Video Games 2 The Max

The future of the Xbox platform is real, as the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X are out in the wild and the reviews are all over the place. And while Sean and Marc have not been able to use it themselves, there is a discussion to be had about the various impressions from others about the device and if it could ever get to a point of delivering the true PC/Console Hybrid experience. Sean also played the newest release from Xbox and Double Fine Studios in Keeper. Marc is playing some Redacted games, but is also playing more Hades 2 as well. Plus, a major departure from the Assassin's Creed franchise, the end of Windows 10 support, Sarah Bond confirms next-gen is happening, Quantic Dream is working on a multiplayer game, Battlefield 6 sells well, and more! You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/kT0v67OcTX8

Next-gen console rumors are certainly simmering, as both PlayStation and Xbox have had news emerge regarding their potential console or console-like device, potentially releasing as early as 2027. This may mean we get more compelling real news even in 2026. But is it too early for next-gen? Or does it just seem that way? Do we even need Next-Gen as soon as 2027? Sean and Marc discuss this and more. Compound this with news from Circana about the number of games the majority of gamers buy, and it is yet another telling story about why things may be the way they are for AAA gaming. Does this concern the duo? Or is it just kind of how it's always been, and we just didn't have all these datapoints before? Plus, Marc has more thoughts on Hades 2, Sean's been playing Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, and Little Nightmares 3. Is Xbox done at Target and Walmart too? Ubisoft's canceled Assassin's Creed Civil War game, Nintendo Switch 2 keeps selling, and much more! You can also watch this episode in video

The inevitable has occurred for Xbox gamers, as now the "Best Deal in Gaming" Xbox Game Pass Ultimate skyrockets up in price by 50% to $30 a month in the United States, and even more in other regions. PC Game Pass went up to $16.50 as well. The question now is, is it still worth it? Well, the rush to cancel Game Pass was big enough to crash the cancellation page. Is this the sign of the end? Or is it once again a lot of grandstanding to wind up returning? Sean and Marc discuss their thoughts on the situation, and could Call of Duty be the biggest reason for this change? The dooming did not end there as another rumor quickly began to spread that Microsoft would be introducing a free ad tier of Xbox Cloud and even be done with hardware entirely, which Microsoft actually came out and refuted. Will Xbox actually have a console in 2027/2028? Or are we just waiting for more bad news down the line? Plus, aside from all of the Xbox stuff, the PS5 Dualsense may get a replaceable battery, Rock Band 4 is delisted from d

Just when you think it may be a great week to celebrate games, here comes a huge gaming business deal that has the potential to change the fortunes of a major gaming publisher. Announced on Monday, EA was taken private for $55 billion by the Saudi Arabia Private Investment Fund and two other private investment firms. Sean and Marc discuss what this could mean for EA, its employees, and could some of EA's big franchises could go down in the wake of this. There was a major gaming convention this weekend in the Tokyo Game Show, which featured a State of Play from PlayStation, a TGS Showcase from Xbox, Annapurna Interactive having a mini showcase, a PC Gaming showcase, and much more. The duo discusses their favorite announcements from some of the shows. Plus, Sean and Marc have both been playing Hades 2, Marc's been playing Silent Hill F, the Xbox ROG Ally & Xbox ROG Ally X have official prices and already sold out in many places, Doug Bowser is retiring at Nintendo, and another developer talks Game Key Cards

It feels like deja vu has hit all over again, with Microsoft announcing yet another price increase on Xbox consoles. Is it really all about macroeconomic conditions? Should we be concerned about what the next-gen Xbox console will actually become? Do Sean and Marc have concerns that there could even be one at this rate? And why haven't Microsoft revealed the price of the ROG Xbox handhelds yet, with less than a month to go now before they go on sale? At least there's some positive news about Xbox Game Pass for once, maybe? On the Sony side of things, Tencent has fired back that Horizon devs at one point expressed concerns about the game being very similar to another gaming series. Are they right? Or is Tencent just grasping at straws? How hyped or not hyped are we for Ghost of Yotei as we inch ever closer to its release? And will we ever get that Bloodborne remake? Plus, an instant reaction to the first trailer to Palworld Devs new game, Palfarm. Borderlands has sold well despite all the performance controver

Nintendo surprised with an announcement of a 60-minute Nintendo Direct that happened on Friday, and boy did they have some things to announce, including the title of the next Mario Movie being Super Mario Galaxy, a new Fire Emblem game, the release date for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and a heck of a lot more. Sean and Marc discuss their favorite things from the Big Direct. Was it Fire? Or was it a bit of a smokescreen? Also, Nintendo was awarded a patent in the United States for summoning a monster to battle for you and there's concern this could lead to more patenting of concepts in gaming, but will this be something Nintendo actually uses against other game developers to prevent their games from releasing? Plus, Sean played the demo of Digimon Story: Time Stranger and beat Mafia: The Old Country, Marc is stuck on farming sims, Wolverine could release in 2026, a new report from Newzoo suggests that there's an optimal time to release from early access, and more on this edition of Video Games 2 the MAX! You can

After years of waiting and anticipation building for its ultimate release, Hollow Knight Silksong is FINALLY out, and Sean has played at least the first few areas. How is this game for newcomers to the series? Does it make it easy to get into the flow of things? And how long does it take to get difficult? (Not very long). Once again, Xbox Game Pass is under fire this time from former Xbox executives who are concerned about its effects on first-party developers and what it means for returns for the actual game makers compared to what they would receive in the traditional model, where gamers would buy the games instead. Is this the true killer of gaming? Or is it actually something else that gets brought up less (Free-to-Play Games, maybe? Also, Marc has more on WWE 2K25, MachineGames says the New Wolfenstein is meant to be a trilogy, Nintendo wins yet another lawsuit against Emulation, Ubisoft brings a unique perspective to the Game Keycard debate, PlayStation 6 is getting a detachable drive at launch, Life is

Apologies for being a day late, as the Labor Day holiday delayed the episode. But at least there's plenty to discuss on this episode, mainly PlayStation, as a leak has surfaced from the reliable Moore's Law is Dead, stating that the PlayStation 6 Portable could be available at the launch of the console and will be presented as its own unique SKU, and not tied to the console like the PS Portal. Is this forward-thinking by Sony? Or could this become another Series S-type situation? Sean and Marc discuss it all. Also, does the departure of the Fairgames Creative Director count as catching failure early or late in the process? Hermen Hulst gave an interview discussing the failure of Concord and how they want to avoid that at all costs in the future. Plus, Marc has finished Donkey Kong Bananza, Sean keeps moseying along in Mafia: The Old Country, Xbox also has its own news with a Call of Duty movie in the works at Paramount, layoff fears at Candy Crush maker King, and Take-Two almost saved Perfect Dark, Nintendo b

Post Gamescom 2025, there are even more games coming soon, whether it be this holiday season or beyond into 2026. Perhaps the most anticipated title of all, Hollow Knight Silksong FINALLY has a release date and its soon on September 4. Is this giving Sean and Marc the itch to play the first one again? Are they excited about the game? And will it deliver on all the hype? Sean's also been playing Mafia: The Old Country, and Marc's also been checking out Donkey Kong Bananza, WWE 2K25, and has his first thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2 as well. Plus, Pete Parsons leaves Bungie, more news on the Xbox ROG Ally, what could be in the rumored September Nintendo Direct, and more on this edition of Video Games 2 the MAX! You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/Kn8Bgyo_1sI

On a day we don't normally do an episode, Sean and Marc discuss the Gamescom Opening Night Live event and which announcements they are excited about from the show. But also, was it something you really need to go out of your way to see? Plus, PlayStation 5 price increases in the USA, Shawn Layden says prices should already be $80 because they should have increased with each console generation, The Kirby Air Riders Direct, Helldivers 2 and HALO ODST are getting a collab, and much more on this shortened episode of Video Games 2 the MAXYou can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/fwN_bu7XTg4

Well, it was an interesting week for gaming with Nintendo unveiling their latest Indie World and the prize of that showcase was assuredly Mina the Hollower, and the best part was that a demo was availabe immediately, so Sean gave the game a whirl and he's defintely excited for October 31 to get here quickly. Also, Sony has fantastic PS5 sales, essentially putting them right in line with PS4 numbers, while their CFO makes some interesting statements regarding live service games and a "movement away from hardware and towards creation" that got hardcore gamers all kinds of nervous. Plus, Embracer brings back RedOctane. Are Guitar Rhythm games about to make a comeback? Microsoft cancels yet another game with Contraband getting the axe, and more! You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/lZjwATkwAcs

The beginning of a new month brings with it a sense of excitement about what lies ahead, while also putting the previous month's issues in the rear view. However, for Nintendo, there's one thing that seemingly will not go away, and that's the controversy regarding Game Key Cards. Physical game collectors like Marc are not happy about the half-measure that allows third-party publishers to save money, while somewhat providing a physical version of the game. Sean wonders if it really is as big a deal as everyone's making it out to be. Also, the duo also discusses the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, which seemingly lit a fire under the issue, as well as bringing another one about the lack of Switch 2 devkits too. Sean also played two demos from that direct the Adventures of Elliot and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, along with Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, while Marc finally got to check out Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.Plus, more Xbox games are coming to PlayStation amid good news regarding Xbox Game Pass and i

In a week full of news, there are standouts from each of the big three. A job listing includes Sony, multiplatform, and both Xbox and Nintendo? What's this all about, and does it really mean Sony is going to join Microsoft in bringing more of its games to more places? Or is this really just an extension of the live service initiative? Sean and Marc discuss the possibilities and do PlayStation fans need to get ready for the console wars to truly be meaningless? On the Xbox side of things, a major about-face comes as a surprise as the push towards $80 games is no more, at least for the time being, with the announcement that Outerworlds 2, Ninja Gaiden 4, and the rest of Xbox's holiday slate will go back to being $70. Will this spur a big batch of preorders for these games? Or should Microsoft have stuck to the original plan? Nintendo also got a major sales data boon as the Nintendo Switch 2 sold 1.6 million in the United States alone. Mario Kart World also performed super well, and even third-party titles like

It's safe to say that Sean has gone Bananas for Donkey Kong Bananza as he has impressions of the first weekend with the game. How fun is all the destruction? Do the transformations make it even better? And does it deserve the Game of the Year hype it is already getting? There are plenty of other things, mainly from the Xbox and Ubisoft side. Xbox adds games and features, along with perhaps even greenlighting Fallout 5 already? But did it come at a high cost? Sean and Marc discuss. Ubisoft also finally made it official with their first "Creative House" that puts their biggest franchises in a different company, while pretty much everything else stays with Ubisoft. What does it all mean? And does it really make a difference in the long run? Nintendo also cast its two leads for the 2027 Legend of Zelda live-action movie, the Mortal Kombat II Trailer dropped, Ubisoft has greenlit the Assassin's Creed live-action Netflix series, the saga continues for Subnautica 2, and much more on this episode of Video Games 2 the

After the shock of last week, the fallout from the major Xbox layoffs continues in a figurative and literal sense. It's come to light, thanks to Video Games Chronicle, that there are multiple Fallout Games in Development from Bethesda. But even with this report, can we have any faith in Microsoft and Xbox that these games will even come out? Why sales data for the last few months may cement the direction Xbox takes.Also, the Ghost of Yotei State of Play showcased how the game differs from Ghost of Tsushima, while it also retains many similarities to the game that preceded it. Is there too much focus on sequels needing to innovate or be different than the first game? Is it bad that a game is just "more of that?"Plus, a Donkey Kong movie could be one of the several film projects Nintendo has coming up, and does it diminish Sean's hype for the game that it was initially created for Switch 1? More concerning developments in Subnautica 2 development, and more!You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2

The warning was given by many last week, we discussed it, and on Wednesday, it happened. Microsoft 9,100 employees were laid off across all departments, with a sizeable chunk coming from the Xbox division. Sean and Marc discuss the fallout of it all, which includes the cancellation of Rare's Everwild, the closure of The Initiative studio, and the subsequent cancellation of its game, the Perfect Dark Reboot. There's even more, including the incredible downsizing of the Forza Motorsport studio, Turn-10 as well. Is Game Pass to blame? Is it the push towards AI? Is it mismanagement from executives? Has the Activision-Blizzard-King merger's spending come back to generate some revenue? We examine it all and try to make any sense of this, and will this ever reach a stopping point for Xbox? On another front, Sony's prize live service game, Helldivers 2, is headed to Xbox on August 26. Is this a sign of Sony following in Xbox's footsteps? Or is this a one-off case where a multiplayer game needs more players to keep th

We are officially at the halfway point of 2025, so of course, this means we need to take a look at the year so far and discuss our Best Games of 2025 So Far, with Sean, Marc, and Randy Isbelle coming back on for this episode. Perhaps the biggest reason for having Randy on this week is that the sequel to one of his favorite games, Death Stranding 2, has been released, and Randy gives the lowdown on what's new and if it is even better than the first game. Is this Hideo Kojima's new masterpiece? Also, is Xbox Dead as far as the console? Will their next console follow in the same vein as the ROG Xbox Ally? Or are statements by former Microsoft employees just showcasing their dislike for Xbox's current strategy? Plus, does Sony have the best subscription service in its current form? Are we excited by the return of an EA Sports College Basketball game? Is Randy excited by what was shown for Resident Evil Requiem at the Capcom Showcase? All of this and more on this episode of Video Games 2 the MAX. You can also wat

In one of the more jam-packed weeks of news in recent memory, between PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, there is a lot for Sean and Marc to get through in this episode of Video Games 2 the MAX. This includes Sony reportedly being interested in acquiring not only HBO Max and the major Warner Bros IP, such as DC, Harry Potter, but also the gaming assets like Mortal Kombat, the Batman games, and much more. Could this finally give Sony its chance to have an even greater influence in so many industries, and does it really make sense for this to happen? Microsoft also made a major announcement that they've once again partnered with AMD to not only continue the current line of things, but also to make future consoles, handhelds, cloud devices, and more. Does this mean we could once again get future consoles? And what does this mean for the idea of a platform-agnostic future? Does this include Xbox backwards compatibility? Plus, Sean has thoughts on Sloclap's Soccer Multiplayer game, Rematch. Nintendo puts out big new

In a week where neither Sean nor Marc has a lot going on the gaming front, they look towards the current to try to examine the future. PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox are all having success in their own ways, but which one is the ultimate winning strategy? Could it in fact be PlayStation? Sean and Marc discuss it. Also, aside from PlayStation's business summit news, there's also major news on Nintendo Switch 2 sales, along with announcements for the next Nintendo Direct, and an update to Splatoon 3. Plus, Borderlands 4 will be $70, Sony Bend suffers layoffs, FBC Firebreak will have free updates throughout the year and beyond, and more! You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/b2jNuD9bG2g

We are back once again as Summer Game Fest winds down with perhaps the biggest one of them all, the Xbox Games Showcase 2025. Did it take the crown as the best showcase of the entire event for the third year running? Or did it come crashing down with a wimper? Sean and Marc discuss the games and if the unveiling of the Xbox ROG Ally and Xbox ROG Ally X can provide enough to convince gamers to buy it? The duo also discusses their favorite games of SGF, and Marc talks about his time playing the Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster. You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/UuMyo3moexI