It's June so Keigh-3 is in the air. The big Summer Game Fest showcase happened this week so we run down the list of all the big announcements including a new Prince of Persia game, Mortal Kombat 1 and Alan Wake II gameplay debuts, and the re-reveal of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth! After that, we take a new, points-driven, prediction segment for a test-drive ahead of the upcoming Xbox Showcase. In the second segment, Nick praises Amnesia: The Bunker as a new high bar for the series (and maybe even the genre) and Nolan introduces a clever new 1v1 (or 2v2) card-based FPS called Friends vs. Friends.  Housekeeping Fantasy Critic Update News - Summer Game Fest Recap Xbox Showcase Predictions Game Impressions - Amnesia: The Bunker Impressions - Friends vs. Friends 4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #759 - The Hip-Hop Infused Show (Summer Game Fest Recap, Amnesia: The Bunker, Friends vs. Friends, and More!)

We follow up last week's Xbox Showcase predictions game with the results and then recap all of the big announcements including updates on Fable, Avowed, Hellblade II, and more! Of course, we also discuss all of the exciting details that came pouring out of the big Starfield Direct which now has us appropriately hyped. In the second segment, we finally discuss our dissenting(?) opinions of Diablo IV and then take a close look at the big Final Fantasy XVI demo which now has us pretty optimistic ahead of it's launch next week. Chris Davis uses his 4Player Minute to give us a detailed breakdown of the rather bleak news about Embracer Group which seems to be faced with studio closures and game cancellations.  Housekeeping Fantasy Critic Update News - XBox Showcase Predictions Results & Recap News - Ubisoft Showcase Recap Impressions - Diablo IV Impressions - Final Fantasy XVI (Demo) 4Player Minute - Includes a detailed breakdown of the Embracer Group debacle

4Player Podcast #760 - The Elusive Horse Show (Xbox / Ubisoft Showcase Recaps, Diablo IV, Final Fantasy XVI Demo, and More!)

Nintendo has spoken and Krispy agrees... the people are ready for an amazing 2D Mario game! We dig into all the big announcements from Nintendo's summer showcase including Super Mario Bros Wonder, a remake of Super Mario RPG, and a new Princess Peach platformer! Annapurna also brought it with their latest showcase thanks to the announcement of an internally developed Blade Runner game. In the second segment, we take our first dive into the meat and potatoes of Final Fantasy XVI, Chris makes a strong case for playing Aliens: Dark Descent, and Nick gives his initial thoughts on Trepang2, an indie successor to the original FEAR. Oh... and Brad found his new drug in Halls of Torment, a successor to last year's mega-indie, Vampire Survivors.&nbsp;  Housekeeping Fantasy Critic Update News - Nintendo Direct Recap News - Annapurna Interactive Showcase Recap Impressions - Final Fantasy XVI Impressions - Aliens: Dark Descent Impressions - Trepang2 Impressions - Halls of Torment 4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #761 - The People are Ready (Final Fantasy XVI, Trepang2, Aliens: Dark Descent, and More!)

The week has been slow for headlines and Fantasy Critic but that gives us more time to gush over Dave the Diver and vent our frustrations with Final Fantasy XVI. We discuss a small update from IO Interactive regarding a new studio and what it means for their upcoming 007 project and then discuss the validity of the rumors surrounding an impending Red Dead Redemption remake. Beyond that, the gaps are filled with plenty of tangents including bear sex in Baldur's Gate 3 and the impending release of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning which has Nick chomping at the bit.  Housekeeping Fantasy Critic Update News - IO Interactive announce Opening of a new Studio News - Rumors circulate regarding a Red Dead Redemption remake coming 2023 Impressions - Dave the Diver Impressions - Final Fantasy XVI 4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #762 - The Bear Consent Show (Dave the Diver, Final Fantasy XVI, Red Dead Redemption Remake Rumors, and More!)

With a few members out this week, we figured it would the perfect time to revisit our Fantasy Critic league, discuss the year so far, and look ahead at the games that have been drafted to predict how the remainder of the year might come together. Carlos even joins us to shine a light on his roster thus far and discuss some of the big question marks for the year such as Hollow Knight Silksong, Routine, and Counter Strike 2. Throughout the discussion, we review each of our rosters and dive deep on a lot of BIG games set to release in the fall and beyond including Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, and a whole lot more!  Catch up with Carlos Fantasy Critic Recap - A look at all of our current rosters&nbsp; A look ahead at the year to come 4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #763 - Fantasy Critic Mid-Year Review & Predictions (The Year so Far, the Big Unknowns Still to Come, Carlos Returns, and More!)

If you like your video games extra video-gamey, we've got a great episode for you this week. After our Fantasy Critic update touches on the rumored Red Dead Redemption remake (remaster?), we deliver our impressions of some of the most vibrant games to release this year! Pikmin 4 is the most accessible entry in the series to date but it comes at a cost. Viewfinder is an impressive technical achievement that doesn't quite reach the heights of the games that inspired it. Gravity Circuit is a rock-solid homage to classic Mega Man that has struggled to find it's audience. Finally, as Brad put it, Exoprimal is "Everything, everywhere, all at once... with a Battle Pass." Don't be fooled, all of the games mentioned this week reinforce 2023's killer lineup.  Housekeeping + Fantasy Critic Update Impressions - Pikmin 4 Impressions - Viewfinder Impressions - Gravity Circuit Impressions - Exoprimal 4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #764 - The Colors of Gaming Show (Pikmin 4, Gravity Circuit, Viewfinder, and More!)

It's been a couple weeks since our last recording but the world has changed. Baldur's Gate 3 is out and it's already giving Tears of the Kingdom a run for it's money as one of the year's most critically acclaimed releases. We spend the entire 2nd segment diving into this undeniably dense but absurdly rewarding RPG. But first, we discuss the announcement of the Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail expansion and Rockstar's incredibly disappointing Red Dead Redemption announcement. Chris Davis "prepared a statement" about Dead Island 2 and Nick highlights My Friendly Neighborhood which feels like Five Night's at Freddy's and Resident Evil 1 had a baby.  Housekeeping + Fantasy Critic Update News - Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail expansion announced News - Rockstar announced a PORT of Red Dead Redemption on old hardware News - GTA6 might be coming next fiscal year Impressions - Dead Island 2 Impressions - My Friendly Neighborhood Impressions - Baldur's Gate 3 4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #765 - The RPG Whiplash Show (Baldur's Gate 3, Dead Island 2, My Friendly Neighborhood, and More!)

The show name says it all. We live in a post Baldur's Gate 3 world and despite our best efforts at staying on topic, we feel the pull of this massive game in almost every segment. We take our 2nd dive into the game and talk about the impact it has had on the industry and more specifically, the impending release of Starfield which has officially gone gold! We also spend a few minutes talking predictions about next week's Opening Night Live presentation at Gamescom. Chris Davis shares his experience with the recent Payday 3 beta and Brad talks about Blasphemous which he has finally played now that the sequel looms on the horizon.  Housekeeping + Fantasy Critic Update News - Starfield has gone gold News - Gamescom is next week; What do we expect? Impressions - Baldur's Gate 3 Impressions - Payday 3 Impressions - Blasphemous 4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #766 - It's a Post Baldur's Gate 3 World (Baldur's Gate 3, Payday 3, Gamescom Predictions, and More!)

We take a break this week from the onslaught of current games to delve once again into the world of "what if?" Inspired the release of 'Bomb Rush Cyberfunk' - an indie spiritual successor to 'Jet Set Radio' - we discuss our Top 3 games or franchises that we wish would be reborn as an indie spiritual successor. The possibilities are endless but our answers range from classics like Mega Man Legends to cult hits like Manhunt. These may never come to pass but anything could happen and it's always fun to imagine. Want to share your thoughts or leave a comment on this episode? Visit the official posting for this episode on !

4Player Plus - Our Top 3 Most Desired Indie Spiritual Successors

It's a good news, bad news week. The good news is that Starfield reviews have landed and while they aren't blowing Baldur's Gate 3 out of the water, they do seem to indicate that it's not a disaster! On the other hand, the industry suffered several unexpected studio closures this week. Mimimi announced Shadow Gambit would be their last game and Embracer group shut down Volition. With that said, the year of great gaming continues! We dig into Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon and Blasphemous 2; Two games that faithfully continue their respective franchises while opting to play it safe. Chris also gives us his very early thoughts on Sea of Stars which is on it's way to becoming one of the best reviewed RPG's of the year... outside of Baldur's Gate 3 of course.  Housekeeping + Fantasy Critic Update News - Starfield Reviews are HERE News - Mimimi &amp; Volition Studio Closures Impressions - Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Impressions - Blasphemous 2 Impressions - Sea of Stars 4Player Minute

4Player Podcast #767 - The Good News, Bad News Show (Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Blasphemous 2, Sea of Stars, and More!)

We are an independent, gaming-enthusiast based media outlet that got its start back in 2007. Since then, we have recorded more than 400 audio podcasts and have broadcasted games every single day without fail on our Twitch Channel! We have a passion for the industry and we love sharing our thoughts and shenanigans with our devoted community every day!