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Black Panther finally gets a game. Another game developer has labor news. One of our favorite comics and TV shows makes a crossover appearance and everything announced at the Nintendo direct. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes In exciting news EA has just announced a new studio along with an upcoming game based on the Black Panther franchise. The studio is called Cliffhanger Games, and it's based in Seattle. It's made up of veterans of Monolith Productions, the developer which previously made both Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. There are also veterans from God of War, Halo, Call of Duty, and more on the dev team. https://www.gamesradar.com/ea-black-panther-game-announcement/ https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/10/23787287/ea-black-panther-game-single-player There have been countless reports and allegations of low pay, long hours, and poor working conditions within the gaming industry over the past several years, especially when it comes to QA testing departments and other key areas of game development. As a result, a growing number of video game studios have decided to unionize, with some of the most publicized examples including Zenimax and Activision Blizzard. Sega of America joined those ranks this week as their members voted to unionize the workforce. https://gamerant.com/sega-of-america-union/ He can fly. He can shoot lasers from his eyes. He is incredibly strong and bullets just bounce right off him. He also is one ... big ... asshole. Bet you thought I was talking about that other guy. Nope, we were describing the one and only Homelander , who along with Starlight and Black Noir are coming to Call of duty this week. You will be able to take on the persona of these characters to battle royal in the popular Call of Duty multiplayer games. https://www.gameinformer.com/2023/07/10/the-boys-invades-call-of-duty-this-week Nintendo held its summer direct presentation this past week and the 40 minute show had lots of reveals (well a few anyways) and lots of information about upcoming Nintendo games. So lets take a look at what was announced and see if we are intrigued by any of it. https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-direct-june-2023-everything-announced https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/21/23768463/nintendo-direct-june-2023-announcements-trailers-news Video Game Review So Much Great TV Right Now

The FTC goes full United States and sues to block the Microsoft - Activision Blizzard merger. Sony is ramping up it's cloud gaming game but the big event of the last week was the XBox games showcase which of course we'll dig into and give our thoughts on. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block Microsoft from completing its deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard, the latest antitrust challenge to the proposed merger but one that could hasten a conclusion to the drawn-out dispute. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/12/ftc-to-file-injunction-blocking-microsofts-acquisition-of-activision-blizzard.html https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-activision-blizzard-xbox-ftc-ab5dd455ed5a2785983d8373915e3531 The revamped PlayStation Plus is one year old as of June, and Sony Interactive Entertainment is observing the milestone with a 10-day stretch of activities and giveaways. More importantly, it’s begun testing cloud streaming of PlayStation 5 games, a big step for PlayStation Plus premium members. https://www.polygon.com/23760883/playstation-ps-plus-extra-games-june-2023-premium-collection Xbox brought a ton of games to the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, giving us a good idea for what to expect on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, and PC for the rest of the year and beyond. Let's go through what they announced and see what we are looking forward to. https://www.ign.com/articles/xbox-games-showcase-2023-everything-announced https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2023/06/11/xbox-games-showcase-starfield-direct-recap-everything-announced/

In the UK the plot thickens as it pertains to the Microsoft acquisition of Activision/Blizzard. A new trailer was released for the telltale treatment of the Expanse. Apple turns to Sony and says "Hold my Beer" and what about the current state of the gaming landscape as we know it now will be cringe worthy when we look back on it. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes Microsoft could consider pulling Activision from the UK market as one extreme option to bypass the country’s block of its proposed $69bn acquisition. That’s according to a new Bloomberg report, which states that Microsoft president Brad Smith will meet with UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt next week to voice his frustration over the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision to block the deal. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/microsoft-could-withdraw-activision-from-the-uk-to-counter-acquisition-block-its-claimed/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-02/microsoft-s-smith-set-for-talks-with-uk-chancellor-over-deal-ban#xj4y7vzkg Ever since this game was announced The Game Awards in 2021, I've been looking forward to it. A new trailer for The Expanse: A Telltale Series was released this week, detailing the upcoming game based on the hit TV series ahead of its launch on July 27, 2023, on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. It did not disappoint https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2023/06/the-expanse-a-telltale-series-video-game-trailer-reveals-a-choose-your-own-adventure-scifi-prequel.html https://www.comingsoon.net/games/news/1292670-the-expanse-a-telltale-series-story-trailer-previews-video-game You know that feeling you have when you are watching the rednecks spin a back hoe around with someone riding the tire attached to it? Well I had exactly that feeling today watching Apple reveal their new VR headset at the WWDC. That's freaking awesome and you are out of your minds. https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23738968/apple-vision-pro-ar-headset-features-specs-price-release-date-wwdc-2023 https://www.tomsguide.com/news/apple-vr-and-mixed-reality-headset-release-date-price-specs-and-leaks https://www.gamespot.com/articles/apple-finally-reveals-long-awaited-ar-headset-vision-pro/1100-6514811/?ftag=NL&campaignName=GameSpot-Report&date=060523 Gaming has come a long way in the last few years. What was once a niche media platform strictly enjoyed by the sort of geeks you'd only find in a bad '80s high school movie has now become a form of blockbuster entertainment (and, in many cases, an art form) revered the world over by millions upon millions of players. Despite this, there's plenty of room for improvement. Gaming today is fraught with issues, and money-grabbing schemes by publishers are just the tip of the digital iceberg. These are the failures, the tricks, and the schemes that the industry — and all those who are a part of it — are going to really, really regret in just a few years. https://www.grunge.com/93628/things-gaming-industry-will-regret-10-years/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_7633041&utm_content=1 Video Game Review Diablo 4 - Diddi

Microsoft/Blizzard moves a couple of steps closer to becoming a reality. Everyone is so angry at just about everything and everyone in the video game world but hopefully they won't be when they conviene in Anahiem later this year and there were soooooooo many game announcements this week. We have all that and a game review to talk about today. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes The Microsoft aquisition of Activision/Blizzard took an interesting turn when China of all places gave it's OK for the merger to go ahead. This is on the heels of the EU's decision to approve the deal ... of course it isn't that big of a deal that China approved because the Chinese can't play any of the Blizzard games anyways. But Hey, there's always Candy Crush for them. https://www.eurogamer.net/microsofts-proposed-acquisition-of-activision-blizzard-approved-in-china https://www.gamesindustry.biz/china-reportedly-approves-microsofts-acquisition-of-activision-blizzard https://www.gamespot.com/articles/37-countries-have-now-approved-microsofts-deal-to-buy-activision-blizzard/1100-6514380/ I noticed this lately and it seems so has someone else at Kotaku. Us gamers just seem to be really angry at just about everyone, all the time. So, is that true and if so why is that?  https://kotaku.com/pc-gaming-gamers-ea-activision-steam-angry-mad-valve-1850397771 In one of the worst kept secrets in gaming, Blizzard announced that in person Blizzcon will return this year. The particulars are the same as far as time and place but no word on tickets yet. https://www.engadget.com/blizzcon-returns-as-an-in-person-event-later-this-year-180934125.html https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/17/23727227/blizzcon-2023-in-person-dates-anaheim There was an idie round up this past week and well there were way too many games to mention them all but we'll includse the linksd so you can check them out yourselves. There also was another connect type event this week hosted by netease. Yes that netease. Here's what was announced and how we feel about them. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/05/round-up-indie-live-expo-2023-every-nintendo-switch-game-showcased https://www.ign.com/articles/all-19-games-revealed-at-netease-connect-2023-justice-mobile-ashfall-and-beyond Mentions Race to world first - Liquid wins Diablo 4 Game Review Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom

There's more Microsoft/Blizzard acquisition news and also some insight into the cost of making video games. Steam deck has a competitor and you can now invite a friend to play games with you in game pass ... sort of. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes Despite recent signs that it was softening its stance on Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the U.K.’s antitrust regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, has announced that it has decided to formally block the deal. https://www.polygon.com/23698816/microsoft-activision-blizzard-deal-uk-cma-block When the Asus ROG Ally windows PC gaming handheld was originally revealed, it seemed like just another quick cash-in on the popularity of the Steam Deck. The specs turned out to be quite impressive, however, and now the price looks almost too good to be true. The Verge reports the Ally will only cost $700, just $50 more than the most expensive version of Valve’s handheld. https://kotaku.com/steam-deck-asus-rog-ally-price-windows-switch-gaming-pc-1850382546 One thing to come out of the Microsoft/Blizzard acquisition is that there has been quite a bit of information about the video game industry itself made public because of filings and court proceedings. Well one of those things has been just how much it costs to make a AAA title and as we expected, it is quite a lot.  https://kotaku.com/microsoft-activision-blizzard-call-duty-gta-vi-halo-1850391113 Game Pass PC is full of great games, and a new referral program now lets you invite friends to play them with you free for two weeks. The new benefit arrives alongside Redfall, Xbox’s latest co-op shooter featuring an eerie open world and lots of vampires. https://kotaku.com/xbox-game-pass-free-trial-redfall-minecraft-starfield-1850397083  

Lots of Microsoft news and not much of it good. Those little flying crashing exploding birds get a new home and we may actually get to catch the snitch and whomp a bludger or two in an upcoming game. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ Show Notes In a low key move on April 6th, Microsoft shut down emulation on the XBox consoles. This had the small but passionate emulator community up in arms. It brings up the question for us though ... Why? what does Microsoft get out of this? https://kotaku.com/xbox-series-x-s-emulation-ps2-wii-gamecube-piracy-1850309874 Sega looks to get into the mobile market by purchasing the Finnish company Rovio. If that company sounds familiar thats because they are the one behind the Angry Birds phenomenon. So what does this mean for our little sling shot bird friends? https://www.polygon.com/23686123/sega-rovio-acquisition-angry-birds So when I gave my review of Hogwarts Legacy, one of my gripes was, How do you put out an open world Harry Potter game and not include Quidditch? Well, that issue is about to be solved ... well sort of. This is not on Legacy but a new game is coming that allows players to play Quidditch. It's a stand-alone, multiplayer game that looks amazing and just what we wanted. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/harry-potter-competitive-multiplayer-game-quidditch-champions-announced/ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/harry-potter-quidditch-champions-everything-we-know/1100-6513357/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa1d When Joseph Staten left Microsoft and XBox specifically earlier this year it signaled that changes in the Halo franchise were on the horizon. This week, that became very evident with the departure of Frank O'Connors. O'Connors was a long time fixture with the Halo franchise and it definitely signals that Microsoft is taking Halo in a different direction.  https://www.ign.com/articles/longtime-halo-developer-frank-oconnors-departure-confirmed-by-microsoft  

Microvision/Blizzard gets over a huge hurdle on its way to being approved. Continuing from our topic last show, here's another twist on the simulator games. Surprise, some players aren't happy with their FIFA ratings and there was this little conference this past weekend.  http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes In what could be a decisive tipping point for Microsoft’s chances of completing its deal to purchase Activision/Blizzard, the U.K. regulator — previously thought to be the most likely to block the acquisition on anticompetitive grounds — has indicated it is setting aside some of its main concerns, specifically around Call of Duty. The Competition and Markets Authority said March 24 that new data analysis indicated that making Call of Duty exclusive to Xbox would not be in Microsoft’s interest. https://www.polygon.com/23546288/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition-deal-merger-ftc-latest-news So remember how last show how we talked about simulation games and we wondered how they are so popular. Well I ran across another article this week that talks about these games but gives it a whole new wrinkle. https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/mar/25/flight-simulator-for-tractors-how-a-video-game-is-enticing-farmers-on-to-xbox FIFA, for the very first time this year, included NWSL teams in the game. Some players weren't happy with their ratings though and well, frankly, that's nothing new. https://www.foxnews.com/sports/womens-soccer-players-take-issue-likeness-fifa-video-game-fans-say-glitch PAX East 2023 was this past weekend, and this is usually the lesser of the shows where some smaller companies are highlighted. This year has all but abandoned the idea of the “AAA” hitter. You won’t find Microsoft or Sony, and while Nintendo’s at the show, they’ve elected to show attendees how to play the Pokémon trading card game rather than divulge Tears of the Kingdom details. More on that later. So lets take a look at what they did announce. https://punishedbacklog.com/tag/pax-east-2023/ Review Hogwarts Legacy - Diddi

Ghostcrawler is off to new endeavors. How do they pick what game to work on next. Lets go farming and immersion is all the rage. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes Citing a combination of personal loss and professional considerations, Greg Street announced that he has stepped down from Riot Games today. The former World of Warcraft Lead Systems Designer has been at Riot for the last nine years, spending at least three of them heading the development a new MMORPG set in the League of Legends universe. https://www.wowhead.com/news/greg-street-aka-ghostcrawler-stepping-down-from-riot-games-331704?webhook Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has explained the process the studio went through when deciding which game to develop next. This article wan't that informative and basically said NaughtyDog can do whatever they want because they were successful but it got me thinking about how do companies pick what game they are going to produce next.  https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/neil-druckmann-explains-how-naughty-dog-chose-its-next-unannounced-game/ Joysticks (Controllers) are the go to peripheral but what about some of those other ones over the years that we miss and would like to see back? https://www.vg247.com/bring-back-incredible-video-game-peripherals-you-cowards Why are simulators of boring activities so popular https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-popularity-of-mundane-video-games/ Picture this ... TIME IS RUNNING out inside the Gamebox, and you've got to jump or die. You're a contestant in Squid Game, the hit South Korean Netflix series, but in this interactive version, you're playing inside an illuminated cube measuring 12 feet in each direction.  https://www.wired.com/story/immersive-gameboxes-irl-cooperative-gaming/ Review Atomic Heart - Diddi  

We have a very special episode today where we are going to hit on a news worthy game article and then go into our main topic which of course was the Super Bowl and specifically what was the best commercial. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes Blizzard - Activision workers are mad at president Mike Ybarra after an all-hands meeting that was held last week. I though am going to take this as a positive because their complaints wern't about working conditions or abuse but were about the same thing that workers complain about in most of corporate America. AThings like oing back to the office, executive pay disparity and employee satisfaction survey results which as we all know, nobody looks at. https://www.polygon.com/23604013/blizzard-entertainment-mike-ybarra-qa-meeting Jay Dime's Philidelphia Eagles took on my brothers Kansas City Chiefs this past week in the penultimate American Football competition with the Chiefs coming out on top with a 38 - 35 victory on a last second field goal by Harrison Butker.  https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/event-info/ https://www.espn.com/nfl/super-bowl/ OK, on to the reason most folks watch the game, the commercials. Lets take a look at our favorites and which ones hit and which ones didn't ... rabbits anyone? https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/Ad-Meter/2023/02/13/best-2023-super-bowl-commercials-voted-usa-today-ad-meter/11247208002/ https://www.cnet.com/culture/sports/super-bowl-commercials-2023-watch-all-the-big-ads-from-sundays-big-game/ https://www.nfl.com/super-bowl/event-info/archive/super-bowl-54-commercials Mention this. https://www.gameinformer.com/2023/02/21/microsoft-signs-10-year-deal-to-bring-call-of-duty-to-nintendo  

The nerd community lost a very talented actress. Blizzard paid a hefty fine but in the end it was just pocket change for them and the grammy goes to ... http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes Acclaimed actress Annie Wersching has passed away at the age of 45 after a prolonged battle with cancer. She was best known for her role as Renee Walker in 24 but as I found out, she was alost the voice of Tess in the original The Last of Us video game.  https://www.ign.com/articles/annie-wersching-the-last-of-us-game-and-24-actress-dies-at-45 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1156709/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0 Activision Blizzard will pay $35 million to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges that the company broke government rules on whistleblower protection and investor disclosure. The SEC launched an investigation into the World of Warcraft and Call of Duty publisher months after California’s Civil Rights Department, previously called the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, filed its sexual harassment lawsuit lawsuit in 2021. https://www.polygon.com/23584578/activision-blizzard-sec-settlement Activision Blizzard has released fourth quarter financial results for the year of 2022, announcing record-breaking quarterly net bookings and the highest quarterly net bookings to date reported by Blizzard https://www.wowhead.com/news/activision-blizzard-fourth-quarter-2022-financial-results-record-breaking-growth-331344?webhook For the first time the Grammys had a category for music in a video game. This years innaugral award once again confirmed, just like the Oscars do every year, that the organizations that present these awards have no clue what america is really watching or listening to. We did learn though that Randy Rainbow (yes, that's really his name) does not play video games. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/grammy-awards-listen-to-nominees-for-best-score-for-video-games-2022/ https://www.grammy.com/videos/assassins-creed-wins-best-score-soundtrack-video-games-interactive-media-2023-grammys-premiere-ceremony https://kotaku.com/grammy-grammys-video-game-score-soundtrack-valhalla-1850076648  

Blizzard goes dark in China. The playstation VR is HOW much and is The Last of Us the best video game adaptation ever. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes Today’s the day most Blizzard games go offline in China. After failing to reach a deal with publishing partner NetEase, Blizzard has shuttered most of its games in the country, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, and Diablo. https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-games-go-dark-in-china-with-no-return-in-sight-this-is-so-tragic-says-former-hearthstone-director/ https://www.icy-veins.com/forums/topic/69664-netease-message-to-chinese-blizzard-game-players/ https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/23/23567868/activision-blizzard-china-netease-world-of-warcraft Sony put two new products up for presale this week and damn are they expensive. First off is the Playstation VR2 that starts at $549 and that's with no game. Next they drop a $200 controller on us. Do we think these are too expensive or about right? https://blog.playstation.com/2022/11/02/playstation-vr2-launches-in-february-at-549-99/ https://direct.playstation.com/en-us/playstation-vr2 https://www.theverge.com/23564531/sony-dualsense-edge-wireless-controller-ps5-features-review Since we last recorded, HBO's "The Last of Us" has aired and it is fantastic. So lets talk about what we like, don't like and what we want to see in upcoming episodes. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-star-anna-torv-on-that-horrific-episode-2-climax/1100-6510751/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa1d https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us Review Per Mrs Diddi (@Udella) - Dreamlight Valley

2022 Video Game Year in Review http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Review Forspoken Demo - Diddi

This episode deals with the 2022 Video Game Awards and how Diddi sent his poop in the mail. Come give a listen and see if you agree with our takes. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-game-awards-2022-winners https://thegameawards.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_Awards https://www.pcgamer.com/the-game-awards-2022-results-all-the-winners/  

By the time this episode is posted the Video Game Awards show will have happened already but today we are going to take a look at the main categories and give our take of the nominees. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes: 2022 Video Game Award Nominees https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-game-awards-2022-how-to-watch-start-times-and-what-to-expect/1100-6509600/ https://thegameawards.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_Awards Game Review: As Dusk Falls - JayDimes  

First, sorry for no episode. The Audio for 147 was corrupt and we couldn't recover it. Now on to the show. We discuss a couple of stories in the Microsoft XBox universe and we let you know if spending a lot of hours gaming is bad for adolescents. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes: Microsoft waits until the beginning of each month to reveal the list of new games coming to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, but fans often know of at least a few games in advance. While some new Xbox Game Pass game additions are a surprise, other games are confirmed to be day one titles well in advance and November is going to be one of those months. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will have Hello Neighbor 2, Chained Echoes, and High on Life to fill the time this month. https://gamerant.com/xbox-game-pass-new-games-coming-soon-december-2022/ A new study published by University of Oxford researchers in an open-access journal, JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, shows that although many school-age adolescents are spending considerable time gaming, it is not having a negative impact on their wellbeing. The study found that 44% of adolescents who game heavily report a better sense of well-being than those who game less or don’t play video games at all. https://neurosciencenews.com/gaming-wellbeing-neurodevelopment-21908/ Microsoft has reportedly offered Sony a deal that would see the Call of Duty franchise remain on PlayStation for a decade. The Xbox maker told the New York Times that it had offered the 10-year deal to Sony on November 11. Sony declined to comment on the claim. As always there are twwo side to every story. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/microsoft-says-it-offered-sony-a-10-year-deal-to-keep-call-of-duty-on-playstation/ Microsoft’s head of gaming has said that Xbox will struggle to continue as a global business if the company doesn’t establish a foothold in mobile. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/phil-spencer-says-the-xbox-business-will-become-untenable-if-it-remains-irrelevant-on-mobile/ Review: Pokemon Violet - Diddi

Video game companies spend lots of money on games but apparently not on voice actors. And we hoped the latest google service would buck the trend but nope, not gonna happen and why do we play these games anyways? http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes: Video games are a nearly $200 billion industry. That’s a lot of money sloshing around an increasingly small group of notoriously secretive companies. Where does it all go? At least some of it is poured back into competing storefronts and subscription services like PlayStation Plus and Game Pass. Thanks to a new SEC filing, we now have some hard figures for what this new console war looks like, with both Sony and Microsoft shelling out millions over a single game. https://kotaku.com/game-pass-ark-ii-survival-evolved-ps-plus-ps5-xbox-sony-1849642722 The English actor who stars in the hit Bayonetta video game series has asked fans not to buy the latest release in the franchise, after revealing that she was offered just $4,000 (£3,500) to reprise the role. https://www.ign.com/articles/bayonetta-voice-actor-hellena-taylor-says-she-didnt-reprise-the-role-in-bayonetta-3-as-she-was-only-offered-4000 https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/oct/16/bayonetta-actor-hellena-taylora-boycott-video-game-pay-row Google is shuttering its digital gaming service Stadia, the latest ambitious project to get cut as the company looks to shed costs. The gaming service, which launched in 2019 and runs on phones and the Chrome browser, “hasn’t gained the traction with users that we expected,” wrote Phil Harrison, a Google vice president, in a blog post Thursday. “We’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service,” he wrote. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/video-games/google-shut-gaming-service-stadia-ceo-continues-cost-cutting-efforts-rcna50054 There is a gamer in everyone. Some of us spend countless hours saving princesses, dodging bullets or burning tires in an online game. Others are modest gamers and only venture out to roll a dice in a board game. Whether you’re a fervent veteran or a contingent casual, there is something inherent to our being that keeps us coming back to these experiences. https://mobile.gamehouse.com/news/gravitating-towards-gaming-why-do-we-play-games/ Review: XBox Cloud Service - Real World - Tim

there were two big events since we last had a show and that's excluding the GTA6 leak. Sony held a Playstation State of Play event and later that same day Nintendo held a Nintendo direct. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes Sony held a short State of Play event and here was what was revealed. https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/playstation-state-of-play-september-2022-everything-announced/ https://www.ign.com/articles/playstation-state-of-play-september-2022-everything-announced https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/13/playstation-september-2022-state-of-play-recap/ The other big event was the Nintendo Direct that happened later in the day and it did not disappoiont. Here's everything that was realed and announced during the presentation. https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-direct-september-2022-everything-announced-including-the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom https://apptrigger.com/2022/09/13/nintendo-direct-nintendo-switch/ https://www.digitallydownloaded.net/2022/09/recap-nintendo-direct-september-13-2022.html Review  Steamdeck - Diddi

We lose the first unionized game company. We answer that age old question, are video games good for you. Nintendo is apparently an awful place to work if you're a female and Ubisoft tells us all about their upcoming stuff. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes The first video game studio in the US to unionize is shutting down. On Wednesday, Beast Breaker developer Vodeo Games announced it had failed to secure funding to produce an additional release beyond its debut title.  https://www.engadget.com/vodeo-games-shutting-down-213519398.html Video games can get a bad rep as being a time waste, but can they actually have positive effects on brain functioning? A study published in Neuroimage: Reports suggests that video games can lead to increased decision-making skills and improvement in brain activities. https://www.psypost.org/2022/09/people-who-play-video-games-tend-to-have-superior-sensorimotor-decision-making-skills-study-finds-63890 Even the wholesome family image of Nintendo couldn't save it from the backlash this week over a report that the culture there might have even been worse than the one that has been well documented at Activision Blizzard. https://kotaku.com/nintendo-of-america-sexual-harassment-sexism-aerotek-1849414921 Ubisoft held their Ubisoft Forward this past week where they announced all the upcoming games and news. If I can sum it up in a statement, I hope you like Assasins Creed and The Division because there is going top be a LOT more of them. https://kotaku.com/ubisoft-forward-2022-assassins-creed-1849522061 https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/the-biggest-games-and-announcements-from-ubisoft-forward-2022/2900-4324/ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-says-its-big-aaa-games-will-now-be-priced-at-70/1100-6507403/

The EA saga continues. We wax poetic through an imaginary game world of http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes The best video games are imaginary. Often they exist completely in our heads, or in the dreamy space between their initial announcement and what we finally end up playing. This is where “Arkham World” exists. Born from a 2011 Video Game Awards gag, the completely fictitious entry in the massively popular Batman Arkham series is now all some fans can talk about. https://kotaku.com/batman-arkham-world-spider-man-gotham-knights-wb-1849436007 And just when you think it might be safe to back into the EA waters ... they release Madden 23 which should have been cause for celebration but in true typical EA fashion snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. So just what is wrong with Madden and why are gamers so pissed? https://www.gamespot.com/articles/madden-nfl-23-is-glitched-up-from-coast-to-coast/1100-6506729/ https://attackofthefanboy.com/gaming/madden-nfl-23s-pc-version-is-a-huge-disappointment-thats-missing-next-gen-features/ Fresh off the success of Uncharted and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 respectively, Sony and Sega are planning film adaptations of even more of their franchises. Deadline reports that Sony is developing Days Gone for the big screen, while Sega says it’s developing adaptations of Space Channel 5 and Comix Zone. https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/22/23316140/video-game-movies-days-gone-comix-zone Sony is facing legal action in the UK, with a new collective action suit claiming that the company has "ripped people off" by taking a 30% cut on all transactions made on the PlayStation Store. Sony, just like Microsoft and Valve, (and  Apple) has long taken this cut from purchases on its store, but consumer rights activist Alex Neill is claiming that this is a breach of consumer rights. Speaking to Sky News, Neill explained that Sony is abusing its market share to impose unfair conditions on games publishers, which in turn is raising prices for consumers. ANd as if that wasn't bad enough, Sony announced this week that the price of the PS5 is rising. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-facing-5-8-billion-lawsuit-over-playstation-store-royalties/1100-6506722/?ftag=NLS-04-10aaa1d https://screenrant.com/ps5-price-increase-hike-region-sony-stock-playstation/

The recession is hitting everyone even video game companies. There will be no Muskstation or Overwatch loot boxes but there will be more games on NetFlix and we take a look at what a video game should cost. http://www.joystickandmouse.com http://shop.joystickandmouse.com/ https://www.patreon.com/joystickandmouse Show Notes: The giants of the video game world saw their sales slide in the second quarter, as initial tailwinds from the Covid pandemic faded. In the three months ending with June, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo each posted disappointing results in their respective gaming businesses. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/08/microsoft-xbox-sony-playstation-nintendo-video-game-earnings-round-up.html Elon Musk Explains Why He Won't Make Video Game Console to Compete With PlayStation and Xbox https://gamerant.com/elon-musk-video-game-console/ In general, we like to think we know how much something is worth. The decision is based less on logic and more on emotion, an intangible gut feeling. When it comes to video games we know when a game is under, or in most cases, over-priced. Unfortunately, that aptness in designating price to value is disrupted by inflation. So are video games really more expensive now? https://www.gamesindustry.biz/are-video-games-really-more-expensive https://techraptor.net/gaming/features/cost-of-gaming-since-1970s Netflix is accelerating its push into video games with plans to double its catalog of offerings by the end of the year, but for now, nobody cares. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/06/netflixs-video-game-push-sees-few-subscribers-playing-along.html Overwatch’s latest Anniversary Remix event — the game’s third and final such event — kicks off Today, giving seasoned fans of Blizzard’s hero shooter another batch of skins and a chance to revisit limited-time game modes. The Overwatch Anniversary Remix Vol. 3 event will also bring about the end of loot box sales in the game — Blizzard says that when the current event ends on Aug. 30, players will no longer be able to purchase loot boxes. https://www.polygon.com/23298533/overwatch-loot-boxes-sales-ending-anniversary-remix-event-date Review: World of Warcraft - Fated Raids/Dungeons