Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

• #366 | And If Anything, Then There's Your Sign of the Times

  For the first time ever, PlayStation is publishing one of its own games on Xbox. The new port comes in the form of 2024's smash-hit multiplayer game Helldivers 2 from second party studio Arrowhead, and though Sony has a long-but-silent history of bringing games to other consoles -- there was a Wipeout game on N64, after all, and the likes of Death Stranding and MLB: The Show have already migrated to Xbox via intermediaries -- never before have they acted as publisher. Is this a one-off, or a move that could signify a new strategy? Will Xbox players conditioned to Game Pass put their money where their mouth is? Are single-player exclusives next? Then: Neil Druckmann announces he's done with The Last of Us on HBO, instead turning his full attention back to Naughty Dog, while it sure does sound like Sony-owned team Firesprite is openly hiring for a PlayStation 6 project. After some other news, we get into what we're playing before ending the show as we always do, with six questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas from our audience. What are our ruminations concerning Xbox's recent layoffs and cancellations? Will the PS5 era be looked back upon as a generation of wasted potential? How do we feel about the Stop Killing Games initiative in Europe? Are some listeners intentionally exposing their wives to Sacred Symbols in order to facilitate a divorce? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:23:03 - Patreon numbers0:29:17 - Benji0:36:16 - Don't show your wife Sacred0:43:47 - This week's situation0:47:51 - Happy Birthday Nick0:52:23 - Defending the PlayStation concert0:59:28 - Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox1:31:18 - Neil Druckmann is no longer working on TLOU on HBO1:40:45 - PSSR update in 20261:54:12 - Firesprite is hiring1:59:29 - Is College Basketball returning?2:02:56 - Street Fighter movie casting2:06:49 - What We’ve Been Playing (Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2, Peak)2:45:15 - Xbox's unraveling3:04:57 - Supporting layoffs3:15:19 - Studios moving to cheaper cities3:18:57 - What is going on this generation?3:30:10 - Journalism as a path into marketing or development3:33:38 - Stop Killing Games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #365 | Metal Health

  Is your PlayStation 5 about to break? Probably not, but speculation is increasingly circulating suggesting that the old run of PS5s -- pre-Slim and pre-Pro -- may start running into a 'liquid metal' problem that's causing issues for some players. What does this all mean, from where does this speculation stem, and what (if anything) can be done about it? We discuss in detail. Plus: Death Stranding 2 is out, and thus it's time for us to gush! Then: The other news of the week, including Hellblade II's PS5 release date, rumors of RPG progression systems in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, PlayStation Plus turns 15, SEGA accidentally leaks a ton of sales data, and more. Finally: Listener inquiries. What's the best 'one-hit wonder' game? With PlayStation: The Concert coming Stateside, do we have any interest in attending? Which studio's three-game run is most impressive, quality-wise? Will you, too, find a Sacred Symbols shirt in your local Goodwill or Salvation Army? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:29:19 - This week's situation0:34:22 - Nintendo 690:43:33 - Colin's power washing0:59:42 - Nitpick from last week1:01:04 - Are PS5s failing due to liquid metal?1:15:16 - Hellblade 2 releases August 12th1:20:25 - Intergalactic will have RPG elements1:27:27 - Midnight Murder Club releases August 14th1:37:33 - Sony reiterates the PS Plus strategy1:49:57 - Sega sales leak1:57:45 - Lies of P sells over three million1:58:06 - Square Enix is "aware" of Expedition 332:01:27 - System Shock 2 Remake delayed on PS52:05:15 - Blood of Dawnwalker gameplay video2:08:23 - What We’ve Been Playing (Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach)2:27:40 - Established or custom characters2:34:21 - One hit wonder games2:42:11 - Best 3 game run2:49:44 - Rush to story or pace yourself2:58:11  - PlayStation: The Concert3:03:47 - Selling Physical games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #364 | No Squares Shall Enter in the Circle of Winners

  Sony's recent PlayStation-centric corporate presentation illustrated just how powerful their gaming vertical is. Indeed, PlayStation 5 has already generated more revenue for the company than PS1, PS2, and PS3 combined, and in the last five years, Sony has netted more in profit from gaming than it did in all 26 prior years the brand has existed, combined. Within their presentation was a lot of interesting data, quotes, anecdotes, and more to comb through, and we do that with a fine-tooth comb. We also wonder why the video presentation was so awkward, stilted, and choreographed. Can these people not speak extemporaneously and off-the-cuff? But we digress! Then, we get into other pertinent news of the week: Bungie's indefinite delay of Marathon, rumors of Sony's potential interest in Warner Bros., fresh PlayStation 5 and 6 handheld rumors, and more. Then, we end the show (as we always do) with listener inquiries. Is Hermen Hulst truly to blame for PlayStation's serious first party woes? When will Ghost Story's Judas launch? Is controller rumble and vibration an important component of our gameplay experiences? Will Colin's 100 hours in PowerWash Simulator translate to the real world? 0:00:00 - Intro0:31:11 - Colin and the pool0:44:34 - New home tips0:58:35 - Sony Business Segment Presentation2:26:40 - Marathon delay2:55:14 - Is Stellar Blade coming to Switch 2?3:02:17 - Does Sony want Warner Bros Discovery?3:15:09 - PlayStation handheld rumors increase3:29:00 - Death Stranding changed because people liked it too much3:39:11 - Death Stranding animated adaptation3:41:34 - Borderlands 4 is $703:51:35 - Beastsaber updates on PSVR2 is ending4:00:36 - Gears beta extended4:02:42 - What We've Been Playing (Cyberpunk 2077, Splitgate 2, FBC Firebreak Death Stranding)4:24:06 - Hermen Hulst's long term projects4:29:36 - PC titles on Xbox's next hardware4:48:44 - Where is Judas?4:54:33 - Is vibration important?5:01:10 - Climate station5:04:59 - Does knowing who developed a game even matter? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #363 | Getting Bent

  With Bend Studio laying off 30% of its staff as it gears up to enter a lengthy pre-production stage, it's clear their next release (should it ever materialize) will be on PlayStation 6. This is just the most recent example in a lengthening string of Sony absolutely botching its first party initiative, deploying teams on projects that make no sense, purchasing studios that have never even released a game, and complicating a service game strategy that -- at least on paper -- made a lot of sense. Where does the buck stop, exactly? And how lucky is Sony and the PlayStation brand that they've been able to coast almost entirely on external content and commercial inertia all the while? Plus: MindsEye is a complete disaster, Stellar Blade becomes PlayStation Publishing's most-played single-player PC port, Capcom and Konami reveal Resident Evil Requiem and Silent Hill Remake respectively, the Outer Worlds 2's $80 price point infuriates some, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is somehow coming to PlayStation 4, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! When Colin talks about a hypothetical AAA Mega Man game, what exactly is he envisioning? Why did Microsoft include the PS5 logo so readily during its showcase? Will GameStop ever stop selling opened games as new? Will Dustin and Brad one day own Last Stand? 0:00:00 - Intro0:32:13 - Habroxia Special Edition0:46:31 - LSM at TooManyGames!0:51:17 - Sacred proposal0:54:05 - Bradstin1:05:28 - Mindseye refunds1:24:59 - Stellar Blade is PlayStation's biggest single-player game on Steam1:35:14 - Bend Studio layoffs2:01:18 - Tencent acquires 15% of Arrowhead2:05:17 - Resident Evil: Requiem announced2:15:18 - Silent Hill Remake announced2:22:30 - Persona 4 Revival2:28:38 - Black Ops 72:35:05 - Gears of War: Reloaded PS5 beta incoming2:41:41 - Halo coming to PS5 soon?2:51:16 - The Outer Worlds 2 is $803:00:32 - DualSense will connect to multiple devices3:04:05 - Mina the Hollower launches this Halloween3:04:55 - New PS+ game catalog entries3:12:11 - What We’ve Been Playing3:29:30 - What would a new Mega Man game look like?3:34:25 - Should we keep going to GameStop?3:38:06 - Is the future handhelds?3:52:28 - PS5 logos at Xbox's Showcase3:58:27 - Alex Hutchinson's Game Pass comments4:11:25 - Pandemic hiring sprees fallout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• #362 | I Do Believe You're Trying to Wake Me Up

  Since we published our previous episode, Sony not only announced it was having a State of Play event, but that event has already happened. Thus, we have much to discuss throughout this lengthy episode, an unexpected surprise for the PlayStation faithful. In short, the most recent State of Play was a great showcase of nearly 30 upcoming PlayStation 5 games, with some PS4 and PSVR2 mixed in there, too. And -- for those that care -- more than a half-dozen of the games are PS5 console exclusive, nipping that entire argument in the bud. In the realm of Sony second party, we've learned about a Marvel-themed fighting game from Arc System Works called Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, while Tecmo Koei's Team Ninja is hard at work on Nioh 3. Elsewhere, we were given the first glimpse at IO Interactive's long-in-development James Bond game called First Light, a brand-new Lumines offering from the creators of Tetris Effect, the return of Capcom's seemingly-beleaguered Pragmata, something fresh from Grasshopper Manufacture called Romeo Is A Dead Man, a late-September release date for Silent Hill F, our first look at the sequel to Iga's Bloodstained, and -- yes indeed! -- confirmation of Final Fantasy Tactics coming to PlayStation in just a few months in the form of The Ivalice Chronicles. "No games?" Maybe if you don't like or play video games, perhaps. Other news this week includes our first look at Witcher 4 via a controversial UE5 tech demo, rumors of a native PS5 port for Red Dead Redemption 2, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Should 'game length' be considered a spoiler? How do we feel about pinball video games? Do we ever mess with the PSN's 'activity cards' while playing? Is Dustin poised to elope with Brad?Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps:  0:00:00 - Intro0:26:17 - Habroxia Special Edition0:36:59 - Too much to play0:42:31 - Look or talk like Jar Jar?0:44:49 - This week’s “situation”0:51:21 - MLMs0:57:49 - State of Play overall thoughts1:10:07 - Lumines Arise1:14:44 - Pragmata1:21:10 - Romeo Is a Dead Man1:28:46 - Silent Hill F1:34:33 - Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement1:40:12 - Digimon Story Time Stranger1:45:17 - Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles1:57:37 - Babysteps2:02:06 - Herogami2:04:37 - Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots2:10:32 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound2:14:08 - Cairn2:17:55 - Mortal Kombat Legacy Collection2:25:34 - Playstation Fight Stick (Project Defiant)2:35:44 - Metal Gear Solid Delta2:37:48 - Nioh 32:43:17 - Thief VR2:47:48 - Tides of Tomorrow2:50:49 - Astrobot update2:57:47 - Sea of Remnants3:00:46 - Sword of the Sea3:04:57 - FBC: Firebreak3:08:39 - Deus Ex on PS Plus Premium3:11:43 - Twisted Metal 3 and 4 on PS Plus Premium3:14:22 - Resident Evil 2 and 3 on PS Plus Premium3:16:07 - 007 First Light3:27:37 - Ghost of Yotei3:28:48 - Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls3:39:11 - Apple Pay on PS53:39:43 - Witcher 4 UE5 tech demo3:48:01 - People Can Fly cancels two games3:49:22 - Red Dead Redemption 2 PS5 port3:51:06 - MindsEye executives leave3:54:56 - Shift Up’s Project Spirits3:58:54 - MediEvil and Tenacious D’s canceled movie4:04:17 - Elden Ring Nightrein’s success and PSN charts4:09:43 - What Are We Playing (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Borderlands 2, Dead Island 2)4:25:37 - Is game length a spoiler?4:28:47 - Pinball video games4:33:54 - PlayStation activity cards4:37:54 - AI making games4:42:40 - New console reviews4:48:02 - Fixing inverted controls for a kid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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