4Player Podcast

We dig deeper into Hollow Knight Silksong this week and take the time to debate some of the nitty-gritty design choices that make the experience divisive but brilliant. Chris Davis delivers some final thoughts on his extended playthroughs of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and we briefly discuss the fun we had together last week streaming Peak! In the news, Kojima Productions hosted their own showcase with a host of announcements including a first look at OD: Knock. We also take a closer look at some surprises that hit this week with games like Silent Hill f and Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter debuting with impressive review scores.

What is there to say? Hollow Knight Silksong is out and we have played a bunch of it. In fact, the game is so good that it brought Ed out of hiding and onto the podcast for the first time since our 2025 Fantasy Critic Draft! After slobbing all over Silksong, we take some time to recap this week's big Nintendo Direct and the abundance of announcements thaat continue to make 2025 one of the wildest years for gaming ever! Metroid Prime 4 and Hades 2 have new release dates and the next Fire Emblem is lookin hot.

As the clock ticks down toward the looming release of Hollow Knight Silksong, we say goodbye to a bygone era. Strangely enough, that era ends with us revisiting three established franchises with vastly different approaches to modernization. Nick and Chris Davis talk about the impressive - but slightly unambitious - remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Brad delves into Shinobi: Art of Vengeance which has reinvented the franchise with a shift of genre and a beautiful new coat of paint. Meanwhile, Krispy declares No Man's Sky: Voyagers to be the ultimate expansion which softens the barrier-to-entry and out Starfield's Starfield.

This is not a drill. Hollow Knight Silksong not only has a release date... It's NEXT WEEK! As exciting as that is, we have to deal with the here and now. Brad tries his best to talk about Sword of the Sea without mentioning Journey but fails miserably. Nick delves into Heartworm, a 2025 indie horror game that harkens back to the days of PS1-era survival horror and Chris Davis continues his recent love affair with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 but focuses on the campaign this week. With a little Lumines Arise (Demo), Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, and some Deadlock Beta impressions sprinkled throughout, you've got yourself a podcast.

Gamescom 2025 kicked off this week in Germany so we devoted most of this episode to recapping the news and announcements coming out of the Opening Night Live ceremony! This includes updates for highly anticipated games like Routine, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Resident Evil Requiem, and more! Believe it or not, there is also big news to report regarding Hollow Knight Silksong and Bioshock 4! Brad squeezes in some impressions of Fumes; a car combat game in early access which scratched his Twisted Metal itch (kinda).

Nick's making random gaming decisions again but it gives us a chance to revisit Octopath Traveler II; An RPG that didn't get a ton of coverage from us when it first released. Before the onslaught of AAA releases hits, Brad keeps the flow of indie darlings flowing. This week, he talks about Ooo and Is this Seat Taken; both of which are worth your attention albeit for very different reasons. Of course, Chris Davis is coming in hot with his in-depth impressions of the Battlefield 6 Beta!

We're coming in hot this week! You may not know this but 2025 is the year of the ninja! Brad brings his thoughts on two new 2D entries in classic ninja franchises: Ninja Gaiden Ragebound and the demo for the upcoming Shinobi: Art of Vengeance! Nick digs a little deeper into Donkey Kong Bananza which might go down as the best "baby-game" ever made. Chris Davis gives his final thoughts on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 along with footage that will haunt Brad's nightmares.

This week brings MORE Superman chit-chat now that our resident comic-book expert has seen the film! Brad talks about Promise Mascot Agency which feels like a bizarre mini-game ripped straight out of Yakuza. Of course, we also dig into Donkey Kong Bananza; The Nintendo Switch 2's first "killer app!" Nick also delivers early impressions of Luto which feels like a bizarre cross between PT and The Stanley Parable. There's loads to talk about but for some reason, Chris Davis didn't bring us footage of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4! WTF?

It's a week of highs and lows! Unfortunately, Xbox was hit with another wave of layoffs and high-profile cancellations including the likes of Perfect Dark and Everwild. It's not all bad news bears though. We cover the new Superman movie, revisit The Wonderful 101, and delve deeper into the insane and wonderful world of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach! Chris Davis also played... The Thing Remastered(?!).

Before diving into the depths of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, we take a detour to return to Blue Prince now that Nick has given himself to the game. Brad talks about the new Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update and highlights Chronicles of the Wolf; a well made homage to classic Castlevania. Chris Davis surprises the group with a game off his extensive backlog (**It's Okami**) and Krispy hit the road recently so he got to spend some time with Mario Kart World, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Unicorn Overlord on his Nintendo Switch 2! So many video games, so little time...

We're basically half way through 2025 so we brought back the Top 3 podcast this week to talk about the games that have our attention in the 2nd half of the year. We each run through our personal Top 3 most anticiapted games in the first half and then we do a bonus round in the back half that focuses on our more unexpected choices. All-in-all, this episode highlights 18 GAMES (technically 19) that we think you should be paying attention to in the coming months - Both big and small!

A lot has transpired in the world of gaming since our last recording. Summer Game Fest brought us a bundle of exciting announcements - including Resident Evil Requiem - and the Nintendo Switch 2 officially launched! We give some initial thoughts on the new hardware and Mario Kart World and do a quick recap of the SGF highlights. On top of that, Krispy takes us on a deep dive into Dune: Awakening, Chris Davis talks The Precinct, and Brad talks about exciting new demos for Mina the Hollower, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Absolum, and Baby Steps!

With E3 a thing of the past, Brad officially dubs early June as "Gamer Hanukkah" (more commonly known as Summer Game Fest) - A week (or more) long celebration of the gaming industry that comes with a boat load of big gaming announcements and reveals! We devote the entire first segment to talking about our expectations and dreams for the event, including the possible reveals for Resident Evil 9, a remake of Final Fantasy Tactics, IO Interactive's new James Bond game (Now titled "First Light"), and more! In the second segment, Brad talks about Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo - a game that might quell the wait for Mina the Hollower - and Chris Davis brings impressions of two new (and upcoming) indie games: Deliver at all Costs and Hell is Us (demo).

Brad's home has been invaded by Covid once again but not even that can stop Brad from digging into the hotly anticipated new deck-builder, Monster Train 2! Nick shovels more "Nick-slop" in the form of lo-fi indie horror game, Labyrinth of the Demon King and Chris Davis delves deeper into DOOM: The Dark Ages! We also talk Mission Impossible and try our best to convince Krispy to play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33!

Don't let the episode title fool you, it's not all doom and gloom this week... DOOM: The Dark Ages is out and we dig into what it gets right and wrong; Regardless of it's faults, it's still great to see DOOM thriving in the year of our (dark) lord, 2025. Brad suspects that Mercury Steam may have lucked into creating a hidden gem with their latest IP, Blades of Fire, and Krispy can't say enough great things about Skin Deep (Blendo Games new joint).

Next week is gonna be big but the calm before the storm comes in the form of more in-depth impressions of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; An undeniably impressive RPG for the modern age that wears nostalgia on it's sleeve. Brad makes a strong case for playing Bionic Bay and Nick talks about the experience of replaying The Last of Us: Part II alongside season 2 of the HBO adaptation. Of course, we also take a moment to celebrate Giant Bomb's newfound independence in the wake of last week's game's media calamity.

On Brad's birthday episode, we talk about games journalism being culled in the name of "brand safety" - a concept completely foreign to us here at 4Player. We also dissect the shiny new trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, analyze some outrageous claims from Chris Davis that relate to our Game of the Year lists, and let Brad get his nerd on when talking about StarVaders.

This Week on the Show:

This week's discussion topics: The Last of Us Season 2Nubby's Number FactorySouth of MidnightNintendo Switch 2 price expected to riseBlue PrinceFantasy Critic Updates4Player Minute