The Easy Allies Podcast

Cowabunga, dudes! The classic TMNT games are back, State of Play has dinosaurs raining from the sky, and Kratos might be on TV. 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:02 - Corrections 00:04:28 - State of Play 00:33:32 - TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection 00:47:41 - Square Enix Music Channel 00:59:40 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:05:28 - Halo Infinite Co-op Delay 01:14:28 - God of War TV Show 01:27:03 - Also This Week 01:34:10 - Game: More Word Association 01:36:56 - L&R: Silly Supers 01:38:38 - L&R: Port Double Dipping 01:41:49 - L&R: Will Elden Ring Click? 01:46:58 - Time for Bets 01:50:46 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate. Go to http://chime.com/allies to sign up for Chime! Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies and take of yourself. Go to http://truebill.com/allies to start canceling today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pokémon games are coming out faster than ever, Amazon's cloud gaming service has officially launched, and Epic faces the music. 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:00 - Corrections 00:03:14 - Pokémon Scarlet and Violet 00:18:10 - Warren Spector's New Game 00:29:12 - Amazon Luna Launch 00:45:25 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:49:45 - Epic Buys Bandcamp 01:02:08 - Resident Evil New-Gen Upgrades 01:07:07 - Also This Week 01:15:29 - Game: Would You Rather? 01:24:36 - L&R: Friends in Ukraine 01:26:30 - L&R: Mechanic Mash-Ups 01:32:26 - L&R: Data Files 01:36:09 - L&R: More Demos 01:39:04 - Time for Bets 01:44:11 - Closing Go to http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free! Go to http://mintmobile.com/allies to cut your wireless bill to $15 a month. Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies and take of yourself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Street Fighter 6 has a bad logo, Guardians of the Galaxy needs a better marketing plan, and PS VR2 is looking nice! 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:21 - Corrections 00:03:04 - Street Fighter 6 and Soul Hackers 2 Reveals 00:18:51 - PS VR2 Design Unveiled 00:30:55 - Dragon Age Production Update 00:41:27 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:46:58 - Guardians of the Galaxy Undershoots Sales Expectations 00:59:37 - FF XIV's 10-Year Plan 01:15:23 - Also This Week 01:19:34 - Game: That's Not a Port! 01:28:20 - L&R: Open World Review Spoilers 01:31:40 - L&R: Creator Collabs 01:35:55 - L&R: Do You Need to Finish Games to Review? 01:53:40 - Time for Bets 01:57:24 - Closing Go to http://babbel.com and use code ALLIES to get 3 months free when you buy a 3-months subscription. Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://mintmobile.com/allies to cut your wireless bill to $15 a month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nintendo's announced the death of 3DS and Wii U stores, Capcom put up a mysterious countdown, and Lost Ark has made all the right moves to have an absolutely explosive launch. Note: We're aware of some missing bits and bobs here and there. Apologies as we had to edit this week without Brandon. 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:03 - Corrections 00:03:49 - Who Gamed It? 00:06:33 - Nintendo Ending Purchases on 3DS and Wii U 00:47:50 - Capcom Countdown and Street Fighter 01:14:28 - Soul Hackers Countdown 01:18:57 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:25:49 - January NPD Report 01:31:09 - Lost Ark's Explosive Success 01:55:40 - Also This Week 01:59:12 - Game: How Many Playable Characters? 02:04:13 - L&R: Watching Others Play 02:06:44 - L&R: Horizon Launch Timing 02:11:29 - L&R: Revisiting Reviews? 02:17:14 - Time for Bets 02:20:48 - Closing Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies16 and use code allies16 for up to 16 free meals and 3 free gifts! Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate.

Nintendo directs our attention back to the Switch after Sony and Xbox spent big bucks on big news. Also, Sony highlights a batch of indies and our first look at Wolf Among Us 2, Google finally wises up and steps away from Stadia, and Capcom finally pays the RE4 merchant his due. 00:00:55 - Corrections 00:03:01 - Who-Gamed-It? 00:04:43 - Nintendo Direct Announcements 00:19:56 - Nintendo Direct Ports 00:25:08 - Nintendo Direct Updates 00:35:45 - Wolf Among Us 2 first look 00:44:12 - Google ditching Stadia 00:55:48 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:59:04 - Sony’s 7 Indie Updates 01:08:56 - Capcom’s copyright lawsuit 01:15:41 - Also This Week 01:22:03 - Game: Lost in Translation: Taiwan Version 01:25:07 - L&R - Good gaming date location? 01:26:50 - L&R - Good gaming date item? 01:28:32 - L&R - More literature-inspired games? 01:33:57 - Time for Bets 01:38:12 - Closing Go to http://chime.com/allies to sign up today! Go to http://babbel.com and use code ALLIES to get 3 months of Babbel free with a 3-month subscripti

Sony strikes back by acquiring Bungie and getting to work on 10+ live service games. Also, Yacht Club still kicks it with Kickstarter, Gran Turismo still looks gorgeous, Nintendo still makes boatloads of money, and the Dark Pictures Anthology still dares to dream. 00:00:56 - Corrections 00:02:36 - Who-Gamed-It? 00:05:04 - Sony buys Bungie 00:23:07 - Mina the Hollower 00:33:17 - Dark Pictures trademarks 00:43:03 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:45:42 - Gran Turismo 7 State of Play 00:56:03 - Nintendo’s 2021 Financials 01:15:35  - NFT backtracks 01:24:52 - Also This Week 01:30:02 - Game: Do You Know the Vintage VO? 01:33:45 - L&R - Any wisdom for 2012 games? 01:38:57 - L&R - Sony characters in Destiny? 01:41:17 - L&R - What is the ideal anime game? 01:44:27 - Time for Bets 01:47:52 - Closing Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month! Go to http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The company that created Halo and Destiny is now part of the PlayStation family, but the results of this deal are more surprising than we'd expect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week is mostly about new stuff. Blizzard’s trying the survival genre, Crysis is ready for a sequel, Respawn is working on 2 more Star Wars games than we knew, Nagoshi launched his new studio, and Meta has something scary in VR called Horizon. 00:00:56 - Corrections 00:03:05 - Who-Gamed-It? 00:04:22 - Blizzard’s Survival Game 00:15:40 - A New Crysis 00:25:43 - Respawn’s 3 Star Wars Games 00:36:38 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:41:03 - Nagoshi Studio 00:47:46 - Meta’s Horizon Worlds 01:00:59 - December 2021 NPDs 01:10:16 - Also This Week 01:15:06 - Game: Canadian or NO-WAYdian 01:18:00 - L&R - Microsoft acquisition fates 01:21:56 - L&R - Sony or Microsoft handheld? 01:24:56 - L&R - Favorite snow levels? 01:27:00 - Time for Bets 01:31:36 - Closing 01:32:26 - January 2022 Producer Thanks Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate. Go to http://babbel.com and use code ALLIES to get 3 months of Babbel free with a 3-month subscription. Go to http://expressvpn.com/

Phil Spencer owns this podcast after dropping the biggest gaming news of the year, and it’s still the first month of 2022. After we discuss 6 different factors of Activision/Blizzard's big payday, the panel laments Star Wars causing crunch and that’s it. It’s mostly Xbox this week. 00:00:57 - Corrections 00:04:50 - Who-Gamed-It? 00:06:38 - Microsoft bought Activision/Blizzard 00:16:55 - Microsoft owns Activision/Blizzard 00:30:13 - Good Old Bobby 00:33:58 - Activision/Blizzard Lawsuits 00:42:03 - Fixing Activision/Blizzard 00:59:24 - Xbox Exclusivity 01:06:43 - The Metaverse in 2022 01:21:04 - Skywalker Saga and crunch 01:26:41 - Also This Week 01:34:39 - Game: Dissecting a Frogger 01:40:16 - L&R - What about Battle-dot-net? 01:43:24 - L&R - Sony first-party on PC day 1? 01:47:40 - L&R - Xbox Exclusivity Trivia 01:49:58 - Time for Bets 01:57:10 - Or Wars 02:02:53 - Closing Check out this survey to help Easy Allies and Rooster Teeth make better stuff! https://roosterteeth.surveysparrow.com/s/Roost-Partner-Su

In a shocking nearly $70 BILLION dollar ack-wha, Microsoft is in the process of buying Activision-Blizzard! Brandon, Brad, Blood, and Isla are here to discuss the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week was filled with uncertainty. Is Mario Kart 9 happening soon? Will Babylon’s fall and a new leader hurt Platinum Games? Can FF XIV’s director make people nicer? Should LEGO ever trust Blizzard again? Am I playing the right Wordle? Where’s my PS5 and Xbox Series X?! 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:19 - Corrections 00:06:53 - Who-Gamed-It? 00:10:58 - Mario Kart 9 rumors 00:25:17 - Platinum Games in 2022 00:32:47 - FFXIV and toxicity 00:41:11 - LEGO and Blizzard 00:44:58 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:49:17 - Wordle copycats 00:55:31 - Console scarcity in 2022 01:02:17 - Also This Week 01:06:54 - Game: Cool Subtitles 01:11:49 - L&R - 70 PS2 games on a shelf 01:14:07 - L&R - Best Online Non-PVP Co-Op? 01:15:10 - L&R - I can’t see 30/60 FPS 01:20:46 - Or Wars 01:26:14 - Closing Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies16 and use code allies16 for up to 16 free meals and 3 free gifts. Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 months free on a 1-year package. Go to http://mintmobile.com/allies to cut your wireless b

It’s episode 300! Raise a glass! Our wonderful patrons give us lots of memories and conversation starters to mark the milestone. All while feeling the intensity of Q1’s release schedule, the cheap-high-tech possibilities of PSVR2, and the long and lonely road of Days Gone. 00:01:05 - Corrections 00:03:07 - Madden Facts 00:05:49 - Q1 2022 Preview January 00:21:25 - Q1 2022 Preview February 00:50:38 - Q1 2022 Preview March 01:07:00 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:10:55 - PlayStation VR2 01:26:29 - Days Gone sales 01:36:04 - Podcast #300 Memories 01:40:18 - Upside That Frown 01:42:58 - Also This Week 01:45:34 - Game: Above or Below 300! 01:49:34 - L&R - Favourite celebration editions? 01:51:59 - L&R - Reviewing super long games 01:53:58 - L&R - What lived up to expectations? 01:55:13 - Or Wars 02:01:44 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Go to http://chime.com/allies to sign up today! Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first mon

This week we honor and educate ourselves on the legacy of the great John Madden, then wonder what’s going on with Ubisoft’s attrition rate and G.R.R.M.'s blog. Also, Nintendo and Valve list some of their highest-performing games, and the CEO of Roblox has some hilariously sneaky taxes. 00:01:26 - Corrections 00:03:18 - John Madden’s legacy 00:16:02 - Ubisoft’s “Great Exodus” 00:29:20 - G.R.R.M.’s Elden Ring blog post 00:39:21 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:43:26 - Switch’s top indie games of 2021 00:55:52 - Steam’s top games of 2021 01:00:38 - Roblox CEO’s sneaky taxes 01:03:48 - Also This Week 01:09:32 - Game: Stark Raving Madden 01:13:16 - L&R - More pseudo-sequels? 01:16:36 - L&R - FF VII Remake vs FF XIII 01:19:27 - L&R - Digital vs physical problems? 01:24:14 - Or Wars 01:29:28 - Closing 01:31:30 - December Producer Credits Go to http://babbel.com and use promo code ALLIES to get 3 extra months! Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi

Tis the season to share a little love and respect. We celebrate the NPDs, award our Starring Roles, and take an episode’s worth of community questions. 00:01:34 - The Starring Role Awards 00:11:24 - November 2021 NPDs 00:20:54 - L&R - Personal convention traditions 00:24:28 - L&R - Taking game appreciation further 00:28:37 - L&R - Let’s celebrate the LOTR trilogy 00:34:17 - L&R - Excellent minor details 00:36:20 - L&R - Regrettable gaming purchases 00:39:06 - L&R - What about open-linear games? 00:41:59 - L&R - If you're going to play only one 00:44:51 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:50:39 - L&R - What’s with Game Pass and Japan? 00:54:07 - L&R - Too down to enjoy a good game? 00:56:11 - L&R - Schedule-pivoting announcements 00:58:36 - L&R - Character-based PvP morality? 01:02:23 - L&R - Stuck with EZA games? 01:10:47 - Or Wars 01:14:09 - Closing Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals AND 3 free gifts. Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first mo

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In a special late-night extended episode with special guest Kyle Bosman, we get loopy talking about the ups and downs of The Game Awards. Also, it’s never too late for GTA Online story DLC, PlayStation’s going to try and copy Game Pass, and Raven Software gets the Activision axe. 00:02:10 - Corrections 00:04:00 - Starring Role 00:11:09 - Alan Wake II 00:16:36 - Star Wars Eclipse 00:23:35 - Hellblade II 00:25:46 - Wonder Woman 00:31:24 - Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League 00:37:00 - The Death Stranding PS4 is not gross 00:39:37 - Warhammer 40K Space Marine II 00:42:57 - Other Game Awards announcements 01:14:07 - Game Awards winners and losers 01:25:00 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:31:15 - GTA Online The Contract 01:38:24 - PlayStation’s Game Pass 01:48:38 - Raven Software layoffs 01:54:34 - Also This Week 02:07:58 - L&R - We get gaming gifts! 02:10:55 - L&R - Perfect pronunciations 02:15:05 - L&R - I play video games wrong  02:19:33 - Time For Bets 02:26:42 - Closing Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallie

FFXIV Endwalker, a new Marvel MMO, and a re-connected Battlefield 2042 universe take online gaming to the forefront of this week’s headlines. Also, we say congrats to Cyberpunk 2077 after a sale and thousands of positive user reviews, and farewell to the original Titanfall. 00:01:00 - Corrections 00:04:02 - Starring Role 00:08:09 - Battlefield’s big changes 00:24:36 - Marvel MMO 00:34:38 - FFXIV Endwalker launch 00:49:05 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:53:44 - Cyberpunk’s redemption 01:06:48 - Titanfall delisted 01:16:08 - Also This Week 01:26:51 - Game: What got the most GOTYs? 01:34:20 - L&R - Our gaming “cilantros” 01:43:29 - L&R - Game Awards expectations? 01:46:20 - L&R - Rudeness, aka Teabagging 01:51:31 - Time For Bets 01:57:45 - Closing 02:00:08 - November Producer Credits Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get an extra 3 months FREE! Go to http://truebill.com/ALLIES to start cancelling today! Learn more about your

In an early episode before our Thanksgiving break, we gobble up the biggest turkeys and their biggest mistakes from 2021. Also, Kojima gives an LA studio another shot, Sony prefers selling retail PS5 games and not making plates, Forza 5 gets first place on Game Pass, and woe are the ads for the Amico. 00:01:10 - Corrections 00:03:38 - Starring Role 00:06:47 - Biggest Turkeys of 2021 00:24:51 - Kojima’s new L.A. studio 00:33:31 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:38:32 - Sony’s PlayStation patents 00:43:27 - PlayStation Retail vs Digital 00:45:55 - Forza Horizon 5 records 00:53:13 - Intellivision Amico woes 00:55:26 - Also This Week 01:02:48 - Game: Top 3 of Top 5s from Top 10s 01:10:34 - L&R - Mechanics worth revisiting? 01:12:31 - L&R - How many console icons can you list? 01:14:21 - L&R - A new solution for color blindness 01:16:43 - Time For Bets 01:19:52 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Go to http://getquip.com/allies to get your first refill

The Game Awards nominations have landed and it’s our job to have opinions about them. Also, Rockstar Games and rock star CEO Bobby Kotick are under fire after some questionable business decisions, Xbox celebrates its 20th with online Halo, and we measure our hype for the surprise Dragon Ball: The Breakers and the often-leaked MultiVersus. 00:00:41 - Corrections 00:02:25 - Starring Role 00:05:27 - Game Awards Nominations 00:19:44 - Dragon Ball: The Breakers 00:26:23 - MultiVersus 00:38:12 - Halo Infinite Multiplayer Beta 00:51:31 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:55:27 - GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition 01:13:07 - Bobby Kotick under fire 01:23:18 - Xbox 20th Anniversary 01:34:58 - Also This Week 01:41:15 - Game: Mario vs Zelda 01:46:06 - L&R - Overwhelmed by new content 01:48:18 - L&R - Good product placement? 01:53:08 - L&R - A game host for the Game Awards 01:55:51 - Time For Bets 01:59:36 - Closing Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies to get 10% off and free shipping. Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to ge

A lot of projects pulled for big wins this week. SteamWorld is going third-person, League of Legends starts another colorful media blitz, Spider-man tries to save the Avengers, and the Tomorrow Children march on to their own beat. 00:01:05 - Corrections 00:02:56 - Starring Role 00:05:19 - SteamWorld Headhunter 00:14:44 - League of Legends updates 00:31:23 - Spider-man and Avengers 00:38:13 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:43:30 - Genshin Impact merch rules 00:57:19 - Tomorrow Children is back 01:04:54 - Also This Week 01:12:49 - Game: Sales are better now than ever! 01:20:55 - L&R - When games break immersion 01:25:23 - L&R - Are NFTs and the Metaverse fads? 01:34:57 - L&R - Why call it “Shin Megami Tensei?” 01:41:50 - Time For Bets 01:45:06 - Closing 01:46:24 - Forza Horizon 5 Bloodworth Race Bet Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals AND 3 free gifts! Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://imperfectfoods.com