#352 | A Warning Shot Is A Wasted Bullet

If something never goes away, you're never able to miss it. That's why there's an incredible amount of cynicism surrounding The Last of Us Complete, yet another re-release of the 2013 original and its 2020 sequel, a package that combines both games into something more accessible and affordable for PlayStation 5 owners. Naturally, this is heavily tied into the return of The Last of Us on HBO, and clearly this sort of thing isn't really aimed at us at all. In fact, it's likely very smart business. But that doesn't mean we're longing for something else. Anything else, really. For once. Plus: PS+ price increases slam headlong into Latin America, Portal gets some key UI and UX updates catered toward streaming users, PlayStation's concert series seemingly suffers poor ticket sales, and more. Then: Listener inquries! Should console manufacturers limit hardware sales to their most hardcore audience first? Considering the length of both Uncharted 4 and TLoU2, should be expect Intergalactic to be a very long game? Is the "games are too expensive" argument ultimately a dead end? Can Colin mystify his sons with the '90s tech magic of WYSIWYG? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:37:06 - Larger shirts selling out 0:42:17 - Dealing with grief 0:44:51 - Kids listening to Sacred 0:46:02 - Espresso tips 0:52:04 - Lawn boys rise up 0:56:21 - Timestamps on what we're playing (no) 1:00:21 - Dustin's art of the deal 1:03:19 - PS+ price increase in Latin America 1:12:52 - Marathon reveal incoming 1:30:30 - HBO renews Last of Us for Season 3 1:38:28 - PS Portal update 1:41:06 - Animated background on PS5 1:43:58 - Vampire Survivors cross-save wont come to PlayStation 1:51:23 - PlayStation Concerts being canceled 1:56:08 - Death Stranding film details 2:03:06 - What We’ve Been Playing (The Last of Us: Part II, Breakout Beyond, Ready or Not, Blue Prince, Marathon 2: Durandal, Assassin’s Creed Shadows) 2:35:58 - The Last of Us Complete 2:44:21 - New PlayStation+ games 2:52:47 - PSN Top Downloads 3:02:15 - Post-apocalyptic media 3:11:34 - Preorders looking at accounts 3:18:27 - Intergalactic's runtime 3:23:20 - Best weather in videos games 3:29:25 - Games industry and economics 3:40:48 - Lilymo and Kickstarter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Huhti 3h 58min

We don't make the news; we merely report and dissect it. So it's not our fault that this week's episode focuses quite a bit on some older topics come alight, starting with a new Helldivers 2 postmortem. Developer Arrowhead's CEO recently gave an interview, displaying a surprising level of accountability and levelheadedness about the ups and downs of their mega-popular game. Then, we talk a whole lot about Nintendo, because literally half of our listener inquiries this week were on the topic of Switch 2. Switch's successor is a mere months away, and while there's no doubt a lot of excitement, there also seems to exist an unusual amount of skepticism, and even anger and animosity. Will Nintendo be able to capture its first generation-to-generation success story since NES and SNES? Or are we looking at more of the same-old same-old? After, we get into rumors of yet another The Last of Us-related re-release, a mysterious physical edition at a premium price, but with contents unknown. Have we had enough, already? Other news includes data on Xbox's publishing performance on PS5, fresh sales and player numbers for the likes of Death Stranding and Atomfall, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! With the reveal of The Duskbloods on Switch 2 and because there's no Bloodborne news seemingly ever, is it clear that FromSoft has beef with Sony? Should we be worried about the survival of Ubisoft's studio Massive, and thus the future of The Division? Are physical game gimmicks getting awfully close to jumping the shark? How did we accidentally appear in a popular YouTube series about bad drivers? Your browser is holding you back. Level up here: https://operagx.gg/SacredSymbols Sponsored by Opera GX! EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/sacred Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:12:35 - Congrats Crystal! 0:23:48 - Sacred x Idiots in Cars 0:31:41 - sugrör 0:33:15 - Colin's garden 0:34:46 - Indulgences 0:41:29 - Is Colin pissed? 0:44:17 - Listener write in exposed 0:48:46 - Shout out Barry 0:49:51 - Colin on interstitial games 0:51:26 - Nintendo Switch 2 1:39:03 - Performance of Xbox game on PlayStation 1:48:03 - TLOU special edition 1:53:25 - WB cancels HogLeg expansion 1:58:46 - Game sales 2:06:49 - Onimusha details 2:08:53 - Final Fantasy IX 25th anniversary 2:11:21 - MindsEye new trailer 2:16:25 - What Are We Playing? 2:36:51 - Helldivers 2 interview 2:48:46 - Sacred and Sony PR 2:56:38 - PlayStation and Bloodborne 3:04:55 - Is Massive Entertainment safe? 3:08:24 - What's the point of physical games? 3:20:28 - Studio system 3:22:45 - platform specific podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Huhti 3h 42min

This week is one of revelations, as the once-unknown finally sees the light of day. For starters, we have exclusive information on WB San Diego's cancelled game, a never-before-discussed (until now) WB-infused kart racer codenamed Moonlight, in development for years before having the plug pulled. We give you all the details. Then: If you're a Sacred Symbols listener, you've known about Sony's secret LA-based studio for the better part of two years, one led by Call of Duty veteran Jason Blundell. Well, now we know the team's name -- Dark Outlaw Games -- and have a better glimpse as to their future plans. Plus: Polish FPS studio People Can Fly signed a second party deal with Sony, Konami revealed its upcoming all-new horror offering Silent Hill F, the Final Fantasy series surpassed a staggering 200 million copies sold, Starfield's inevitable PS5 port is definitively leaked, and much more. Finally: Listener inquiries from our Patreon audience! What's the perfect age for a kid to start playing games? Are there any famous (or not-so-famous) gaming Easter Eggs that have stuck with us over time? Will Iga ever release Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night 2? Should we let Dustin speak more, or silence him completely?  Your browser is holding you back. Level up here: https://operagx.gg/SacredSymbols Sponsored by Opera GX! Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:26:40 - Music podcast? 0:32:34 - Another Death Stranding spoilercast? 0:37:42 - Dustin suppression? 0:42:29 - Poker night 0:45:21 - Colin's sighs 0:47:39 - Diddy's Dream 0:56:37 - Flushable wipes 0:57:47 - The Bradley Ellis allegations 1:09:23 - Final Fantasy surpasses 200 million sold 1:22:00 - Starfield on PS5? 1:29:49 - Plants Vs Zombies: Reloaded 1:33:25 - College Football players getting a raise from EA 1:34:08 - Space Marine 3 confirmed 1:42:02 - New industry union 1:57:52 - What Are We Playing? 2:06:42 - Warner Bros San Diego leak 2:23:04 - Dark Outlaw Games 2:33:46 - People Can Fly is partnering with PlayStation 2:41:14 - Silent Hill F 2:44:23 - February Circana figures 2:49:33 - How young to start playing games? 2:58:03 - Best easter eggs 3:10:29 - Naughty Dog and internet culture 3:15:36 - Where is Bloodstained? 3:24:02 - God of War TV's director hasn't played the games Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Maalis 3h 42min

This week, Sacred Symbols is a Kojima Fanboy Podcast... for a little while, anyway. Finally -- finally! -- we have a release date for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and it's fairly close, arriving on PlayStation 5 in late June. And as a deep love for Kojima is perhaps the biggest gaming stance all three Sacred hosts share, we thought we'd spend some time getting hyped up following an all-new 10 minute trailer, collector's edition and pre-order details, and so on. Other news this week includes word of major forthcoming updates to PS5 Pro, the leak of a mysterious PSP game called STAMP that was never greenlit into production, the announcement of PowerWash Simulator 2 (!) from FuturLab, rumors of imminent PS5 releases for Indiana Jones and an Oblivion Remake, and much more. Then: Listener inquiries! What do we think of the reveal that Naughty Dog's Intergalactic will deal with religion as a central theme? Do we have any thoughts about the copious leaks from the recent Battlefield playtests? How will MLB: The Show 25 shape-up in its first current-gen-only PlayStation outing? Does Dustin have a serious misconception of what some people actually do when listening to our shows? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:25:53 - The audience divided 0:38:15 - PJ the Boston Terrier <3 0:47:36 - Dustin's Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 0:49:41 - FSR 4 on PS5 Pro 0:58:53 - Lost PSP game pitch found 1:04:55 - PowerWash Simulator 2 announced 1:15:44 - Indiana Jones coming to PS5 on April 17 1:18:32 - Oblivion remake coming soon? 1:23:36 - Forza Horizon 5 will require a Microsoft log in 1:32:26 - RoboCop: Rogue City expansion incoming 1:35:22 - Chrono Trigger's 30th anniversary 1:42:06 - Split Fiction sells two million copies 1:42:46 - What Are We Playing? 2:00:56 - Death Stranding 2 2:42:07 - New PS Plus Games 2:46:12 - Ubisoft selling IP 2:52:40 - New MLB: The Show 2:58:08 - Will GTA VI make fun of the right? 3:11:07 - Intergalactic and religion 3:18:56 - Battlefield leaks 3:26:15 - Path of Exile 2's economy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Maalis 3h 46min

We're on the verge of the second season of HBO's The Last of Us, and yet new questions percolate about whether we'll ever see another game in Naughty Dog's vaunted series. In a recent interview, Neil Druckmann told fans "don't bet on there being more," which is both alluringly ominous and obviously vague. That's good news for us, though, since it gives us plenty to discuss. Do we need more? Do we want more? Should we get more? Plus: Rumors are ramping up about one-time Xbox titan Gears of War migrating to PlayStation 5 later this year, while details related to Firesprite's cancelled Twisted Metal project have leaked. Also: PlayStation 2 turns 25 years old in Japan, Until Dawn Remake studio Ballistic Moon goes belly-up, a key Bungie designer joins Guerrilla, Monster Hunter Wilds smashes Capcom sales records, and more. Finally: Listener inquiries! Is it possible that Grand Theft Auto VI fails to meet either critical or commercial expectations, or perhaps both? What are our reflections on PS5 Pro now that we've had our own for some months? Should Canadians stop buying games from American publishers and developers in retaliation of US tariffs? Will Colin ever forgive his brother for continuously referring to himself as "The Dagster"? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:14:43 - Get well soon Bishop! 0:19:09 - Squeaking chair 0:22:12 - 5 thing we achieved this past week 0:30:45 - Last show's debauchery 0:39:57 - "The Dagster" 0:42:56 - Wonder Woman 0:49:23 - Twin Breaker is now on PS5! 0:51:32 - Terminator 2D: No Fate 0:52:58 - Happy Birthday PS2 1:01:52 - Layoffs at PlayStation 1:06:40 - Until Dawn Remake dev shut down 1:15:19 - PS3 update 1:17:21 - Variety's interview with Druckmann and Mazin 1:23:43 - New TLoU controller 1:25:46 - Cancelled Twisted Metal game details leak 1:31:28 - Ex-Bungie designer joins Guerilla 1:35:50 - Forza Horizon 5 releases April 29 on PS5 1:39:29 - Call of Duty 2025 will remain on PS4 1:44:32 - Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3+4 is real 1:49:35 - Monster Hunter Wilds sells 8 million 1:50:21 - La Quimera 1:54:56 - What Are We Playing? 2:16:51 - Gears of War coming to PS5 2:33:53 - New India Hero Project games 2:38:53 - PlayStation beta program 2:45:28 - Acclaim is back 2:57:56 - What if GTA VI disappoints? 3:04:08 - Boycotting American games 3:13:23 - PS5 Pro check in 3:21:37 - Portal's lack of bluetooth 3:26:31 - Auto popping trophies 3:30:48 - Capcom and Mega Man Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Maalis 3h 52min

In 2022, approximately 8,500 people lost their jobs in the games industry. In 2023, that number rose to 10,500, and just last year it ballooned to an unfathomable 14,600. Will it be worse this year? That's currently unknowable, but one thing's certain: Industry playing and spending habits are radically changing, and the newest victim of the environment (and loads of really bad choices along the way) is Warner Bros. Games, which shut down three studios (including the vaunted team Monolith Productions, cancelling its Wonder Woman project in the process) while declaring it's all-in on very specific IP, but nothing more. Is WB Games' meltdown a cautionary tale? Or is it a simple example of more-of-the-same? With seven out of 10 PlayStation 5 players playing at least one of the 10 most popular games on the platform -- and with an astonishing 40% of playtime on PS4 and PS5 spent with those 10 games, and those 10 games alone -- we are nearing an inflection point. There are too many people making too many games alongside too little interest in much of what's being released, and frankly, the bloodletting is nowhere near finished. We discuss. Plus: PSVR2 gets a major price cut, THPS 3+4 Remastered leaks via ratings, Black Myth: Wukong sells huge on PlayStation 5, Sony-published Midnight Murder Club gets a release date, and more. Then: Inquiries from our beloved listeners. How hyped are we for Death Stranding 2? What do we make of the rumors of a God of War-related announcement slated for March? Could we define the term "Eurojank"? Will Chris ever get another haircut again in his entire life? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:28:36 - Colin's lower octave 0:36:39 - Does Chris need a haircut? 0:42:10 - Imagine Dragons in space 0:46:06 - Colonoscopy customer service 0:51:59 - Ohio slander 0:59:20 - PSVR2 price cut 1:10:43 - Sony stashing PS5s in US 1:23:43 - 40% of playtime is on 10 live service games 1:34:52 - Sony sued over digital monopoly 1:43:11 - THPS 3+4 1:48:40 - Konami and Bloober sign a new deal 1:54:44 - Black Myth: Wukong sold 5 million copies on PS5 1:57:27 - Midnight Murder Club is coming to early access 2:05:18 - What Are We Playing? 2:21:52 - Chaos at WB Games 3:14:25 - PS Plus Essentials 3:27:43 - Circana January stats 3:33:00 - Death Stranding 2 Special Edition extras 3:37:06 - God of War returning 3:40:40 - Did Quantic Dream get away? 3:47:11 - Everything is a meta-verse 3:54:07 - Addicted to maps 3:58:30 - Eurojank Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Maalis 4h 17min

This has been an exciting week in Sacred Symbols World. We're riding high off of our two hour interview with ex-Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida, and we're eager to reminisce and reflect on it. (You can watch or listen for yourself on Sacred Symbols+.) But as far as news is concerned? Well, this week is a little slower than most, which is why we packed extra listener inquiries into the show, and still covered what was there: Fresh rumors of a Tony Hawk 3+4 Remastered Collection, leaker updates concerning Square Enix's remakes of Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy Tactics, clarity on HBO's seasonal plans with The Last of Us, the potential emergence of a major Rainbow Six Siege update, and much more. As usual, we then round things out with listener inquiries on a variety of subjects. What are our thoughts about the recent layoffs on the Marvel Rivals team? Does SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku run the risk of overexposing the Yakuza/Like A Dragon franchise? Why are many creators so eager to politically and socially alienate their audiences? Is Colin on the verge of converting to Islam? Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Intro 0:12:23 - Clipping our show 0:22:25 - Status of TLOU2 Season 2 spoilercasts and Side Quest 0:31:29 - Patreon RSS changes 0:48:00 - Gaming full circle moment 0:50:08 - RIP Bullet 0:56:21 - Husky problems 1:13:50 - Colin's secret identity 1:17:37 - Colin's Italian citizenship 1:31:38 - Last week's stolen idea 1:34:47 - Roger Clark meeting 1:42:46 - Creating stories in Civilization 1:51:01 - Colin got Radec'ed 1:59:01 - Lost Soul Aside is getting a physical release 2:03:29 - Final Fantasy IX remake rumors 2:08:24 - Xbox will start including PS5 logos during events 2:15:39 - THPS 3+4 remake is real 2:23:15 - System Shock 2 remake is coming 2:28:43 - Rainbow Six Siege X 2:36:51 - TLOU will be four seasons long 2:40:00 - KCD2 and Dynasty Warriors sales 2:41:20 - What Are We Playing? 3:25:05 - Stick deadzone 3:30:15 - Marvel Rivals layoffs 3:37:20 - Like a Dragon's continued success 3:45:01 - Strong competition in the console market 3:52:14 - Dice Awards drama 4:01:44 - Amazon's failure to disrupt Steam Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

24 Helmi 4h 24min