TechRaptor Gaming Podcast

On this week's TechRaptor Podcast, we dive into last week's Xbox Partner Showcase, which featured a lot of new gameplay footage, but we're not sure if a lot of it really stuck with us.

Robert's been making slow but steady progress on Metaphor: ReFantazio, which is really living up to its name as one big metaphor, almost comically so. Stretch and Andrew also take a look at the recently released Super Mario Party Jamboree and all of its new opportunities for single-player gameplay.

Also, are you getting the new Nintendo Alarmo? If so, did you know it needs software updates? It's not the only random device we discovered this week that needs software updates, though.

It's a big week for Japanese games! Andrew Stretch reviewed Metaphor: ReFantazio, while Robert Scarpinito reviewed Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. We dive deep into those games while taking a detour with Andrew Otton to talk about Deadlock, the latest MOBA from Valve.

Ubisoft has a lot riding on Assassin's Creed Shadows, and recent turmoil from investors and strike threats aren't helping. The future of the company isn't certain, but we look back on its past couple years to get an idea of where it's going.

Andrew Stretch has also been playing Nintendo's newest, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and so far, it seems like the speedruns of the game will be absolutely bonkers.

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This week, Stretch quizzes Austin and Robert on their knowledge of PlayStation and PlayStation-adjacent franchises based on their Astro Bot appearances.

We also spent some time debriefing Robert and Austin's time at PAX West, including a game that combines Gears of War with Overcooked and another that could be the next big Hades-like.

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Our reviewer Erren Van Duine joined us for the TechRaptor Podcast to talk all about Star Wars Outlaws, the latest space opera adventure from Ubisoft. Overall, felt pretty positive about the game, with Kay Vess, Nix, and other characters being big standouts. Find out more on this week's show!

Our Star Wars Outlaw Review: https://techraptor.net/gaming/reviews/star-wars-outlaws-review

Yesterday, Geoff Keighley unleashed two hours of video game trailers onto the world from the grand stage of Gamescom Opening Night Live. We loved some of it and were lukewarm on other parts of it, and we break down all our big highlights from Cologne.

We've played the closed beta for Marvel Rivals, and it feels a lot like Overwatch but with Marvel characters. And really, that might just be all it needs to be right now.

Xbox made a large fumble last week related to Game Pass and the increase in subscription prices. Stretch, Otton, and Austin break down the major missteps, analyse the continued mismarketing trend of Xbox over the past decade, and pitch how we would have done it differently. Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/news Gaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews Don't forget to follow us on Social Media! Twitter: http://twitter.com/techraptr Facebook: http://facebook.com/techraptor

Wizards of the Coast is giving Dungeons & Dragons a minor makeover, and it released a complexity rating for all the classes. So according to Wizards, the lowest complexity classes are Fighter and... Rogue?

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We're still putting out Summer Game Fest previews, but in the meantime, we had a weird idea: What does ChatGPT really know about gamers?

We put it to the test, throwing a variety of weird questions at it. You'll never believe which video game character it thinks regularly pees its own pants.

One final push from the party has them facing off against the true evil of the graveyard in the finale of Vecna: Eve of Ruin. Join Scrappy, Otton, and guest Xan as they try to understand what's going on beneath the cemetary. Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/news Gaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews Don't forget to follow us on Social Media! Twitter: http://twitter.com/techraptr Facebook: http://facebook.com/techraptor

Delving further into the cemetary the TechRaptor Podcast is back for Session 3 of the D&D 5e Adventure Vecna: Eve of Ruin This session begins with the freeing of one of the kidnapped denizens of Neverwinter, and he has a secret to tell... Join Scrappy, Otton, and guest Xan as they try to understand what's going on beneath the cemetary. Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/news Gaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews Don't forget to follow us on Social Media! Twitter: http://twitter.com/techraptr Facebook: http://facebook.com/techraptor

The TechRaptor Podcast is back with Session 2 of Vecna: Eve of Ruin. Having taken on some Wights and finding a secret passageway to a room with waterwork controls this session picks up with a fight against a Water Elemental and Water Weird. Join Scrappy, Otton, and guest Xan as they try to understand what's going on beneath the cemetary. Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/news Gaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews Don't forget to follow us on Social Media! Twitter: http://twitter.com/techraptr Facebook: http://facebook.com/techraptor

The TechRaptor Podcast takes another dip into Dungeons & Dragons for the release of Vecna: Eve of Ruin. This Level 10-20 adventure puts Scrappy, Otton, and guest of the podcast Xan into a graveyard Dungeon crawl. See how the 50th anniversary adventure kicks off as Dave Harbour the Fighter, Stolid the Warforged, and Libby the Wizard begin their quest.

Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/news

Gaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews

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We recorded this episode on Saturday to discuss Sony and Helldivers 2, with that situation completely turning around a lot of what we discuss is also very valid to Xbox in the wake of the game studio closures. This week the TechRaptor Podcast talks about publishers and their desire to meet the goals of their shareholders, and how that leaves devs and players in a worse-off position.

Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/newsGaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews

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The rumor mill has started up once again for a sequel to the Nintendo Switch, and with a smaller set of first-party releases coming in the future Stretch, Otton, and Austin talk about Nintendo's interesting history with console releases, and what we hope to see from a Nintendo Switch 2.

Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/news

Gaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews

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Austin reviewed Stellar Blade for us, and you can hear his thoughts on today's episode. And we also get into the latest headset from Razer, the BlackShark V2 Pro, and chat about Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor.

We got to play an early build of the just-announced Rogue Prince of Persia, and it's looking pretty good. We also chat about the death of Wii U and 3DS servers and mobile games.

You know you're a '90s kid when you do an entire podcast episode about Flash games on a whim. Take a walk down memory lane with us as we relive school-day memories about playing Flash games in the computer lab.

Capcom added microtransactions to Dragon's Dogma 2, plummeting its Steam user review score. We chat about why it's an optically bad, cynical move, but also why it isn't that surprising from Capcom.

This week on the podcast Andrew, Rutledge, Austin, and Stretch get deep into why the marketing and release cycle of Helldivers 2 is going so well. We also discuss the not so good launch of the Battlefront Classic Collection. We also spend some time theorizing on the mysterious situation coming out of the Royal family. Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/news Gaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews Don't forget to follow us on Social Media! Twitter: http://twitter.com/techraptr Facebook: http://facebook.com/techraptor

Gwent's got nothing on the Queen's Blood conspiracy that's brewing.

Democracy needs all the help it can get, and the TechRaptor crew are on the frontlines. Join us as we chat about the explosive journey Helldivers 2 has had since launch.

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This week the TechRaptor Podcast is back for 2024 with a very special episode to discuss what we thought about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

The first 30 minutes are a spoiler-free discussions about our history with the franchise, what we were hoping to see, and gameplay elements like the open world and combat.

Past that expect plenty of discussion on story differences, late-game events, and what we think will happen with the third game in the Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy.

Gaming News: https://techraptor.net/news

Gaming Reviews: https://techraptor.net/reviews

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After hitting the podcast grind for two years, we're taking a short break to rest, relax, and recharge. We'll be back even better than before, so stay tuned!

This week local Starfield experts Rutledge and Erren submit to a barrage of questions from Stretch about everything Starfield. We discuss how it compares to previous Bethesda titles, talk about gunplay and skill trees, what quests are must do’s, and how frustrating ladders are. 

Spoiler alert! Final Fantasy XVI has a lot of cool boss fights, but which ones are the best? We go through our shortlist to determine the best boss fight.

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This week, we’re bringing on our Tabletop Editor Giaco Furino to give us a snapshot of all things wargaming and trading cards. We go over Warhammer 40K 10th Edition, the latest Lord of the Rings Magic: The Gathering set, and Gloomhaven’s insane level of popularity.

Love Settlers of Catan and Sid Meier’s Civilization? Catan: Dawn of Humankind might be up your alley. But if you’re more into restaurant management, deep-sea fishing, and discovering underwater civilizations, check out Dave the Diver.

We also get a few things off our chest. Tears of the Kingdom, our latest 10/10 game, isn’t clicking with Giaco, and Final Fantasy 16 is simultaneously one of the best and worst games we’ve played this year.

00:00:00 – Intro / Rut Needs a Hunt: Showdown Friend

00:02:06 – Introducing Giaco Furino, Tabletop Editor

00:03:32 – Warhammer 40K 10th Edition Overview

00:17:24 – Magic: The Gathering – Tales of Middle-Earth Set

00:28:18 – Gloomhaven: The Role-Playing Game

00:33:22 – Catan: Dawn of Humankind Is Basically Catan x Civilization

00:38:27 – Dave the Diver Is a Quirky Management-Exploration Game

00:42:08 – Tabletop Editor Doesn’t Like Tears of the Kingdom

00:53:55 – Final Fantasy 16 Is Good/Bad???

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This week on the podcast Robert, Andrew, Rutledge, and Stretch talked about the big news coming out of the Nintendo Direct. Pokemon DLC seems to be named incorrectly, Detective Pikachu still seems weird, and we’re all excited that Super Mario RPG is finally getting a remake. Surprising news this week came from Los Angeles as their financial plans for the next few years don’t factor in the presence of E3.

The big game that we’ve pretty much all been playing is Final Fantasy 16. We talked about what’s been working for us well like the combat system, while also spending some time talking about elements of the game that just aren’t feeling as good. Scrappy also let us know that the Mortal Kombat 1 server tests are accurately testing those servers, and Rut has found another cool community game with a huge following in BattleBit Remastered.

https://techraptor.net/gaming/news/june-2023-nintendo-direct-find-all-news-announcements-here

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:08 – June 2023 Nintendo Direct, Including Super Mario Bros. Wonder

00:32:06 – Is E3 2024 Cancelled? Not Quite, But...

00:38:26 – Final Fantasy 16 Is a Great Movie/Game

01:05:31 – Mortal Kombat 1 Is a Bloody Good Time

01:09:55 – BattleBit Remastered Is Battlefield But Good?

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This week on the TechRaptor Podcast, Robert and Andrew are back to tell Stretch and Rutledge all about their time at Summer Game Fest. We recap some of our favorite announcements from the show such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Starfield, and Little Kitty, Big City.

Robert and Andrew also told us about what games they had a chance to get hands-on with at the show floor. Turns out Foamstars has some really good game modes to it, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown blends action and exploration well, and Cyberpunk 2077 might be worth revisiting for Phantom Liberty.

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:57 – Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is TWO whole discs

00:09:19 – Starfield is all about ships and sandwiches

00:17:43 – Star Wars: Outlaws hopefully won’t have a Jedi

00:23:33 – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 gets another trailer

00:28:37 – Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is another Far Cry game, kinda??

00:33:44 – Like a Dragon looks nuts

00:39:48 – Dragon's Dogma 2, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage

00:43:45 – Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Hands-On Impressions

00:49:23 – Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the biggest surprise of the show?

00:53:17 – Foamstars (aka Splatoon) Hands-On Impressions

01:01:05 – Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis Hands-On Impressions

01:05:45 – Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior is the biggest surprise of the show?

01:09:10 – Sonic Superstars Hands-On Preview

01:11:39 – Alan Wake 2 Looks Like Resident Evil, True Detective, and Twin Peaks

01:16:13 – Little Kitty, Big City Hands-On Impressions

01:19:42 – Fae Farm Hands-On Impressions

01:22:46 – Check out the rest of our SGF coverage at techraptor.net

This week on the podcast Robert, Rut, and Stretch are joined by our Diablo IV reviewer, Austin Suther. This week, Bobby Kotick’s interview with Variety led to some interesting conversation points regarding the “alleged” sexual misconduct in Activision and how the Xbox-ABK acquisition is “the right thing for our industry.” We also discuss the Power of the PlayStation 5® and advertising surrounding the PC release of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart.

In games this week, everyone is deep playing Diablo IV or Street Fighter 6. We talk about the positive aspects of Diablo IV’s boss fights, loot progression, and some thoughts on what could be coming in the first season of the battle pass. Street Fighter 6 not only shows incredible polish in terms of online gameplay but is an excellent resource for new players to learn the basic mechanics.

00:00:00 – Intro

00:01:03 – Bobby Kotick “Breaks His Silence”

00:17:53 – Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Is Miraculously Coming to PC

00:32:03 – Diablo IV Impressions

00:44:10 – Street Fighter 6 Impressions