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Sacred Symbols, Episode 429: The Thread (Patreon)

Published:
2026-09-16 19:00:04
Imported:
2026-09

Content

Hi!

Submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for this week's episode of Sacred Symbols in this thread.

As always, please keep your inquiries well-written and pithy. Novels, poorly-written posts, etc. are politely ignored.

You have until Thursday, September 17th at noon ET to submit.

Talk to you soon!

Comments

KB

Hey Gents, With the tepid critical response to Wolverine, do you think this could ultimately be a net positive for Insomniac in the long run? Could this be the punch to the jaw the studio needed to take a harder, more critical look at its combat design and character designs, so that the most prominent and loudest complaints don’t carry over into future titles? What say you? Thanks.

ZW

C-Sticks and the Dusty D-Pad, With Capcom continuing to excel in their craft, I have an interesting hypothetical; If Capcom could acquire either Square Enix or Konami’s gaming division, which would be more beneficial for Capcom? Which company getting acquired would gain the most from Capcom’s production and management expertise? Thank You, Zach

BMJ614

Hello Weilders Of The Sacred Symbols I want to talk about Video Game Appetizers... Have y'all played games that are kinda small after/before a rather bigger game? They may be a little more advanced than "Trophy Slop" games like an little Indie game that lasts 15 hours or may take only a weekend to beat as opposed to a grooling 100 hour RPG. Let me and your loyal followers know y'alls experience into games that ease the tension of playing games that take a massive chunk of your time and patience Your Friendly Neighborhood Gamer and take care My Skillful Chicken Chasers 🐔🏃‍♂️

Cristian Colța

Is the curse of the third console about to become the curse of every 3d console?

Ryan Houlihan

Dr. Collin and attending nurses. Colin I've been listening to you since the early days of beyond and still find myself every now and then shouting "I doubt it" when somebody says something stupid. I was catching up on some older sacred symbols and came across the titty conversation, so I had to join patreon to add my two cents. Bitties. When you see a pair of titties that are so big so magnificent so wonderful you just have to drop the "T" add a "B" and screen B-B-B-B-B-B BITTIES! I'm going to shut up and listen now, Google myself some bitties and enjoy some me time.

Bogey

Hey sacred boys, I’ve been seeing a lot of criticism aimed at Blizzard for announcing a game set for 2030, similar to the shit Bethesda gets for announcing ES6 back in the day My question is…why is this a bad thing? Personally I like knowing what a team is working on. The alternative is just wondering what a certain studio is doing and anticipating their next announcement for years, but instead we can just say “ok, they’re working on this and we’ll see it when we see it”. What’s the harm in knowing what they’re up to, we’re waiting either way right? As long as they’re not bombarding us with trailers at every show and overexposing it that is. Would it have been better if we found out about Intergalactic this year? A year or so before release. As opposed to when we did? Leaving everyone wondering what the hell Naughty Dog is up to for all this time? It also feels like this mentality is unique to video games. We hear about film, tv, and book projects years in advance, and no one seems to bat an eye. What is it about the games industry that has people so antsy once they learn what a team is working on?

awesomo55

Hi CDC, this one is for Dustin. TCG Card Shop Simulator officially released on ps5 this week. The ps5 version seems to be the same as the PC release. Will you be checking it out? Thanks

Steve

Greetings Sacred Crew, After witnessing all the negativity surrounding Wolverine, I was initially going to skip playing this game at launch and wait for a sale. After driving by my local Walmart Tuesday night and dreading being bored at home, I decided to stop by and purchase a physical copy. After playing the first two hours I was impressed with the presentation and the pace.  Sure, the skill tree and techniques seemed simple enough, but honestly what the hell were people expecting from a superhero with claws as his only means to fight against enemies. Although simplistic, the brutality and feel of slahing through foes along with solid storytelling, good performances from the actors and smooth gameplay justifies the price tag in my opinion. Looking forward to experiencing the rest of the game.

Austin from Rochester

Hey CDC, This one goes out mostly to Colin. Colin, last week you lamented the poor sales of Alan Wake 2 because so few people experienced that terrific game. However your self imposed Playstation exclusivity has stopped you from enjoying the underrated Remedy gem Quantum Break. If I remember right it came out the same week as Ratchet and Clank (2016) so obviously that's where you were at the time. Also being before Control and your first playthrough of Alan Wake it makes sense for you to have not cared about it. It just breaks my heart to think you won't play through one of Remedy's bangers because it doesn't have trophies. Especially since you seem to have a deep appreciation for Remedy's secret sauce. You owe it to yourself to play the game that makes Tim Breaker such a funny character name in Alan Wake 2. To open it up to Chris and Dustin, is there any game you've played that was so good it made you go back through the developer's back catalogue?

John

Hey CDC, I am beyond excited for Control Resonant, as I’m sure Remedy will deliver an extremely high quality video game. But am I the only one who is a little let down by the change in style? There are very few 3rd person shooters that feel as smooth and kinetic as Control did in 2019. Control Resonant is adopting a 3rd person action melee style, of which there are many games in the space. It just seems like the TPS+ powers was a bit more unique than character action melee. Thank you

Colin K. Marr

Hey Sacred Gents, With PlayStation committing seppuku in recent weeks, most recently with the underwhelming release of SOYervine, do you still think the launch of PS6 will be highly successful? I’m sensing a Wii U style generation for Sony. Colin

Jordan Falduto

It just hit me. Is Control Resonant, Final Fantasy Resonance, and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy the new Outer Worlds Outer Wilds? Are they all pulling names from the same agentic AI hat? How can it be?

Raisin

With reviews for Wolverine coming in below expectations, I wanted to have a conversation about the psychology of a sub-80 Metacritic score. I did some homework for this. The median review score for Wolverine on Metacritic is a solid 80. That's three points higher than Metacritic's weighted 77. I can't help but feel like the conversation surrounding this game would be drastically different if the game were an 80 or above. Which then leads me to ask: why do we weight review scores? Why do we, as a culture, put so much stock in review scores? It's completely dissonant with the general gamers-vs.-journalists culture war. Yet, people praise IGN for giving Wolverine a 6, but the minute they give a game they don't like a 10, suddenly IGN has no credibility. You can't have it both ways. But moreover, I'm perplexed as to why a three-point difference in the weighted Metacritic score dictates the conversation when, in reality, its median score is an 80. Why are three points all the difference when it comes to the zeitgeist surrounding this game? Why do we see an 80 and immediately clock it as worth our time, but anything below an 8 is immediately viewed as suspect by the general gaming population? A 77 and an 80 are virtually indistinguishable, yet we've somehow turned that three-point difference into a psychological threshold between "good" and "bad."

Anton Kaye

Hey Sacred Spirits, I hear a lot about people complaining that there are not enough exclusives to justify this console generation. Do you think our thought of generations has not changed with what the generations have actually evolved into? When you buy a new CPU or GPU for your PC, you aren't expecting exclusives for those components. Since consoles are now on PC architecture, shouldnt we have the same mentality, in that, our existing and future games will play best on the latest hardware, but there are budget console options to play the same titles, albeit, at lower fidelity? Thanks and have a moist weekend.

Deyton Dykes

Hey, boys! I was wondering how you felt about how PlayStation and Xbox have approached younger audiences in recent years. I never thought about this until I talked with Jez Corden about the topic. These younger audiences are future game develeopers and will do something with the industry. It feels like companies have stopped focusing on them (not talking about Roblox or Fortnite) and now focus only on older audiences. Do you think the industry is leaving the youth behind? And do you think they were even focusing on us or you when we were growing up? Thanks, men, and be good!

Distracting Music

Good morning and afternoon. Colin- the idea of you (THE HOST OF SACRED SYMBOLS and the reason we all are here) NOT being on the wolverine spoiler cast because you gave the other guys the codes is absurd. Please play games early so you can be valuable to your audience. I’m sure Brad has enough “industry clout” to get his own codes from Sony. Thank you for your time.

trephiroth

Sup, fellas, How cool would it be if games started using more meta or tactile “required” mechanics? For example, this year I went in blind and used the NES Zelda manual and map while filling it out and coloring it in, using it as a navigation tool. The wife and I used a chunk of notebook to help peel back the layers of the deep onion that is Blue Prince. Imagine a dev company sending you some kind of disappearing ink letter like what came with StarTropic or some modern meta email version. Would you rather have games like Tunic and their modern take on this style more often than the yellow paint and fart gas? Are people too tiktok and cocomelon brained to show out for more games like this?

Alejandro Ascencio

Good day fellas, what are you guys thoughts on IGN’s layoffs this week?

ZombiesNJ

Hi CDC, do you think Bungie gets shut down before the end of this year? With season 3 delayed and only hundreds of players left, it seems imminent. I wish Sony would use them to make their next shooter, or what’s left of them, because they can do it competently, they just need to be working on the right IP! Love you all you sexy sassy bitches.

Jason Green

Hey guys hope you’re all well. I’m sure you’ve heard the news about IGN laying off a ton of people, most notably Brian Altano and Max Scoville. Would love to hear your thoughts on that. I wouldn’t be surprised if IGN ceases to exist in the next few years. Same with Kotaku and the rest. Love the content and take care.

Jacob

Collin, you recently remarked at how many write-ins are a bit depressing from pets passing to divorces. I thought i would write in with something a bit more upbeat. My girlfriend took our dog to his monthly checkup at the vet and saw a poster for a five year old boston/pug mix by the name of Pinky. Her owners abandoned her back in June of this year and since then no one had shown any interest in adopting her. My grilfriend and i felt so bad for her we called the kennel, had an appointment two days later and brought her home with us the same day. She is so sweet and full of energy we have no idea how anyone could abandon her. She gets along so well with our daughter and our pug that she is already an irreplaceable part of our family. Any tips for training/raising bostons as i know you and Micah are proud owners of Rush and Treble for many years now. Pinky does this cute burrowing thing under the blankets at bed time, do Rush and Treble do something similar? Anyway, big shoutout to all the abandoned dogs out there deserving of a new home and love!

Kevin (doo doo garbage) Abdul

Greeting Sacred Gents With the recent consternation about the Wolverine's fart trail, yellow-painted walls, and self-talking characters, I wonder if Sony has data to suggest that players are struggling with basic navigation and exploration in their games; otherwise, I cannot believe they would willingly have all this ire thrown their way by insisting that gamers need that much hand-holding.

Reina 2000🏳️‍⚧️

Longtime listener, first time Patreon member! I’ve been on estrogen for over a year now, and I’ve noticed that I’ve lost interest in Metal Gear, one of my favorite gaming franchises. Meanwhile, I’ve become super into Kingdom Hearts (horrifying, I know). My question is for Colin: when you inevitably start transitioning, what gaming franchise are you most worried about losing interest in?

NoOneCanStopMrDomino

Hello chaps, With the Ritual Network having successfully taken down Build a Rocket Boy, who do you think is next? Will they stick with newer spinoff devs or will they escalate to someone like Remedy? Should Yves Guillemot start panicking? Stay safe and best of luck to everyone.

Jake Whitaker

Good day sacred company! Apologies for a semi-lengthy write in but I think this is an important matter to discuss. I wanted to write in about the recent shift in sacred symbol’s position on taking early game codes. I wonder if others feel similarly but I think right now the show feels off. I think the majority of the fan base liked that you all were playing games alongside the rest of us. I was under the impression that this was intentional and that you know it actually helps your show rather than hinder it. My point is made worse in that Chris and Dustin are taking codes, while Colin is not. That is creating a strange divide in the discourse around upcoming games. It’s strange to hear thoughts on upcoming games from some of you but not all. I understand that the position of SS is that people play what they want, when they want. I think that is a good policy, but in the past you were at least playing and discussing games that the audience was playing as well. I think for the show to remain high quality moving forward Colin should either take early codes as well so he can be in the conversation with Chris and Dustin. Or, revert back to no one taking early codes altogether. I think the latter is the preferred choice here, but I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the matter. Thanks and cheers from Utah!

Rob Pursglove

Hello sacred trio, Sorry to be that guy but I wanted to point out a couple of episodes Colin said that iRacing had come to PlayStation. This was in fact iRacing arcade, a very different spin off title. If iRacing did come to PS5 it would be God of War on Xbox level news. Interestingly another huge sim racing game BeamNG is coming to PS5 but Xbox has been skipped. See you on the track boys.

The Great Jabroni

Colin, maybe it is time for you to give the definition of pithy. You clearly state that on the Patreon post and remind everyone constantly, but I am convinced many don’t know what it means. Hell, I watched the Sacred Stream on Monday and immediately after you stated to keep things pithy some poor soul goes on an aniti-pithy rampage talking about “was on Xbox now on Playstation, something about a girlfriend, on to Kojima, then something about Wolverine” and then continues to not pick up on social cues. I am convinced that many don’t know what it means and Professor Colin needs to lecture the audience! Take care boys

FabFun00

Good afternoon guys, First time writing into the show in quite awhile, but a worthy moment. Last night, I was able to see the Resident Evil 3 days ahead of the wide release, through a Sony picture press showing. Saw it on the largest imax screen available in Chicago, and I have to say it was truly an amazing time. Saying this is the best resident evil is the biggest understatement ever… but still needs to be said. Cregger delivered his signature brand of black comedy mixed up with blood and guts in a true homage to the games. The whole movie felt like a brand new entry into the series in the vein of Biohazard. Tight, claustrophobic, hilarious and bloody. Can also be said to be the best PlayStation Pictures production, but also isn’t saying too much. Any gaming fan, horror movie fan, and especially resident evil fan will throughly enjoy it. Also saw Buddy last night, which I think you all would also enjoy. Good, trippy, surreal black comedy set around old broadcast kid shows. Wishing you all the best. With love from Chicago, Stan

Shit’s Ass

Hey CDC, About the God Of War trilogy remake… if Santa Monica is remaking the Greek saga with the Norse saga’s design, wouldn’t it make sense to just smash the trilogy all in one big game? Each original game can be completed in around 10 hours, you could edit and weave the story to have Acts 1 through 3, and create some additional new side quests to boot. It could come out to a nice 30-35 hour experience if you do some side stuff. I don’t know if this was the obvious move, but I will be absolutely befuddled if they decide to go the Final Fantasy 7 Remake route. I’m looking forward to the remake trilogy, but I’m getting really fatigued on God Of War. Sony, let’s expedite this shit and have SM start something brand new for once. Thanks for the pod.

Gary Clark

Hey boys,Just wanted to talk about everyone hating everything.Wolverine is bad,Zelda looks like slop,Silent hill is woke.Colin you were right all these people talking about games don’t like anything.We’re in a golden age of games I can’t keep up and I play a ton.I wish all these people would find a new hobby or jump off a building.Thanks boys keep being the best

Jonathan Turner

Colin, I wanted to check in specifically on your favorite sons. We know you have your workout routine, but what are Dustin and Chris doing these days to stay active? Dustin, I remember you mentioning wanting to start a program and get into a consistent routine. Did that ever happen, or do you plan on picking it back up? Chris, after training for your boxing match a few years ago, did that experience motivate you to stay active or completely burn you out on structured exercise? We love you guys and just want to make sure you’re taking care of yourselves physically for the long haul.

Giovanni D'Amico

Hey guys - This one is for Colin as a fellow Jets fan. If Gang Green wins this Sunday and goes 2-0, will you wear a helmet when you run through the nearest and hardest wall, or will you just lower your shoulder and barrel your bare, Sicilian testa dura through the ol' brick-and-mortar without any protection? I'm under no disillusion that this will be a winning team, but maybe a little touch of CTE will help us keep the cope alive.

Dylan Wednieski

Hello CDC, With the costs of game development currently rising in the West, and Sony pursuing various cost-saving initiatives programs in lower-cost regions, why doesn't PlayStation try and build a new first-party studio in Japan? Currently, Polyphony Digital maintains Gran Turismo, while Team Asobi handles Astro Bot. Given Japan's current development costs and high quality talent, shouldn't Sony try to establish another internal studio in Japan to build larger-scale games at a lower cost? Alternatively, is there an existing Japanese developer they could partner with in a second-party capacity with an eye toward a future acquisition? Appreciate all that you do, Dylan

FabFun00

Forgot to attach photo to my comment, but photo proof as well

CreamLord

I knew it was joever for Wolverine when the first quick time event told me to press R2 and I accidentally hit L2 but it worked anyway. I’m over these fake quick time events. At least when they used to be genuine it could be a little fun and have stakes. Now you’re just pausing the scene to make me hit a button. Just show me the damn cut scene.

Bryan Grossman

Hello CDC, Have any of you ever tried watching any esports? The Rocket League world championship is going on this week, and I'd highly encourage anyone who's curious to give it a watch. Rocket League is one of the few esports where it feels like deep knowledge of the game is merely a benefit to the viewing experience versus being a hard requirement to have any idea what's happening. Thanks, I'll hang up and listen now.

TheWubbz

Señor Colin, I shed a tear when I heard you were save scumming in Dawnwalker. Is there a reason you don’t like dealing with unexpected outcomes/consequences in this type of game? Seems like it would be part of the fun when sharing what happened with someone else, but understand if that’s not for you

Derriere's Gentlemen's Club circa 2006

What's up lads, Is Sony's position as the default console perhaps more tenuous than we, the hardcore, would believe? If it's accepted that core gamers only represent about 15-30 million of any one console's consumer base, what would really keep the remaining ftp casuals and "ball and gun" gamers from getting wandering eyes? Not sure how much weight the digital library argument holds when most of their favorite games are either annualized or institute some form of cross progression. If presented a potentially cheaper and better marketed ecosystem whilst being shepherded by spurned members of the hardcore, who's to say they wouldn't start to jump ship when a new gen begins?

Pan Fried Soup

Good day Gents, Piggybacking off of last week’s news that a load of Steam achievements being leaked, I was curious if any of you have ever declined to play a game once it has been spoiled for you. Personally I have stopped planning to watch a movie because it was spoiled for me, but that medium is far less experiential; more about the destination than the journey, unlike gaming in my opinion. Dustin, I looked into the KH IV worlds and three of them are just the first three mainline games in full, one for Apocalypse Now, and another for The Killing Fields. There, ruined it for you. Thank you guys for all that you do and keep that chicken on ice.

Hylian Andy

Hey boyz, How the fuck is Human Fall Flat tied with Super Mario Bros as the 10th best-selling game of all time? How can this be? I'll hang up and listen.

MovieGuy34

Hey (fill in funny name later) With the recent news that Polyarc, the developer and publisher of Moss, shut down last week, many people have been recommending Moss 1 & 2. This got me wondering: where does the revenue go when both the developer and the publisher are out of business? For instance, if someone buys Moss II for $19.99, where does the remaining $13.99 go after Sony takes its cut?  Maybe this is a dumb question.  I probably could have just asked Gemini.  Have a good day folks!

BKopps

Hello Sacred Gents, Hope all is well! With all the backlash surrounding Sony once again, this time involving the general impressions of Wolverine, could you see Xbox try to take another jab against their rival, look at their delisted Activision catalog and revive their backwards compatibility program to make some of the old 360 Marvel titles available again including the Ultimate Alliance games, but most notably X-Men Origins Wolverine? Of course the specific licensing would be the biggest holdup, but could be a hilarious reactionary response to gain more in their favor. Thanks for all the great content and take care!

Cody Frost

Hey Colin, Dustin, and Chris! Blood of the Dawnwalker is out! (I'm loving it) My kids and soon-to-be wife are big Demon Slayer fans. When I explained the premise of Dawnwalker to my family, they immediately noticed some similarities. You have a male protagonist whose family is taken by monsters who gain power by drinking blood. Those monsters can’t go out in daylight, and the protagonist’s party includes one such monster who can miraculously survive in the sun. So, is this just “inspiration,” or has Rebel Wolves borrowed some pretty major plot points from Demon Slayer? Where do we draw the line between inspiration and straight-up stealing? P.S. I saw a comment on a couple week's ago show post about the "short" episode. It said "What is this a show for ants". I'm fine with whatever length the show is but I gotta say that's a A+/10 comment.

Your Mom’s Scrumptious Side-Piece

Howdy handsome gents, are console gamers like us getting so old as a demographic that studios feel the need to hold our hands? The yellow paint epidemic is so prevalent in some games that it makes me feel like the developers think we are all elderly senators getting pushed in wheelchairs.

John Black

One of my favorite things about Sacred Symbols was the decision to stop taking early review copies. It meant you were playing new games alongside the audience, with the same day-one patches, and the conversation felt much more communal than traditional games coverage. It also gave bigger discussions and spoilercasts time to happen naturally. That’s why I’ve been disappointed to see early codes creeping back in. I understand why individual Last Stand creators want reviews ready for launch, and I’m not suggesting that should be a company-wide rule. But for Sacred Symbols, it feels like giving up something that made the show genuinely unique for a pretty small benefit. The biggest downside is that it puts everyone on a different timeline. Two of you might already be finished while the third, and much of the audience is just starting. That naturally limits the conversation, because some people have to hold back while everyone else catches up. Colin has been clear that he isn’t going to police whether anyone takes early codes, and I think that’s completely fair. But I’m curious how you weigh the benefit of having an individual review ready at launch against the cost to Sacred Symbols itself. If early access makes the conversations on the main show less natural and less communal, is getting that review out a little earlier actually worth the tradeoff? Seems like a backslide in quality to me.

The G Bat

Hello good sirs of the SS podcast, I’m playing through Wolverine, and I have to say I am on the side of liking it. One of the reasons I think I am enjoying it though is because I had my expectations properly deflated with the general consensus from reviews. Knowing the apparent flaws and not to expect an Arkham level masterpiece for the ol’ Canucklehead, set me in the right headspace. I’m curious if you guys have ever enjoyed a game after it under delivered on the wider hype train but because you had a greater understanding of what to expect, you came to appreciate it more?

Best Start Believing in Gay Stories, You're in one

Hey Gents, The Saber CEO has said that part of the reason for their success is that they no longer have any development operating out of North America. I am American and I want to see the industry thrive in my country, but it is easy to see that these budgets for AAA development in California are out of control. How does the American industry shift in order to be as sustainable as the growing European and Asian markets?

GalCapone

Hi CDC, Wolverine is here, the wait has been long and reviews are out. This is one of the few occasions where I feel like “games media” are playing a different game. For me the first was mafia the old country. I thought it was very boring with a wide open empty world. The second obviously is wolverine. I’m 6 hours in and I think it’s really good. For the people who don’t like it, I’m not sure what was expected from a more grounded character like Wolverine. He’s not as acrobatic and can’t traverse like Spider-Man so the scale is not going to be the same. I think Wolverine works really well when he is using his abilities like tools and not purely like a rage filled animal. Some of my favourite sections are the stealth areas when I’m sneaking through tall grass or doing some recon by going high and using the trees, pipes, rooftops or metal beams to get an overview of the area. Were expectations too high? did Insomniac’s spider-man give people a different idea of what Wolverine was going to be? Thanks Have a good day

Dick Whiskey

Gents, If this truly is the end of physical media, and digital ownership is just borrowing, and consoles are going to be north of $900 dollars, then I think I'm out - at last with the new stuff. For those of you out there who are furious with the future of gaming: consider a move backwards. I got myself a 3DS and an Xbox 360 recently - not to mention my Ps1, 2, 3, 4 (and modded Classic) are all still functional. If my time with new age gaming ends with the PS5, I'm pretty confident I have enough of a backlog for a long, long, long time. At least long enough to watch all this drama unfold from the bleachers. Just a melancholy take from an (above) average Dick. Stay frosty

Brett D Strobel

Hey CDC, had a bit of a scare this past week, and I'm curious if any of you have experienced something similar. I was playing on my PS5 one evening, and unbeknownst to me, the internet cut out while I was playing. I suspended the game, and then put it in rest mode. To make a long story short, when I went back to it, I couldn't open the save game storage to look at anything, the PS5 took over five minutes just to turn off or on, and I couldn't play any digital game. All of them except Astro's Playroom had to verify their licenses online to be playable. However, even Astro's Playroom wouldn't open. Then, about 3 days later when the internet outage was over, it started working just fine again. I'm wary about the idea of an all digital future, and if something as simple as an internet outage can effectively turn my system into a brick, I'm even more wary. Cheers, and thanks for reading

Bluedougal

Hail Sacred Three I feel I have to take Chris to task- he stated that there was no other walking simulator per se than Death Stranding 1 & 2. Yet we have the inimitable Babysteps. Would not have been so egregious if Dustin had stepped up to the mark to offer a correction given that he did a whole Sacred Streaming with the game. An uncharacteristic lapse in quality control for Sacred Symbols - be better!

James

Good day to you fine Sacred folk. Hearing the discussion about the PS6 launch and need for software made me wonder what could Sony possibly even have from first party? Here’s a quick list of first party teams and projects. Santa Monica: God of War Laufey February 2027, won’t be ready until 2030+ Naughty Dog: Intergalactic (likely) 2027, won’t be ready until 2030+ Guerrilla: fumbling with Hunters Gathering, probably not going to have anything new until 2030+ Sucker Punch: Ghost of Yotei in 2025, maybe ready in 2029? Insomniac: just put out Wolverine, maybe have Venom ready in 2028? But unlikely in my mind. Firesprite: launching Until Dawn 2 in January 2027, can’t see them having anything else until 2029+ Bend: can’t see them having anything before 2029-2030 because they are just spinning their tires. Housemarque: Saros in 2026, can’t see them having anything before 2030+ Media Molecule: I guess they could but I would be shocked and doubt it will be much. Polyphony: maybe a new Gran Turismo but doubt that it would be ready for a 2027 PS6 launch window. Asobi: Maybe an Astro bot game, best chance of anything. Haven and Bungie are burning down, San Diego will just make MLB the Show like always. So what software could Sony even hope to have at the launch of a PS6? Just trying to understand what they are thinking to setup any kind of excitement for this next device beyond “it plays 3rd party stuff really well!” Love the content and you guys always make workdays more enjoyable. Godspeed James from Colorado

Niko Dimopoulos

Hello boys, I’ve been struggling with a thought lately. How seriously should I take the opinions of gamers who don’t read or only watch blockbuster movies when they say that a game has “bad writing”? A part of me believes that if you do not study literature or film, you are most likely not picking up on vital aspects of what makes a game’s story good. Another part of me believes that I must be a pretentious asshole for acting like someone needs to study the works of artists like Charlie Kaufman or Cormac McCarthy in order for me to take their opinions on writing seriously. I’d love to know your thoughts on this topic, or if you have ever struggled with a similar idea.

pbsandwich_

Agreed, wasn’t long ago where they used the fact that they didn’t take codes as a bonus/plus over other reviewers and podcasters, and how “we experience it all together” (which was unique and exciting as a viewer) Not sure why the sudden change, but I def preferred how they used to do it.

Jake Whitaker

Totally. Unless Colin explained on a stream or something, I’ve heard no explanation. I don’t like the change.

Kris Hendricks

Afternoon fellas, With the not yet announced, but nearly guaranteed closure (by LinkedIn posts by ex-employees) of developer Build A Rocket Boy hard to foresee disastrous release of MindsEye, what are your closing thoughts on the game and its developer? Did Leslie Benzies lead them blind? As always, thanks!

SL

Wait, what? That's insane! That's unbelievable! Metal Gear was one of your favorite gaming franchises?! Like... were they the only games you had ever played?

Derrick Doughty

Greetings fellas!! Given that we have less than a decade before AI destroys us all, what are you doing to prepare? Or are you preparing at all? My prediction is Colin is building an underground bunker, Dustin is relying on using his physical game collection as currency in the post apocalyptic landscape, and Chris is welcoming human extinction with arms wide open. Thanks for all that you do!

Dayngls

Yo, boys Colin, you've often said that the die hard PlayStation fan isn't who PS is targeting anymore. It's something I think their games are showing now. With all of the talk about Wolverine holding player's hands and PS Studio games becoming easier and overly guided, is this evidence of your claim on a game level? Wolverine is a very mass market character, the game has the potential to snag the Madden/COD only gamer based on the character alone. With your claim in mind, I think it's obvious that Wolverine was developed with that type of gamer in mind first in terms of default accessibility/difficulty features. The most casual of the casual. Just something I've been thinking about. We've come a long way from Aloy's incessant vocal clues.

Chris A

Good Afternoon Colin, Chris, and Dustin, My question is short and simple: should Wolverine have been a $50 title? Were expectations too high for this game? I feel like with $50 maybe we wouldn’t be as disappointed. It’s weird that if Venom is coming out next year or the year after, then that is certainly gonna be a $50 title, right? Do you think Sony pushed for this game to be $70 after seeing the success of their Spider-Man games? Miles Morales was $50 if I remember and with that I think people’s expectations were set properly, that it would be a full-length game, yet it still had all the charm and polish. Lastly in terms of the budget, if I’m not mistaken this is the Ratchet and Clank team, whose location is North Carolina. How did a team located in NC conjure up such an insane budget. Thank you guys and have a blessed day.

MentalRetard

Why are people putting their controllers down while playing Wolverine? Are they retarded?

Lanky Plank

100% agree with this too. It seems to have suddenly changed and no one is addressing any of the criticism. I'm considering cancelling my patreon atm with this change along with other things.

Tommy the sniper

Hey fella’s With how dire the news cycle has been recently I thought I would try bring a little levity to the conversation and simply ask, what games have you most enjoyed this year or perhaps a game that’s really surprised you? We still have a bunch of new titles coming out before the end of the year but like myself you guys must have a few games cemented into your top 5 by now. Thanks for always keeping it real! And let’s remind ourselves why we’re here, to play great games.

Diyomaro

Hello Sacred Crew, With PS6 around the corner, and the console and handheld SKUs being part of the strategy, how do you think both will sell? I’m assuming the handheld is more for Japan so they can compete with Nintendo, while Consoles are more focused on the west. I personally will probably just pick up the handheld since I got a PS5 Pro just before the price increase. And maybe get a the eventual PS6 Pro. Stay golden Sony ponies.

I love the Habs

Hey guys, Chuck, Fuck, Marry: Insomniac Edition. Spider-Man 2 MJ, Jean Grey from the Wolverine game, and Aunt May (the Spider-Man 2 version, I guess, if you think she looks better in that game). To keep things interesting for your 2.5% female audience, I’ll give you a list of guys, too: Spider-Man (2018) Peter, Spider-Man 2 Peter, and that homeless guy with the birds (I forget his name). Sorry if this ruined your day, but be glad I didn’t include Ratchet and Rivet

Stanley Stoopish

Gang. The early review codes situation sucks ass. I wrote in about this a month or so ago and my inquiry was read on the show. It was also dismissed as not a big deal. It genuinely makes this portion of the show quite useless/boring. There's nothing fun or interesting about listening to someones thoughts about an un-released game because they feel the need to tip-toe around details. Would be far more interesting if ALL OF YOU played early or none of you did. Tis' all. Thanks.

Bryan Mada

Hey Gents, hope all is well and we are enjoying Wolverine playing itself and earning all of us the platinum. Huge shout out to Pork for getting married! Wish you both all the best and hopefully that we don't hear a write in from Pork on episode 669 with 'I'm getting a divorce because of sacred symbols'.

SL

Hello Sacred Crew, I'm going to put things simply. The design of Wolverine is the logical end-point of both Sony's in-house design philosophy and the realities of rising game budgets. Not to put too fine a point on it, but when you spend hundreds of millions of dollars on single-player movie games, you cannot afford (in the literal sense) for swathes of content to go unseen by the player. You cannot risk player failure, because think of all the money poured into assets, talent and development on areas and story beats they might not see. Once upon a time, all the potential 'waste' spent on content the average player may never see fit neatly into the MSRP of the game. No so anymore. In today's age, there's no doubt an accountant at Sony is pointedly asking 'why did we spend 100 million on the third act of a game only 20% of players ever see? You make damn sure every single player sees that content, by any means necessary.' So here we are. Yellow paint and fart trails as far as the eye can see; I can't wait to see how FairGame$ or the new Killzone implement them. Can't afford for any player to get lost, frustrated or bounce off. They've trained a generation of gamers on PS4 annd PS5 to expect training wheels and hand-holds, and we can't afford that they don't succeed without them. It's a rough place for Sony 1st party game design. Cheers

Stanley Stoopish

The game scored a 78. You're describing a 78. Thinking the game is good/fun is not a hot take. The game is just not the insomniac 86-92.

Billyb

Hello boys, I'm making my way through Wolverine and enjoying my time right now. It's not perfect, but plenty fun However, the online discourse of this game seems so derailed from reality. I can't help but feel all of this discourse is just stemming from people's anger with Sony. I'm curious if you guys feel that's what's happening, and if that's just going to be the case for every first party game coming in the future? I'll hang up now, and Go Bills

SL

I think the assumption that the Venom game will be $50 is a bit of a leap. If Sony believes they have a project they can charge full price for, they will.

Dion

(Without judgement) I honestly preferred to see them play games upon release too. Seeing how their opinions and critiques formed over time as they progressed through games alongside the audience made it feel like they were consumers like us.

JoDoMac

Hey CDC, I’ve been told by a reliable source that Bungie is developing a new game set in the Destiny universe. The meeting between Sony, Bungie, Gearbox, and 2K did take place, but it wasn’t about a Borderlands remake. Instead, the discussions centered on Bungie licensing or adapting elements of Borderlands’ loot system technology. It’s still unclear whether the project will carry the “Destiny” name (some concern it could create brand confusion), but it is confirmed to be set within the Destiny universe.

Andrew Walsh

Hey boys, Do you think it’s weird that Wolverine has a New Game Plus right away and it’s not a big update like every other first party game? Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Dion

Hey Scared Boys, Not much of a question but I just wanted to point out that don't you think it sucks? Sony's avarice to has lead to all of the unpopular decisions they've made this year. Cutting costs whenever possible all because of they're own stupid mistakes investing in FireWalk and poor Live Service execution. Their boneheaded moves and we pay for it. Hope that was pithy enough for you.

Andrew D

Hey CDC, this one's for Colin. A few weeks ago you mentioned that you ate a copious amount of nachos while Micah was gone on her trip. Well, I just so happened to be listening to Knockback episode #51 (Malls in the 80s & 90s) this week when you mentioned possibly the most psychotic thing imaginable. At exactly the eleven minute mark in the episode you mentioned that you would make nachos and peel the cheese from the chip, and then only eat the cheese. You did this because the cheese absorbed the chip flavor and it cuts down on the carbs. I have to ask - did you do this while Micah was gone and, if so, does she know about this serial killer behavior? Thanks,

Fetty Wapp

Sup Fellas, As we hurl ourselves ever so (balls) deeply into this stacked review season, and now that we are in the pint sized shadow of Marvel's Wolverine reviews, I thought it would be a great time for a little "would you rather." Would you rather, for the rest of your days, have to champion a game that no one likes? OR. Would you rather have to hate on a game that everyone loves? Choose wisely. And as always, thanks for all that you do.

Llogan from mmry.crd

Sacredists! I've been thinking about the long term reality of PSN. With the policy that Sony will delete accounts after 3 years of inactivity, could that further perpetuate a death spiral for the brand? With how many people might be ditching PlayStation for one reason or another, this policy will almost ensure that people never return. Granted it is a pretty reasonable amount of time, but I can't help but feel there will inevitably be people who will have their libraries deleted, who otherwise would have returned to the PlayStation ecosystem. How do you guys see this policy affecting the brand years from now? Will it end up being more bad PR for years to come, or do you think it's not that big of a deal? I'll hang up and follow the fart gas trail to a door covered in yellow paint and listen.

Austin from Rochester

Don't forget Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy just came out this month too

My Name is Mayo

Hello Sacred Crew, First-time writer, long-time listener since the Beyond days. First off Congrats Colin on your Jets Win, I only wish I could say the same about my beloved Packers. I’ve always been a fan of Insomniac, but I’ve never really cared much for the X-Men. Even so, I had planned on picking up Wolverine day one regardless. Once I saw the reviews were less than great, I did something I barely ever do and decided to wait on purchasing Wolverine. I usually buy every new PlayStation first-party game, but with my already-low interest in the IP, along with how Sony has been treating its fans as of late, I decided to wait until it goes on sale. Instead, I decided to pop in Pragmata, a game I bought back in May that had just fallen into the rest of my backlog. I just wanted to say… WOW. Pragmata is a special game. I’m about six hours in, and I’m absolutely loving it. The story so far, along with how incredible the game looks on my PS5 Pro, is really something special. I can’t wait to finish it and then listen to the Spoilercast. Thanks for all you guys do! P.S. Sony, bring back Sly Cooper!

Gash Bandicoot

Salutations, Brotherhood of the Sacred Chicken, We’ve got Sony dropping Kojima and Physint, soft reviews of Wolv’rn, and poor sentiment about discs that could haunt Sony through to the PS6 announcement. I get the sense that Sony’s absolute squandering of goodwill may soon be coming home to roost. And I truly think this is a blind spot for Sony. Good times create weak companies. And, weak companies create hard times. We need some hard times to bring back a strong Sony and better times for Playstation fans. I think we need Asha’s Xbox to put some real pressure on Sony. A bit of finding out after Sony’s fucking around, don’t you think? Anyway, I guess I’ll hang up and look forward to “totally owning” Horizon 3: Rise of the Gacha someday.

Tdot’s Finest82

Hey CDC, Colin, you mention the shimmering in some games you’re seeing, like Alan Wake 2, and thinking it’s something that’s not widespread. It’s simply that you’re part of a small group of players noticing it where others aren’t. PS5 and, to a lesser extent, PS5 Pro are susceptible to this shimmering because of the quality of the ray tracing they can produce. Digital Foundry calls it “boiling” but shimmering or boiling occur when there aren’t enough rays possible to resolve the image more cleanly. PSSR2 helped this a lot but doesn’t eliminate it. More of a PSA than anything, and something that should get resolved with PS6 and it’s implementation of Ray Reconstruction, which does wonders on PC games that support it.

I Want Weird AL To Watch Me Die

Hey Boys! Do we think Kojima will ever consider working with Sony closely again after this whole kerfuffle? Or is that relationship long term going to look more akin to the bitterness held towards Konami? I’ll hang up and go enjoy some quality time with my kids while the leaves begin to fall!

Dr. D

Colin, Are you going to play the final draft as part of your remedy journey? If not, make sure to look it up on YouTube it has major implications on the story.

Deemac

Agree that it changed the dynamic in the conversation around Wolverine, where 2 of the guys had codes but Colin didn't. I feel this also swayed Colin more than regular mixed reviews of a game might normally sway Colin, for a game just a week prior he had said he was looking forward to. Not that their criticisms were unusual compared to alot of reviews, but we've often seen a game Colin was interested in getting mixed (if not outright bad) reviews, and still he went ahead and play them anyway at launch as that's what he was planning on. It feels that with Wolverine because Chris/Dustin already beat the game and presumably talked alot more to Colin off stream about it, that changed his mind on it completely - because he's taking their word more seriously than the regular Metacritic scores. It would be a shame if that was a sign of things to come, as I've always appreciated Colin's willingness to play what he was intending to regardless, no matter what popular opinion was at embargo time.

Deemac

Hey boys, curious to hear your thoughts on the report of Media Molecule's new game being revealed and released next year (a PS6 launch game perhaps?), and how it's "a social-simulation type of game, one that’s inspired by titles such as Animal Crossing and Harvest Moon". Colin I know you've said previously you don't care about this studio anymore, but imo this sounds like a good fit for this studio and it adds more variety to PlayStation's output. I'm not even into these kind of games but it being something different for Playstation at least has me curious. I also think that despite all the shitty news lately and the deserved criticism they're receiving - the output and variety of PS Studios games are getting much better than it was mid-PS5 gen, and towards the end of the gen it looks pretty solid and games are being released at a much better cadence

Old Tex

Hello Sacred Gents. This isn’t a very timely comment, but, Colin, last week when going over the PS Plus Extra games you wondered out loud why it seemed you had recently discussed Sniper Elite: Resistance. The reason is that you had talked about it in the previous week when it was revealed as a PS Plus Essential title for August. They did this last month as well with Dying Light 2: it is both an Essential and Extra title. If you have PS Extra you necessarily have Essential. Why would they be doing this?

Cedric S

Hey Pope Colin, Cardinal Chris, and Archbishop Dustin, Shouldn't the fact that it took Hideo Kojima three months to find a partner for Physint ring all kinds of alarm bells? This is Hideo Kojima we're talking about, people should've been chomping at the bit to sign his next game up. Missing deadlines and going over budget is kind of his thing. Remember: Ground Zeroes was released first to help recoup some of the money Konami spent on MGSV, which itself is still rumored to be incomplete. Physint will certainly be expensive, given Kojima's insistence on casting A-list celebrities. Add in the fact that DS2 sold softly, and Sony should just hand him a blank check just cuz? Companies are becoming more risk-averse these days, see at Microsoft going all-in on franchises. Anyway, just my two cents.

Logan

Agreed, I understand the reasoning but I reckon it's a much better listening experience when the hosts are playing games alongside the audience.

Dane Holmes

Howdy Fellas, Blizzard effectively announced WoW 2 (WoW Forever). With a lunch date of November 4th, it's going to serve as, yet another, huge time vacuum in the market. While much of the player base will come from the existing skews of the game, this is going to pull a significant number of lapsed players back into the fold. I'm curious how much a game like this is going to disrupt the gaming landscape, especially from an IP that was considered a non-factor at this point.

Derrick Doughty

I respect your position, but from perspective… if anything, I appreciate Colin not policing his employees. I think just about all of us here would take early access codes if we were given. I guess it is novel getting to hear their takes on a game the same time as us listeners get to play, but nothing was ruined for me by them playing Wolverine early.

Raisin

Maybe, KB! Honestly, my PlayStation says I'm 93% of the way through it, but I'm having a great time. It's not my game of the year—that's Vampire Crawlers—but I highly disagree with the general sentiment around this game. It'll easily make my top five this year. However, to your point about Insomniac's game design, I don't know what people want. One of the biggest critiques PlayStation has faced this generation is the cadence of first-party releases, specifically single-player affairs. Insomniac cannot be blamed for that. We got Miles Morales, Spider-Man Remastered (if you count that), Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Spider-Man 2, now Wolverine, and we're presumably getting Venom as a cross-gen game next year. In my opinion, Insomniac makes the best wheels in the business. I think many people want them to reinvent the wheel, but my point is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Based on the fact that the pre-orders for Wolverine eclipsed GTA VI after the negative reviews came out, I think that's a tacit acknowledgment of the fact that people just want really good fucking wheels. Lastly, to your point about character design, I'm just going to be completely blunt and honest: I don't see an issue. Especially with all the grifters complaining about Jean Grey. Which is funny because TJ Smash is working overtime on the hate train for this game and unironically calling it "gay." Meanwhile, this is the same "man" who uses AI for his thumbnails, which consist of Sabretooth lovingly holding Wolverine in his arms while wearing feathered boas. I don't know about you, but I think that's a sign that the call is coming from inside the closet. Like I said, forgive my ignorance. I don't want to dismiss all people's criticism of Insomniac's character design as coming from grifters. But given the way that the discourse is going, you could forgive me for maybe not taking the conversation around this seriously when the loudest people are the most annoying people on the fucking planet.

Mayor_Hoff

Greeting sacred crew. While thinking about our all digital future I had a thought that I don't think I've heard anyone comment on concerning ownership. When you buy a game from the store, you own the disc and the store can't come and take it from you. But you also can't throw the game away when you are done with it and go back to the store for a free new one when you want. Is there anyone that keeps every digital game they ever purchased on a personal hard drive? If we own our digital goods, what's to keep companies from saying you own it unless you delete the files and then you must repurchase? Love to hear your take on this conundrum.

Crimson Crow

Hey CDC, this one's mainly for Colin — I finally gave Heed the Call a chance after hearing you rave about it. Besides the egregious power ranking they gave the Bears, I really enjoyed it. I think that producer role would work so well on Sacred. Can't wait for all the weird segments that come from having Lock be that person. Cheers!

They Now Call Me UNC.

Sacred Men of Honor Which one is worth the price? Wolverine at $70 Or Mario Kart World at $80

D Rock

Howdy doody boys, Is there any rhyme or reason why devs don't aim for their horror/spooky games to release in autumn? Obviously the gaming world is global and not all regions celebrate holidays like Halloween, and I'm sure there's business and fiscal timing responsibilities, but I can't help but think it's a missed opportunity sales wise. I reserve this time pretty much exclusively for my spooky games of the year. I'm a busy father and government worker, so this is how I compartmentalize my limited gaming time. I'm thinking about Until Dawn 2 which I for sure want to play, but I'll be waiting until (dawn) autumn 2027 to play. Many spooky games are discounted at this time but if this game came out closer to Halloween I definitely would pay full price and contribute to the early sales data. Would appreciate any thoughts or insight on this topic. Thanks boys for all the great content. Much love, D Rock

The Diddler

Insomniac hinted they are listening to player feedback regarding Wolverine. However, this game isn’t Crimson Desert, what can they possibly adjust? They won’t fix character designs or re-write the story. The game is pretty much flawless with no bugs. They could fix the “fart trails”, but the people who complain about those already finished the game. Is this all just lip service? I can’t see them fixing anything substantial, so don’t waste the money. Add news modes, or hurry up and finish Venom / Spiderman 3. Rather play one of those next year than 2028

AL022

Hi CDC, Additional reporting by Jason Schrier last week that Playstation's main concern with PhysInt seemed to be paying that much for a non-permanent console exclusive. It also seems that Playstation had tried for years to outright purchase Kojima's new studio. Finally reported was that Kojima will lose access to both Colombia studios and Decima. How does this shed light onto last week's conversation? It doesn't seem that they're unwilling to pay this much, but rather not then to only let the game come out on PC or Xbox. In addition, losing both Decima and Columbia access in combination must be setting the project back moderately.

Not Rob Kvasne

Dear Sacred Men, Could Mitch McConnell beat Marvel's Wolverine? Hugs and Kisses from Cleveland.

They Now Call Me UNC.

Sacred Men of Endurance I’m calling it now: Xbox has all the momentum going into next generation and Project Helix will have its Ps4 equivalent launch. Better game lineup, disc to digital program, plus they have much more relevant IP compared to Sony. Also, if PC is the future, games bought on the new Xbox will expand consumers’ PC libraries, incentivizing people to not buy digital games on a closed platform. When will Sony reverse course? Who cares, their entire model is stuck in the past.

Jbird

Hey dudes, J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. 1-0, baby! Let’s enjoy it while it lasts. Anyway, why do gamers constantly need validation for the games they love or hate? If people see someone with a different viewpoint on a video game, they don’t engage in any sort of discussion. Instead, they try to invalidate that person’s opinion. They usually do this by attacking them personally or bringing up old reviews or opinions. My personal favorite is when they say, “How could IGN give Game X a 10 but Game Y a 7?” only to look and see that two different people reviewed them. Also, what’s it like to review a game before it comes out and have a bunch of people who haven’t even played it tell you that your review is wrong? Thanks, and have a great weekend!

ItsShaneBailey

G'day CDC, How worried should we be for the future of Housemarque as a first party studio? By all accounts, the sales of Saros have been soft since launch. Two days after Wolverine's launch it has over 21,000 ratings on the PS Store while Saros has 10,000 after nearly five months on the market. Do we really expect them to continue funding a team for the next five years just to produce a game that may not breakeven again? If Housemarque's fate is as tenuous as one might expect, what conversations do you think are happening in the studio right now and what does their next game need to be to reverse their fortunes? Much love from Sydney, Australia!

vince2077

Good day dudes Colin, I've been playing through Alan Wake 2 for the first time in preparation for Control Resonant, and holy shit I can't stop gushing about how good this game is. It reminds me so much of Resident Evil with its survival horror elements, but it's also so much more than that. I have to agree that Remedy should be wayyy bigger than they are. I literally wrote in last week about innovation , and I think Alan Wake 2 and Control are perfect examples of the point you and I were making. You ain't gonna reinvent the wheel, but goddammit, you can still do some incredible shit with it. The environmental storytelling, and the way the games let you piece everything together yourself just ooze player agency and passion. You can tell how much love went into these games. Anyways, I'm gonna go try to write myself out of this fucking nightmare we all call reality. Have a good one gents!

drew

Damn there is a bunch of crying beta male bitches in here cry about early review codes. With everything going on in this world this is what we are worried about. Grow up

Izzy Smalls

Idk man. Im looking at the 17k who have actually PLAYED and rated Wolverine (myself included) on PS5 and it currently sits at a 4.8/5. This also echos the sentiment that ive seen online of people who have played the game instead of listening to what cornballs like Skill Up have to say. Im a few hours in and the combat is awesome. IMO its exactly what a AAA Wolverine game should be.

Izzy Smalls

Yeah i skipped Chris/Dustins review entirely smh.

Raisin

I largely agree with you, Izzy Smalls! The only thing I would say is that SkillUp isn't a cornball. I just happen to disagree with him when it comes to this game.

Dalton

Hey CDC! I have been traveling for work recently and been wishing to play my PS5 games on the go. It got me thinking about the potential for the PS6 handheld, which I am very excited for. My question for you all, do you think the handheld will be a good device to win over the fans, especially with all the negative news of late surrounding PlayStation. I’ll hang up now and listen!

Izzy Smalls

Hey Fellas, Wolverine released on Tuesday and i quickly noticed how positive the response has been online in comparison to the lukewarm critical response and as of right now (Wednesday night) its sitting at a 4.8/5 rating with 17k reviews on PS5. Im a few hours in and im having a great time. The general sentiment ive seen and i personally feel is that its a good 8/10 game thats nowhere near the dumpsterfire many claimed it to be. How much, if at all, do you think Sonys PR blunders affected Wolverines reviews and do you see GoW Laufey and Intergalactic suffering similarly harsh reviews? What else do you think would cause the descrepancy between critic/player reviews? Keep up the great work. Peace

Master Chafed

Hey boys, This one’s for Colin, with the recent news of IGNs layoffs involving there biggest presenters (Brian Altano, Max Scoville and Seth Macy) would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this whole ordeal as I can’t think of a time where layoffs at IGN were this big, I mean this is cutting to the bone type layoffs. Anyways I’ll hang up and listen and pour one out for the people at IGN.

Jake Whitaker

Completely agree and I wrote a very similar write in. Makes no sense at all for part of the cast to accept codes but not the whole. It will create lots of weird division in the discourse around games. It already has with Wolverine.

Jake Whitaker

Exactly my thoughts, the current situation is very poor quality in terms of a show/podcast.

Caleb Taylor

Hi CDC, I want to talk about bloat and personnel saturation in gaming. For example, I keep seeing the same headline about Sweet Baby Inc's involvement in Wolverine. I don't want to sound like some desperate anti-woke dude, but do we really need cultural sensitivity consultancy from that many different people for a 10 hour game? Again, not trying to attack the game or make it political, but this is just a fantastic example of how bloated tech companies are, gaming included. As someone who generally favors the use of AI compared to most, and actively participates in it's development, nothing would bring me more joy than to see it utilized to trim the fat and cut low output contribution from the industry. Is it delusional to think that running lean is better for the industry, or will the tools that enable more efficient pipelines (including, but not limited to machine learning) ultimately corrupt the gaming market as a whole? You've often discussed the drawbacks of these tools in production, and have made great points about the integrity of the art, but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts specifically on the non-creative side as well. Thanks! -Caleb

Anthony vigil

Hey CDC, What do you think about the news that Media Molecule is working on an Animal Crossing–like game? If done right, I think the game could be a big hit for Sony. What do you guys think? Have a great day

BlueMoose

Hey Super Sacred Studs! What do you guys think about the latest report that Media Molecule is working on an Animal Crossing/Harvest Moon style game? Honestly, I think that would be a perfect fit for the studio. Their creativity and focus on player expression seem tailor made for that kind of game. What do you think? Love all the amazing content and stay sexy my friends!

Michael

Who would you say has a more impressive list of game credits, Nolan North or Troy Baker?

Andrew Walsh

I just wanna make a comment on this too. It really isn’t a big deal that some of you guys get games early but I will say the show was better when you guys did play games on release along side the audience. It’s fun to start a big game on release and then look forward to the podcast to hear your guys thoughts on it. It makes it more of a community or something. Hard to put the right words on it. Whatever the decision is I’ll be ok with it. I respect Dustin wanting to do it for his channel and I hope it grows

Dreamboat

Hey guys, I bought a Series X back in 2021 for the myriad of promised exclusives at the time (RIP Bozo), yet I hardly turn it on even with Sony’s anti-consumer choices of late. It may be silly, but I’m reluctant to move on from Playstation due to my trophy list I’ve been building for 15+ years. This leads me to the following question: Should Xbox consider an opt-in program to port trophies over to achievements for cross-platform games? Such a feature would make Xbox a much more attractive option for me personally, knowing that I wouldn’t be completely abandoning my list of accomplishments. I supposed some may think this could jeopardize the sanctity of Gamerscore or Trophy Level, but what does a Trophy Level even mean? Whenever I see the number climb, all I can think is “how is this calculated?” Who the fuck knows? Steam aught to consider the same type of program in my opinion. Maybe someone kind of platform- agnostic achievement system? Idk man. Is this a good idea, or has a decade+ of yellow paint gaming robbed me of my ability to think? Thanks for putting on such a good show week after week. I’ll hang up now and go back to unfairly judging Wolverine from a distance due to my disinterest in superhero games.

Adam Hoyman

Hey CDC! I think it is finally high time for Sacred Streaming to hit Fortnite! With Mega Man and Sora skins hitting over the last week what better time to dive in?! This one is for Chris, I am going to see Rise Against in a couple of weeks. It's been awhile since I've seen them and the last albums have lagged but they did release a new single that I think is one of their best in years, "Katy Bar the Door", have you heard it yet? Thanks for the time!

Kurtis Blow

Hi guys - Wolverine's creative turmoil during development made me think of Uncharted 4, and how well it landed the plane after Amy Hennig's unceremonious departure. While not all directorial overhauls are created equal, I wonder how one game that experiences it can top out as good and another can end up (in my opinion) a great game. Do you three have any examples of games you enjoyed that changed direction during development? I'll hang up and listen.

Jordan Falduto

oh, shit. i'm adding this thank you.

Wyatt Ingram

For what it's worth, I have actually enjoyed hearing Colin discuss and react to the games without having played them. It provides an interesting point of comparison with how I ,as a consumer, digest game reviews and make purchasing decisions. Also, I have genuinely liked the reviews everyone has been putting out and miss those. Plus it helps out everyone's channels to have the games early and it would be a bit selfish to argue they shouldn't simply because Colin doesn't want them early too. I definitely respect where others are coming from though, I could see it being it bit jarring to not have Colins thoughts on the games as well; but for whatever reason I thought that it provided an interesting angle to the conversation.

BigDumbStupidIdiot

Hey CDC, Is the FBI trying to recruit the Sacred Symbols audience? Kash Patel is bringing bestiality back so now all of us whom enjoy plowing poultry pussy can serve in the Bureau. Me, Trans Tom Brady and Mr. Scott If You're Nasty are going to lather up peanut butter and party at the Humane Society before walking into Quantico. Keep fucking that chicken.

BigDumbStupidIdiot

100% agree. The show is significantly better when CDC gets access to games as the same time as the rest of us

Wyatt Ingram

I agree, for many people this is an extremely rare opportunity to be heard by someone important in the space they care about. So they end up just vomiting up a bunch of opinions about everything without ever making a salient point that adds to the conversation. However I do appreciate the open platform and it seems to go with the territory

Snickled

Build a Rocket Boy was a genuinely great studio name. RIP in peace to a legend. If you’re listening, I hope one day you find out who sabotaged your game Leslie.

Cdchirdon

Hey Gentleman, first time write-in. Why have developers insisted on continuing to support older hardware for so long. Years into the PS5 life cycle it felt like we were still playing glorified PS4 games. Recent games finally seem to be showing what the current generation is capable of. Is this going to be the trend for the transition into the PlayStation 6? In my humble opinion, this is the real reason the PS5 has seemed underwhelming. It’s not that there haven’t been good games, just less advancement and innovation. Is there even a real need for the next generation to be so close at hand? What say you?

Caleb Taylor

Hey...just wanted to clarify because I don't think I did a good job explaining my view. I was excited for Wolverine, and it wasn't horrible, but it was nothing new or exciting. To me, it's a "might as well" situation where, if you're just going to make some cookie cutter project, and not really do anything new, why would you not debloat the amount of people your paying and off load some of the work? I guess the main thing to take away from my rant is that this game already feels like they took these shortcuts, when in fact, the opposite is true. Hope that makes sense 👍

KZ_Eikon

Hello gentlemen, I hope all is well, with the release of Wolverine, I’ve started to see opposite opinions from players to what the critics said. Let me say this before I go any farther, I don’t have any issues with reviews if you like or hate something is fine, just be honest like Chris and Dustin did last week. We all mature enough to respectfully disagree with each other. However, earlier this year we witnessed a multi-week outrage of “gamers” overreacting to critics review scores, some including but not limited to Crimson Desert, Mixtape, Mouse PI, etc. Then Wolverine review comes out and now “gamers” are now considered their opinions is law. Excuse me while I call BULLSHIT on that. Do these “gamers” not realize how hypercritical they’re acting in all this. All of this outrage over something they literally don’t have to interact at all. Has this what gaming has come down to? Just being upset over every little thing because you’re that miserable? Please tell me I’m wrong Sacred men and that there’s some sort of hope. Sorry for the long read, thanks I’ll hang up and listen.

Emmett Berktold

Hello, gentlemen! A great deal has been said about Sony's failed live-service strategy, but could an overlooked issue be that their games aren't monetized aggressively enough? Helldivers II and Marathon seem tepid when it comes to their microtransaction offerings. Meanwhile, games like Genshin Impact earn 30$-50$ million per month by outright selling power on top of cosmetics. While people complain about microtransactions online, the numbers suggest that gamers will spend on more than cosmetics if the perceived value is high enough. Is Sony leaving money on the table by being too careful with how it monetizes its live services? Thanks, I'll hang up and listen.

JDawgMcSizzle

Hey guys! I respect and enjoy your work, but the endless anti-AI rhetoric is not great. There’s a reason why huge enterprise software companies are already automating their entire software development process. If we want cheaper games, this is the way. From the perspective of an AI engineer. AI won’t be able to replace what you do for at least a few decades. Wish you all happiness and success!

Chibley

Hey boys, I’d love to hear your opinions on where you think Insomniac should go from here? I don’t really care about the Wolverine discourse, but if the game under-performs I wonder what that means for Insomniac moving forward with the Marvel license? Thanks and have a great day.

Robert Scott

Hey CDC! Long time/first time. My write in is simple: Is Intergalactic a PS5, or a PS6 game? Thank you. I’ll hang up and listen. -Robert

Ian Cooper

Hey fats, I just want to say, can some of you all please, PLEASE learn concert etiquette? I just saw a show tonight (shout-out to Briscoe for putting on a banging show) and the two girls in front of me and my wife were literally facetiming one of their friends. Like seriously? PLEASE ACT NORMAL AT CONCERTS. That is all

Supes

short

Dave

Ahoy sailors, Any scuttlebutt on what Bend are up to? I forget when the Grim Reaper of Live-Service Failure passed by their door, could they be ready with something for PS6’s launch? The latest PS Studios banner still features Days Gone, a game for which I am one of the few die-hard fans. Maybe a rebootquel is enroute with an awkwardly-modeled female lead of limited charisma, as is the contemporary Sony vibe? I’ll hang up, They’re coming.

Prostate? More Like The Shitoris

Any chance of sacred streaming coming to Patreon as audio only? Currently it turns off when locking the screen. I like to listen while I work and my hands are often too filthy to touch my phone. (Username not related) Cheers

Megan Fox

Hey boys, question for all 3 of you. I’m going to start streaming soon and wanted to know what set up you use to capture your ps5 gameplay. Also what streaming software is your go to, and why? Many thanks!!

If I cum in the woods, does god hear me scream?

Hey fellas, I just finished getting the platinum in Wolverine and found the game to be terrific. The story, combat, visuals and so on all were fantastic to me. That being said, the hate campaign around this game is ridiculous and I would even call desperate. From the usual suspects clip farming that one motorcycle scene, people lying about the nature of the characters, trying to say the combat is just hitting square and so on, it just makes me sad for Insomniac. I’m not saying there aren’t valid criticisms of the game or you might just not like it, but is this just going to be how it is from now on? Just desperate grifting and lying for internet clout if the game is a Sony game? Let me know what you gents think, especially Colin since he played it for the first time since the last episode.

Alexander the great

Hello cdc, As a responsible parent when my son said hed like a switch 2 for his 11th birthday I told him he would have to wait and see what he got. Opening presents he saw a switch size box and went straight for it, opened it up and there it was in all its glory a PlayStation portal! He loves it and hasn't mentioned a switch since. Sony really needs to show the portal more love and advertise this thing more!

A very special boy

Hi Sacred Symbols Gang and or Crew. I am not from the United States of America so i have to ask... How bad is Arby's? Like is it that bad?

Addison5742

Use the brave browser on your phone, no ads and runs in the background. That's how I get around it. Or if you have YouTube primium you can run in the background and even download it for later.

Harry

Hey boys, How much do you feel game critique should take into consideration dev time, cost, the team, who’s publishing etc or should the game simply be reviewed for what it is? With Wolverine, I can’t help but feel it’s being heavily measured against the above factors. This has created grand expectations and some people are left disappointed. Is this also another case of ‘the less you know, the better off you are’ when it comes to the end-consumer? Interested to hear your thoughts.

Arian Yee

Hello everyone, Thank you Colin for all that you're doing with Congress and behind the scenes with Sony. I think that digital ownership and cyber security are getting overlooked by all the noise from the NoDiscNoBuy crowd. I decided to buy a few shares of Sony in order to make a difference and get them to right the ship. Imagine if Sacred Symbols listeners became shareholders and showed up at the annual shareholders meeting. I guarantee that would have a greater influence on Sony than the NoDiscNoBuy whining on social media. Thanks for all you guys do

Addison5742

Having all games installed at once would take up a lot of space but if you use GOG you can easily back them up to an external like I do or if you want to go classic you can burn them to DVDS.

Prostate? More Like The Shitoris

Sup players. What’s your thoughts on 3rd person games having a jump button? I don’t care for them in games with otherwise grounded movement (forgive the pun). The action button timed when running at a gap or fence gives a more natural feel in my opinion. When they introduced the jump button into last of us 2, it actually felt clunky. Box jumping puzzles should be reserved for platformers. Thanks, I’ll ride my motorbike with no hands and listen

Ewoc

Oh hi Pod Pals, Just wanted to comment that with all this talk about Alan Wake 2, i finally decided to get around to it before Control: Resonant. Come to find out, it’s STILL not on Stream and had to buy it on the Epic game store. If only we can know how much it would of sold for, if not on a standalone crappy PC app. That is all, good luck and have fun!

Kensington Kensington IV

Colin, Big week 1 win for the Jets! … Even though the Titans looked awful, it’s something to build on. More importantly, will you be purchasing the new LEGO Downton Abbey set? It’s 4,711 pieces and has 13 minifigures, all for the low, low price of $349.99. It releases Oct. 1.

A very special boy

Hi Charismatic Colin, Dashing Dustin and Cute Chris. We've seen a lot of back and forth with the whole Hideo, Playstation fumbling etc. But this whole time I haven't seen anyone really discuss the nuclear option. How screwed will Sony be if Xbox pulls out. I mean they pull everything. No Minecraft, no Halo, Call of Duty, No Diablo. Overwatch becomes exclusive. In the grand scheme of things Xbox doesnt really matter to Microsoft, and with the neverending development times the 10 year wait for COD on Playstation will probably time up perfectly with the first next gen COD of the future. If they have a console that's more powerful than the PS6, has CoD exclusivity they can smoke Sony. The idea of digital libraries doesnt matter. Most people play seasonal games like CoD or Madden and neverending games like Fortnite and Overwatch are account based. Plus they can just sell their games on the xbox digital store so you can use them on PC but just not steam. This is how i would proceed with Xbox, super dangerous but incredibly damaging to Sony if successful. Thoughts

Kurt Lewin

also agree, do one or the other, if Colin took early codes, I'd hope he trusts us as an audience by now to know he would be sincere in his opinions on a game even though he got the code early

Jack Fining

Greetings CDC, What are your thoughts on the direction of the new leaked Media Molecule game? A social simulation akin to Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon I think is an interesting direction that helps to provide some uniqueness in the first party slate. Following that, with a supposed “reveal and release” in 2027, do you think this will coincide with a day-and-date release with PS6? I feel like a big draw to those social sim games is being able to hop in to them on the go, so it sounds like a perfect title to market alongside the new handheld console.

Raisin

Good point, Izzy Smalls! My hot take is that if the brand of PlayStation wasn't in such a negative place right now, the reviews for Wolverine would be much better. I honestly think that the zeitgeist around the brand is affecting the discourse.

Paul Alguire

Long time listener, first time writing in. In 2024 I became a more avid gamer and your podcasts have become perfect listening companions to my newfound love of gaming. I see some posts taking issue with the fact that you are getting game codes early. I can only speak for myself, but it does not bother me at all... we all know Colin's stance on it and we also know that he seems like the coolest boss ever because he doesnt hold his employees to a company-wide stance. I appreciate both your stance and the freedom you give your employees. On a side note, Colon Montgomery's journey through the Lands Between inspired me to try Elden Ring for the first time ever and it was one of my all-time favorite gaming experiences! Unbelievable game. Once I beat it, I queued up another playthrough -- and thank you Mr. Montgomery for inspiring me to try. Be good out there boys and dont let the noisy and annoying few speak for the many silent listeners.

Bigslow

Hey CCD, It feels like online video game discourse now requires filing an affidavit. If you're having fun with something flawed, you're accused of coping, shilling, bootlicking, or lacking standards. When did joy become a suspect activity in this community? Keep them hogs oinking -Bigslow

Eric Whitehead

Whats up guys, I had a merch idea. Maybe do some Sacred Symbol pacifiers because there are a bunch of babies in here. Listeners need to stop running the podcast at 3x speed so they can hear what is being said. If you don't trust the guys on what they are saying, then why are you here?

Honest Abe

Hey CDC! Do you guys think the reason why Playstation has fucked up so much lately, is because they have inside information that the world is going to end soon, so now they are just saying fuck it?

KItty Crew

Hey fellas, After a week of Wolverine discourse, I gotta say, after playing it for five hours, I just don’t see a 5 or 6 out of 10 game here. While it’s not perfect, I’m much closer to an 8 because the combat, presentation, pacing, and overall experience are far better than some of the narratives surrounding this game suggest. I also wonder how much Sony’s decisions this year, especially its direction on physical media and the future of PlayStation hardware, have influenced the reaction to Wolverine. At times, it feels like frustration with Sony is being taken out on the game itself, and some of the criticism feels exaggerated. Meanwhile, by Wednesday, the PlayStation Store already had around 18,000 player ratings at roughly 4.85/5, which is a pretty massive disconnect between critics and the people actually playing it. Colin, knowing where Dustin and Chris landed on it, I’m curious where you stand and whether you think some of the broader frustration with PlayStation has spilled over into how Wolverine is being judged. Thanks for everything you guys do!

Dualshocked Your Mom

Salutations, sexy sacred symbols Servbots! I was initially really mad that Sony would just drop Kojima. Not just personally, but for him. I found it pretty shocking and even disrespectful. Kojima has been a part of Playstation for so long. "HURT ME MORE"! Then I realized that Kojima going to Xbox likely means it will come to pc. My future gaming home. Are we seeing love bloom on the battlefield of the console wars? Will Kojima's meme will live on? Who's really in control at Sony, the la-li-lu-le-lo? Thank you.

Brenton Bestwick

Hey boys, I'll keep it brief. Thoughts on Media Molecule developing a 'social simulation' 'animal crossing like' as reported on by PushSquare? Could this be a faux-live service game that could keep people hooked in like Animal Crossing?

JP

Hey Sacred Crew, Do you use the rating system on the PlayStation store? I've noticed the large majority of ratings are either 5 stars or 1, the middle ratings are barely ever populated. Is there even a point of having a 5 star system or would people be better served with a binary "play/don't play"? As a consumer, do you think a game would be more enticing if it has a 3.5/5 star rating or if 70% of people recommend playing this game?

Nick Stolte

Greetings and salutations, What are your thoughts on the new Media Molecule game being a social sim à la animal crossing? Seems like a brilliant move to me. One issue with Sony’s targeting of women thus far is that they often just gender swap the lead rather than create a game from the ground up in a genre that interests women. Godspeed.

Joseph Cerini

Hey CDC, So, SS has had some FAKE outrage over this code situation. We clearly have some new people in the group because Colin not being on the Wolverine spoiler cast is irrelevant. It's a Marvel game, period. What is relevant and what I will say is the core issue, is the spoiler cast came out to early. The value SS has cultivated in doing these reviews after the game have come out and the audience has had a chance to play the games, is high. I couldn't give a fuck about getting codes but the timing of the review is extremely important because it has become a core part of what makes SS different. You play games with the audience. So just wait another week next time. With Peace, Joseph P.S.> COLIN do what you want, but this whole "I am friendly with PlayStation but I wont take codes", SERVES NO ONE. It's like getting a internship because you know someone but not taking it because you didn't earn it...... You having been covering PS for like 18 years or something so take advantage of the opportunity like everyone else in the industry. Jesus, otherwise it is just stubbornness.

Card Captor Corey

Colin, you state that the end of this upcoming quarter will show if there has been any effect of PlayStation as a company. I highly disagree with this. Quarterly revenue is small blip on the radar. I would point you to how well the PlayStation 6 sells. If Sony has burned all their goodwill which i believe they have the PlayStation 6 not selling out early (not at launch) on like the ps3 did in 2006 it's an obvious sign. Another sign is off same console sales decrease year over year going forward. The death by a thousand cuts is doing will not show much in the next quarters numbers. I believe over the next several quarters you will see console sales decrease and revenue stagnate.

I.Am.Mogo305

Hello, CDC! I might be giving Sony too much credit here, but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on a hypothetical situation. Let's say that, a couple of years from now, Kojima Productions runs significantly over budget and misses multiple deadlines while working with Xbox on PHYSINT. At the same time, Xbox is forced to make further cuts to its first-party studios, and the company's public image takes another hit. Could Xbox eventually decide to cut its losses and allow Sony to take over a mostly completed PHYSINT? From Sony's perspective, it could potentially mean saving a significant amount of money by acquiring a project that is already well into development. Sony could also potentially rebuild its relationship with Kojima Productions and bring the studio back under the PlayStation banner. Is something like this even possible from a contractual and business perspective? Or does Kojima Productions hold enough negotiating power that Kojima essentially has all the cards? I'm curious how much control Xbox, Sony, and Kojima Productions would realistically have in a situation like this.

MegaMatty

Hey Sacred sinners, I wanted to give a shoutout to Lilly Games and an opportunity for Colin to talk about their next game, Ravenous Greed! I had no idea this game was coming until I stumbled across it on Twitter the other day. It looks great! Another gem from Lillymo for sure. Thanks, I’ll go stroke my spear of sacrilege, and listen.

J

Sacred Gents, Let's just get it out there, we're currently going through an anti-Sony circlejerk with Wolverine from people who haven't even played 30 seconds of a game that we've not had since Days Gone, and only surpassed by TLOU2 that suffered more. Everyone is entitled their own opinion on the game and having played it some of the critiques are valid, however the bastardisation of this narrative is so annoying to read on literally every disccussion now. I'm sure you guys will get into this on the show but the absolute shitstorm from this pretty good 8/10 game is so completely driven by the BROKE LOSERS and their physical disc obsession even still. I also think the media have not only done this game no favours, they've actively sabotaged it (people talk about sections playing itself or not letting you die but fail to mention they're small tutorial sections, many of the handholding and UI "helps" don't exist in the game unless you prompt them, or are playing on easier difficulties / with accessibility options, etc.) Are we really at a point where if a Playstation game isn't an undeniable runaway success, these losers will crawl out of their goon caves to cry on social media and poison the well of good conversation for everyone else?! Thanks, Jamie