Sacred Symbols, Episode 53: The Plot Thickens (Patreon)

Until recently, we've been left to wildly speculate about PlayStation 5. And boy, have we speculated! But since spring, Sony has been more than willing to talk about its next-gen machine, though it still declines to name it publicly. In a wide-ranging Wall Street Journal article, sources both at Sony and familiar with their internal happenings describe a gaming machine with great capabilities, one being aimed at a specific, hardcore market in mind. But does Sony's approach to hardware, games, and player satisfaction in turn satisfy us? We opine. Then: July's PS+ games are lackluster (to say the least), Remedy has reacquired the rights to Alan Wake, a third Ni No Kuni game is incoming, Bernie Sanders gets crazy with the kids on Twitch, and much more. And, to close, listener questions about GI Joe video games, Colin's obsession with in-game clocks, the plague of terrible PSVR games, and one Sacred Symbols fan's quest for everlasting love.

Timestamps:

0:00:17 - Intro
0:03:06 - FYI on Episodes 54 and 55. (TLDR: Vacation incoming, shows still publishing.)
0:03:49 - PSA: PlayStation Hits' library grows.
0:05:28 - CTR has a horn button, after all. Also: Chris gets the Platinum!
0:09:31 - Is CTR too challenging for casual players?
0:11:11 - One listener presents a cogent lootbox counter-argument.
0:15:23 - One listener presents an eloquent case against second party games.
0:16:43 - Is Kotaku's game dev working conditions coverage jumping the shark?
0:20:48 - One listener looks for advice on why he can’t accept a woman's affection. 
0:21:36 - What games are we playing?
0:26:39 - A new Wall Street Journal gives much more insight into PS5, Sony's strategy.
0:44:43 - July’s PS Plus games have (unfortunately) been revealed.
0:48:57 - TellTale’s The Walking Dead is getting a definitive edition
0:50:40 - Remedy has purchased the rights to Alan Wake.
0:55:50 - Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are worried about tariffs. 
1:03:32 - A third Ni No Kuni is in the works.
1:06:45 - Bernie Sanders has a Twitch channel.
1:08:50 - PUBG Corp has announced a new internal studio.
1:10:20 - EA Access is ready to launch on PS4.
1:14:50 - ACE Team is releasing a spiritual successor to ActRaiser.
1:17:01 - Minor game announcements and release date information.
1:17:41 - This week's new releases for PS4, PS Vita, and PSVR.
1:21:39 - Why are there a lack of great superhero games?
1:26:03 - What would Colin like to see in a G.I. Joe video game?
1:28:50 - What’s the deal with in game pre-order bonuses for single player games?
1:32:11 - How do you deal with bad game timers/clocks?
1:33:41 - What’s the deal with PSVR game library's lack of quality control?
1:38:11 - One listener asks why he can't finish games. (We mean, his friend.)