Beyond

This week, we’re taking a look back at PlayStation’s 2025, from game releases to hardware announcements, corporate reorgs to global politics. The PS5 has had a wonderful year, breaking the 80 million sales mark, but it also saw price hikes at a time in the console life cycle when hardware usually gets cheaper. With this in mind, we’re in no hurry for a PlayStation 6, but Sony is definitely working on something behind the scenes. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 02:38 - PlayStation’s 2025 Year in Review 05:49 - Do you Miss Your PS4? 27:49 - Brian is a BIG TIME MLB The Show fan 33:58 - PlayStation’s 2025 Year in Review Continued 34:29 - New PlayStation Hardware 38:40 - Did PlayStation Do a Good Job In 2025? 42:23 - PlayStation needs to get weird again 44:01 - Should PlayStation Make a New Handheld? This weeks show is Hosted by Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2026 is shaping up to be a big year for games! Let’s take a look at just a few of the many upcoming releases slated to hit PlayStation 5 in the new year! From heavy hitters like Grand Theft Auto 6, Marvel’s Wolverine, 007 First Light and LEGO Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight to some weirder smaller titles like Romeo is a Dead Man, Mouse: P.I. For Hire and Screamer to the numerous massive RPGs expected to drop like Crimson Desert, Phantom Blade Zero, Mortal Shell 2 and Lords of the Fallen 2. We’re going to be very very busy! But one game we wish we could be more excited for is the recently (perhaps prematurely) revealed Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, which got a shiny new trailer, but seems like it’s a long way off, assuming it’s not another Star Wars project that gets cancelled while still in development. 00:00 - Intro 06:00 - 26 Awesome PlayStation 5 Games Coming in 2026 01:06:36 - We’ve Been Burned By Star Wars Too Much To Be Excited This weeks show is Hosted by Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Game Awards are the last big gaming event of 2025, and they always come with a fair share of surprises and announcements, so why not have some fun with it? We’ve prepared an extremely unofficial Beyond edition of legally-distinct The Game Awards Bingo. What will we see this year? Muppets? (Yes) Hideo Kojima? Flute Guy? More importantly, will be get an big game reveals or shadow drops like the long-rumored Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Remake, which according to PEGI listings, is called Black Flag Resynced. Resident Evil fans are dying for a glimpse of Leon Kennedy in Requiem, which has been all but confirmed. Last year we got a look at Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, Project Robot, Okami 2, and more, so hopefully this year doesn’t disappoint. Plus, Nick had a chance to chat with Sam Eng, the developer of Devolver’s latest indie skateboarding game Skate Story. This weeks show is Max Scoville and Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Max and Brain look back on the recent crop of Marvel games that are suprisingly pretty good. From Spider-Man to Blade, theres a lot of cool stuff headed to consoles and PC if you're a Marvel fan (or just a fan of fun games). One could even say theres a cosmic invasion of superhero games that dont suck...speaking of cosmic invasions, Max and Brian also sat down with game director Frederic Gemus of the latest super hero beat-em-up, MARVEL Cosmic Invasion and learned a ton about the games influences, cool easter eggs, and why this spiritual successor to the original '90s beat-em-ups is worth checking out. But before all of that, the cast looks into the latest GTA 6 leaks and why a game all about stealing cars even needs to have rental bikes. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - GTA 6 Leaks and Renting Bikes 12:42 - The Cosmic Invasion of Marvel Games That Don't Suck 36:15 - MARVEL Cosmic Invasion 01:01:39 - Brian is REALLY good at Fortnite This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the holidays fast approaching and Black Friday just around the corner (or later this week if you're reading this when the episode releases) its finally that most wonderful time of the year where you can buy a bunch of games you didnt get a chance to play for dirt cheap. Brian and Max have compiled a list of recent PlayStation releases that are absolutley worth checking out now that they'll be heavily discounted such as Robocop Rogue City, Star Wars Outlaws, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Cyberpunk 2077, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and a whole lot more. After that the boys discuss a bunch of games they've been happily wasting time on like Ball X Pit, Powerwash Simulator, and Arc Raiders. Which if you think about it, if you're having fun, is it a waste of time? What is time anyway...But before we get into that, we have to talk about a hidden, hyper-realistic looking horse that was cut from the box art of Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland. Why was this handsome horse removed from the box art? Max and Brian figure out why. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:31 - Just Horsin Around 05:34 - 13 Awesome Games To Grab Cheap Black Friday 38:01 - Wasting Time Having Fun In Video Games This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a surprise move, Valve has announced plans for a Steam Machine console, taking PC gaming from desktops into living rooms in a big way. Sony’s had the market cornered this console generation, but does the introduction of a device that simplifies PC gaming for more casual players (while still allowing more tech-savvy ones to get under the hood) pose a threat to the future of PlayStation? With Sony putting more games on PC, that means a PS5 isn’t the only way to play Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2 on your couch. At the very least, it’s new competition, and competition is good news for players. In other news, a bunch of games about mice came out this month, Morsels, Winter Burrow and Whiskerwood. What’s up with all these mice? This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sony surprised us with a nice little State of Play presentation focusing on PlayStation games coming from Japanese and Asian studios, which included a tease of Elden Ring Nightreign’s first major DLC, The Forsaken Hollows as well as what’s in store for Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls’ upcoming closed beta test. We also got a look at some cool horror games like Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, BrokenLore: Unfollow and Ascend, plus some JRPG stuff like Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined and Octopath Traveller 0. Plus, we reflect on Sony’s latest PlayStation hardware (which is more PC-related gear) and the state of Marvel Games, which is… really good? Tokon Fighting Souls, Cosmic Invasion and Insomniac’s Wolverine game being just a few of the promising looking additions to that universe. This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville, Nick Limon, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’ve heard Rockstar games co-founder Dan Houser talking about cancelled GTA 5 story DLC and Saints Row 1 design director Chris Stockman sharing his pitch for a Saints Row reboot, which has us lamenting the lack of open-world action games set in contemporary settings. Specifically, the kind where you can steal cars and cause mayhem - you know, like in GTA. It feels like we used to get these all the time, and now, they’re few and far between, assuming they see the light of day. The Saints Row reboot was a flop, and Volition isn’t around anymore. Mindseye didn’t deliver on its ambitious premise. Contraband, the project from Just Cause developer Avalanche was cancelled. Sleeping Dogs might get a movie courtesy of Simu Liu, but it seems unlikely we’ll get a new game anytime soon. What happened? Will we ever see this kind of game make a comeback? What about The Simpsons Hit & Run? Plus, Sony has a new holiday ad campaign that harkens back to the weirdo marketing of the PlayStation 2. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s almost Halloween, so what better excuse to geek out about horror games? Max and Brian take a look back at the horror franchises that dominated each generation of PlayStation console. From the birth of Resident Evil on the PS1 to Silent Hill and Fatal Frame’s numerous outings on the PlayStation 2, to the PS3/360 era that gave us Dead Space, Condemned and of course, The Last of Us. A few major games arrived right on the cusp between PlayStation 3 and PS4, The Evil WIthin and Alien Isolation. And, of course, Bloodborne, which is absolutely a horror game and I can’t believe we have to keep having this conversation. Anyway, we also ranked the best horror games on PlayStation in the worst way possible, blindly assigning them ranking on a list without knowing what other games are contenders. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the video game equivalent of Hell freezing over or pigs flying, the original Halo is coming to PlayStation. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a full Unreal Engine 5 overhaul of the 2001 Xbox original, and in honor of the 25th anniversary, it’s going multi-platform sometime next year. Nick got a chance to play it, and shared his impressions about new features, control changes, UI improvements, and more, as well as some of the stuff we don’t know, like how four-player coop will change the experience, or when the actual release date is. Meanwhile, Jada breaks down the new Secret Lair x PlayStation Superdrop of Magic: The Gathering cards featuring some beloved Sony video came properties like God of War, The Last of Us, Horizon, and even Twisted Metal. In other rare collectible news, Sony’s dropping a gorgeous coffee table book about the history of the PlayStation 1, as well as some super limited edition Reeboks in that classic PS1 colorway. If you need a new way to compulsively make hours melt away, Ball x Pit might be for you, though if you have chores to do or loved ones to spend time with, it might not be advisable. Meanwhile, Max sucks at Battlefield 6 but loves it, Jada has issues with Digimon Story: Time Stranger’s UI, Nick went to a real haunted house, and complains about it being too scary until it wasnt, and probably something else I forgot to mention but you probably stopped reading by now so I think we’re in the clear. Beyond! This weeks show was Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Tom Jorgensen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPOILER ALERT! This week, we’re talking Ghost of Yotei yet again, but delving deep into late game content, including the ending. Joining us to unpack all that, and answer some more questions about how the open-world samurai epic came together are creative director Jason Connel and lead writer Ian Ryan from Sucker Punch Productions. We discuss story changes, their first impressions of Atsu, how Erika Ishii was cast, and what fan feedback about Ghost of Tsushima informed the direction of this sequel. Beyond! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Beyond Jada Griffin is hosting yet again! Joined by Michael Higham, and Nick Maillet to talk more about Ghost of Yotei. We dive into how the Japanese community is embracing Yotei for how it quintessentially feels like Hokkaido, a few of the smaller touches of things we liked such as the various minigames in Yotei, and a couple of platinum trophy tips from Jada. We also read some viewer questions and thoughts after their first weekend with Yotei, and finally talk about the things we’d like to see in the inevitable Legends mode that will come to Yotei in the future. All this and more on this week's BEYOND! This weeks epsiode is Jada Griffin, Michael Higham, and Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghost of Yotei is almost out, and this week we’re joined by to members of the team at Sucker Punch Productions who were behind it. Creative director Jason Connell and art director Joanna Wang tell us about how the studio approached their follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima, from the cinematic inspirations to the real world research that informed this new open-world vision of Japan, and its new protagonist Atsu, played by Erika Ishii. Plus, the hidden significance of the game’s logo, how collaboration with Takashi Miike and Shinichiro Watanabe came together, and the possibility of a Ghost game not set in feudal Japan. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghost of Yotei isn’t out for a little while, but the reviews are in, and we’re joined by IGN’s Michael Higham to discuss Sucker Punch’s highly anticipated samurai sequel stacks up compared to its predecessor. Ghost of Tsushima was one of the last great first-party exclusives of the PS4 era, but Ghost of Yotei takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5, and it’s definitely worth the wait. Join us as we discuss the improved visuals, open-world design, main story (without any spoilers) combat, and our handful of minor frustrations. How has stealth changed? What are the new weapons like? How does Atsu compare to Jin Sakai? How does Yotei’s climate and terrain compare to that of Tsushima? And, of course, how does this game feel after 2025’s other big open-world samurai game, but most importantly, why didn’t it get as high a review score at Ghost of Tsushima? We unpack all this and more in this week’s episode of Hosts of Yotei. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, Michael Higham and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sony suprised everyone with their September State of Play and Max, Jada, Brian, and Nick broke down every major game announced. Starting off with the first look at the long awaited Marvel's Wolverine, and it didnt dissapoint. Wolverine is definitely earning it's likely M rating, and everyone on the show (espically Jada) was impressed with the small amount of gameplay we saw today. It's safe to say that we cant wait to sink our claws into it next year. Take a minute to soak in how well crafted that last sentence was, but not for too long because the crew also broke down other notable games from the stream such as Halloween, Saros, Megaman in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Zero Parades for Dead Spies, Nioh 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and why the Sony Desktop Speakers are interesting. Beyond! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, Nick Limon and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re joined by notorious tie-guy Travis Northup, who just dropped his review of Borderlands 4, and who also went hands on with some large scale maps in Battlefield 6 at a preview event. What do these two games have in common, besides being shooters? They’re both shaping up to be returns-to-form for a couple series that haven’t stuck the landing with their core fanbase in recent installments. But sure enough, Gearbox has stuck to its guns (all bajllion of them) getting the looter-shooter in fighting shape, and it seems its first foray into the open-world space is fairly successful, aside from some rough technical edges. Meanwhile, EA and DICE clearly pulled out all the stops in making Battlefield 6 as big and loud as possible, but it also sounds like it’s going back to basics, cribbing from series highlights, going so far as featuring a beloved Battlefield 3 map, Operation: Firestorm. On a completely unrelated note, we were also joined by Bennett Foddy (of QWOP fame) to discuss the new open-world hiking game, Baby Steps, which is quite literally a walking simulator - and a very challenging one at that. Bennett discusses some of his inspirations and influences, which yes, include the Dark Souls games and their ilk, which seem downright easy compared to Baby Steps at times. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Borderlands 4 Is No Bore 33:36 - IGN Fan Fest Returns This October 35:27 - Battlefield 6 Preview Impressions 51:07 - Baby Steps Developer Interview With Bennett Foddy 01:17:40 - BEYOND! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Travis Northup, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The year is far from over, and some of the biggest game releases are still yet to come - so let’s run down 25 games of various shapes, sizes, genres, flavors and configurations that have our attention for one reason or another. From the obvious big sequels like Ghost of Yotei, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, to smaller offbeat indies like Baby Steps, Bye Sweet Carole and Mina the Hollower, we’ve got a lot to keep us busy in the coming months. The formerly PSVR 2-exclusive Alien Rogue Incursion gets a regular flat version, and Terminator 2 gets a retro-styled arcade side-scroller in Terminator 2D: No Fate. Double Dragon Revive puts the classic brawler in the capable and probably very calloused hands of the team at Arc System Works, Once Upon a Katamari lets us roll some new crap from throughout history into a big ball, and The Outer Worlds 2 indulges our worst decision-making abilities. 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Skate 04:08 - Dying Light: The Beast 06:37 - Baby Steps 10:30 - Silent Hill f 13:44 - Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds 19:24 - Alien Rogue Incursion - Part One: Evolved Edition 23:16 - Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles 25:50 - Ghost of Yotei 26:46 - Digimon Story: Time Stranger 28:36 - Bye Sweet Carole 31:35 - Dreams of Another 33:13 - Little Nightmares III 35:45 - Ninja Gaiden 4 38:39 - Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 41:53 - Double Dragon Revive 44:37 - Once Upon a Katamari 46:48 - The Outer Worlds 2 49:11 - ARC Raiders 52:54 - Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD - 2D Remake 54:28 - Terminator 2D: No Fate 57:38 - Mina The Hollower 01:00:40 - Satisfactory 01:03:30 - Where Winds Meet 01:06:16 - Outlaws & Handful of Missions 01:07:38 - Octopath Traveler 0 01:12:48 - Beyond Community Suggestions This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we break down Sony's surprise 007 First Light state of play and why the game looks like it's going to be Hitman With a Dash of Uncharted, Sleeping Dogs & GTA. It's been a while since we've had a good 007 game and thats looking to change thanks in part to the game's developers history making the Hitman games (which are basically 007 games without the goofiness and excellent hair). 007 First Light is looking promising, but we wont know fully until next year. As far as games you can play around now, Jada and Max talk about their imprsssions of Cronos: The New Dawn and Hell is Us and Brian talks about how hes been playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. All of which involve a guy wearing a cool outfit fighting very uncool monsters. They end the show with a discussion about the new Halloween game that was announced at gamescom and more importantly, John Carpenters love for the nintendo labo. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:11 - 007: First Light Gameplay Reveal 33:19 - Hell is Us 45:38 - Cronos: The New Dawn 52:01 - Theres a new Halloween Game 55:34 - John Carpenter Loves Nintendo Cardboard This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back from gamescom, jetlagged, but excited to have some new and upcoming games to discuss. Capcom had a solid lineup including Pragmata, which doesn’t put puzzles above shooting, but still has puzzles, and probably isn’t a Mega Man prequel. The Resident Evil Requiem demo we had didn’t blow us away, but it also didn’t show too much, and maybe the element of surprise will work in its favor, much as it does with the best horror movie trailers that don’t show too much. High on Life 2 contains playable retro games, and probably really bad ones, and you can do sword things sword of swordways in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. LEGO Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight was one of the biggest surprise announcements out of ONL, and we’re very much looking forward to it, though anyone expecting a serious Arkham game, or a conventional TT Games minifig collect-a-thon might want to adjust their expectations, as it seems to be a mix of the two. Finally, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a damn good time, and it remakes one of the best games ever made with plenty of added bonuses, but without changing too much. Perhaps it could have benefitted from a few more changes, like Capcom’s recent Resident Evil remakes have taken liberties, but maybe keeping it simple is the first step in Konami winning back the trust of Metal Gear fans. 00:01:19 - Pragmata 00:06:33 - Resident Evil: Requiem 00:13:26 - High on Life 2 00:17:06 - Onimusha 00:19:09 - Road Kings 00:21:24 - LEGO Batman is Mixing Up The LEGO Game Formula 00:36:05 - Metal Gear Solid Delta is Really Good! 00:46:58 - Humble Bundle & Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re talking about the literally groundbreaking new destruction physics in Battlefield 6, which looks to be almost on par with Donkey Kong Bananza’s smashability, but in an obviously very different way. We’re also chatting with the developers of Ninja Gaiden Ragebound about the throwback platformer’s NES roots, and sharing some of the games we’ve been playing lately like the indie cycling racer Wheel World (which does not have pixies) and Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (which does) and also unpacking why Resident Evil and Duolingo have formed an unlikely social media friendship in Japan. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:13 - Battlefield 6 00:12:09 - Duolingo vs. Resident Evil 00:14:25 - Horizon Zero Dawn Lawsuit 00:21:22 - Wheel World00:27:55 - The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales 00:34:00 - The King is Watching 00:34:55 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound 00:41:00 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound Dev Interview 01:10:58 - Outro This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Tayo Oyekan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices