL updates 01:05:41 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:08:55 - Halo Infinite at Gamescom 01:22:12 - Xbox Gamescom Showcase 01:32:10 - Also This Week 01:41:32 - L&R - That’s A Wrap! 01:48:12 - L&R - Interesting difficulty levels 01:52:25 - L&R - EA redemption arc? 01:59:18 - Time For Bets 02:03:20 - Closing 02:05:27 - Producer Credits Go to http://candidco.com/easyallies and use code easyallies to save $75 on your starter kit. Go to http://getquip.com/allies to save $10 on a quip Smart Electric Toothbrush. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we sail on a sea of updates and announcements. Vanguard tests the stability of the CoD franchise, Quake looks better than ever, Pokemon presents a bunch of new stuff, and Grimoire of Souls is seemingly back from the dead. 00:01:24 - Corrections 00:02:19 - Call of Duty: Vanguard 00:12:14 - QuakeCon 2021 00:18:38 - Pokemon Presents 00:36:14 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:41:06 - Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls 00:48:16 - Abandoned App Launch 00:53:24 - Also This Week 01:00:01 - Game: Lost in Translation: Taiwan 01:05:20 - L&R - DLC better than the original game? 01:09:24 - L&R - Ever delayed the final boss? 01:12:17 - L&R - Best version of Final Fantasy VI? 01:15:03 - Time For Bets 01:21:04 - Closing Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 extra months free! Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies to get 10% off. Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a celebration of indies! ID@Xbox and Nintendo game-pass and shadow-drop some exciting titles while the Amiga gets its own mini-console and Twitch tries a dash of unexpected transparency. 00:01:17 - Corrections 00:02:24 - ID@Xbox Indie Showcase 00:23:55 - Nintendo Indie Direct 00:44:46 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:46:35 - Twitch Transparency 00:57:17 - The A500 Mini Announced 01:01:56 - Activision/Blizzard Update 01:06:10 - Also This Week 01:11:10 - Game: Yakuza Substory or Segal Movie? 01:14:15 - L&R - Do you love any 3s or 4s? 01:17:00 - L&R - Which composer would you hire? 01:19:03 - L&R - What games make you “happy?” 01:21:31 - Time For Bets 01:26:29 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly payments today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Team ASOBI teases their biggest game ever, and Zool Redimensioned kicks off a team of new developers. After PS5 and Xbox numbers drops, Nintendo touts one million-selling game after another, while Blizzard and Fullbright face the oncoming wave of industry change. 00:00:45 - Corrections 00:01:42 - Team ASOBI’s Next Game 00:11:17 - Zool Redimensioned Announced 00:18:39 - Nintendo Q1 Financials 00:36:32 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:40:55 - Blizzard Updates 00:52:56 - Toxic Work Culture at Fullbright 01:00:55 - Also This Week 01:07:43 - L&R - Is this the year CoD loses? 01:12:06 - L&R - What’s the next PC PlayStation game? 01:17:22 - L&R - Recommend 3 Assassin’s Creed games 01:20:18 - Time For Bets 01:25:17 - Closing Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals plus free shipping! Go to http://babbel.com and use code ALLIES to get an extra 3 months of Babbel free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi

Following a heavy news week, we kick back with some casual speculation and anticipation. Annapurna shows off their first showcase, Splitgate hits max capacity, the Pokemon live-action universe continues, and That’s No Moon hypes up a new hope for AAA development. 00:00:59 - Corrections 00:06:02 - Annapurna Showcase 00:23:13 - Next-Gen Sales Updates 00:41:37 - Live-Action Pokemon Series 00:49:54 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:52:56 - Have You Heard About Splitgate? 01:01:04 - That’s No Moon 01:11:03 - Also This Week 01:17:39 - L&R - What Switch games need DLC? 01:19:31 - L&R - The Olympics and game music 01:23:24 - L&R - Favorite Olympic events? 01:27:19 - L&R - The Easy Allies Olympic Games 01:30:00 - Time For Bets 01:33:15 - Closing 01:34:56 - July Producer Credits Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://candidco.com/easyallies and use code easyallies to save $75 on your starter kit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bloodworth moderates a mixed week of gaming news. EA has one of their best showcases in years, but working at Activision/Blizzard sounds worse than ever, and Ubisoft can’t stop announcing shooters or developing Skull & Bones. 00:01:31 - EA Play 00:10:29 - Dead Space Remake 00:16:09 - Battlefield Portal 00:24:36 - Other EA Play games 00:29:43 - California vs Activision/Blizzard 00:56:41 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:59:01 - XDefiant 01:05:26 - Skull & Bones & Ubisoft 01:17:19 - Also This Week 01:21:36 - L&R - My industry desire is dead 01:31:43 - L&R - What if Kirby eats you? 01:35:16 - L&R - Did remasters kill virtual console? 01:48:32 - Time For Bets 01:52:26 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly payments today. Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Valve finally revealed their handheld, the Steam Deck. As we try to drop five bucks on one, Takuya Kimura’s agency might cancel the next Judgment, Netflix might start making games next year, and classic games might start selling for over a million dollars. 00:01:25 - Corrections 00:03:35 - Steam Deck 00:26:12 - Takuya Kimura and Judgment 00:35:44 - Netflix Games 00:43:35 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:48:00 - Have You Heard About Ynglet? 00:54:43 - The Million Dollar Mario 64 01:04:27 - Also This Week 01:09:50 - Game: Don’t Stop Achieving! 01:15:12 - L&R - Favorite start screen theme? 01:18:40 - L&R - Is the WoW to FFXIV shift a big deal? 01:24:21 - L&R - What else deserves a Smash Bros? 01:25:21 - L&R - Who needs to be in the Nickelodeon brawler? 01:27:01 - Time For Bets 01:30:51 - Closing Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 months of ExpressVPN free on a 1-year package. Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies to get 10% off. Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of Bet

This week we got a very Nintendo announcement for the Switch, and a very Ubisoft announcement for Assassin’s Creed. This might not be what we want, but at least we’re getting a new RoboCop game in 2 years, and a bunch of fun third party stuff headed to PS5. 00:00:58 - Corrections 00:03:03 - Deathloop State of Play 00:21:05 - Assassin’s Creed Infinity 00:35:00 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:41:04 - Switch OLED Model 00:52:45 - Robocop: Rogue City 01:05:27 - Also This Week 01:10:48 - L&R - Marketing slow drip or blowout? 01:15:23 - L&R - Should most games have God Mode? 01:17:47 - L&R - Have any franchises lost you? 01:22:35 - Time For Bets 01:27:17 - Closing Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals plus free shipping! Go to http://babbel.com and use code ALLIES to get an extra 3 months of Babbel free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Out of nowhere, and somehow predictably, Nintendo finally unveils the next Switch we might not need but are totally going to buy. Damiani, Brad, and Jones sunset their expectations for a higher-performance Switch and go through the OLED Model's features and sales potential. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a super-sized, 2-plus-hour episode we look ahead to the rest of the summer. Our quarterly multi-game preview picks the hottest and coldest releases from July, August, and September 2021. 00:00:41 - Corrections 00:02:55 - Q3 Preview July 00:32:46 - Q3 Preview August 01:08:51 - A Word From Our Sponsor 01:10:42 - Q3 Preview September 01:43:51 - Also This Week 01:58:07 - L&R - Other franchise FTP games? 02:01:01 - L&R - Another Rare Replay type game? 02:05:39 - Time For Bets 02:09:57 - Closing 02:11:15 - Mario Golf: Super Rush Bet Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out if you can lower your monthly payments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices