🎮 EPISODE 385 – Ghost of Yōtei Hype and the Future of PS Plus

Fred’s 40 hours deep into Death Stranding 2, Jake’s has finally ripped through Doom: The Dark Ages, Bought Death Stranding 2 and started Lies of P and we’re back with a fully loaded episode. We break down the biggest PlayStation stories of the week — starting with speculation around Cory Barlog’s next project. Is it more God of War or something entirely different?

We also tee up the Ghost of Yōtei gameplay reveal and talk expectations for Sucker Punch’s next samurai epic. Then we celebrate 15 years of PlayStation Plus and debate what Sony needs to do to keep the service feeling fresh — especially as Cyberpunk 2077 drops into the Game Catalog. We also talk about Sony’s confirmed shift away from PS4 support on PS Plus in 2026.

Plus, we run through this week’s new PSN drops, including Ready or Not, Neon Needles, and Neverwinter Nights 2: Enhanced Edition.

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Fred’s neck-deep in Death Stranding 2, Jake’s still playing Doom The Dark Ages. In the news: Neil Druckmann is stepping away from The Last of Us Season 3 to focus on Naughty Dog, but he’s still playing games—Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 blew his mind, and it might be a GOTY dark horse.

Also: Forza Motorsport may have stalled out for good as Turn 10 gets gutted and GT7 keeps cruising. Helldivers 2 jumping to Xbox has the PS5 crowd split, and a new Mafia: The Old Country gameplay drop has serious Uncharted energy. Plus, over a million gamers want to stop the industry from killing off old games, but publishers aren’t exactly on board.

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Custom Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker: Receive an exclusive custom die-cut vinyl sticker featuring our podcast's unique design. Showcase your support with this limited-edition collectible.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

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383 - PS6 is Coming, What We Know and What We Want.

We're back after a short break—thanks for hanging in there with us! In Episode 383, we unpack Sony’s surprise PS6 confirmation and talk about what machine learning and local power could mean for the next generation of PlayStation. Fred shares his thoughts on Car Mechanic Simulator and dives into Death Stranding 2, which he is absolutely ALL IN on, while Jake’s used his Steam Deck while in Italy and played Super Mario World. We also break down this month’s PS Plus lineup, System Shock 2’s incoming remaster, new life in Red Dead Online, and what’s dropping on PS5 this week. No listener feedback this time, but we’ve got a packed episode full of the good stuff.

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Personalized Shoutout: As a token of our gratitude for your support, we'll give you a special shout out during one of our podcast episodes, acknowledging your contribution and dedication to our show.

Custom Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker: Receive an exclusive custom die-cut vinyl sticker featuring our podcast's unique design. Showcase your support with this limited-edition collectible.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.

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Episode 382: Witcher 4 Shines, Gears Lands on PS5, and MindsEye Crashes Hard

Fred wraps up The Lakehouse DLC for Alan Wake II and dives into the high-voltage chaos of Evil West, while Jake continues his trek with Doom The Dark Ages and also playing lots of different things on his Steam Deck, including the Hell is Us demoop[pop[p. We kick things off by thanking a longtime listener for a surprise gift, then dive into a wild week of PlayStation news.

CD Projekt RED stuns with a Witcher 4 tech demo running at 60fps on PS5—but not everything is as it seems. Gears of War officially makes its PlayStation debut with Reloaded running smooth on PS5 Pro, while MindsEye hits the console like a flaming meteor, prompting Sony to issue rare refunds just days after launch.

We also discuss the upcoming Silent Hill remake, the record-shattering launch of Switch 2 in Japan, SAG-AFTRA’s tentative victory over AI in game voiceovers, and a stacked lineup of new PS5 releases—plus some very weird dating sims. It's a packed episode filled with big shifts, bigger surprises, and the usual dose of sarcasm and insight.

Let’s Dive In!

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Custom Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker: Receive an exclusive custom die-cut vinyl sticker featuring our podcast's unique design. Showcase your support with this limited-edition collectible.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.

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Episode 381 – Summer Game Fest Things, Night Springs, and Big Swings

Fred’s back in the spooky saddle after diving into the Alan Wake II DLCs—he’s completed Night Springs and has just cracked open The Lakehouse. Meanwhile, Jake rolled credits on Expedition 33 and while the ending didn’t totally land for him, the journey was strong enough to make it one of his recent favorites. He also dipped into Doom: The Dark Ages, because of course he did.

This week, we take a deep breath and unpack Summer Game Fest 2025. From the hype around sequels like Resident Evil: Requiem and Atomic Heart 2, to the weirdly compelling ILL and Reddit darling Stranger Than Heaven, the show had a little something for everyone—or maybe too much of everything. We talk about the odd bait-and-switch with Capcom’s teaser, how ILL might be more tech demo than game, and whether Atomic Heart really needed a multiplayer spin-off called The Cube.

We also take stock of upcoming DLCs (Lies of P: Overture, 007: First Light), roster updates (Street Fighter 6), and stylish indies like Mixtape, Blighted, End of Abyss, and Scott Pilgrim EX. Some reveals had us curious—like Onimusha Way of the Sword and Jurassic World Evolution 3—while others, like Sonic Racing: Crosswinds and the Marvel DLC, barely got a shrug.

Then it’s on to the PS5 flood that came from the Xbox Showcase of all places—Persona 4 Remake, The Outer Worlds 2, Gears of War Reloaded, Ninja Gaiden 4, Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster, Metal Gear Solid Delta, and 007 First Light all made strong showings. Sprinkle in Astro Bot, Thief VR, and a few curveballs like PAC-MAN in Hot Shots Golf and you’ve got a showcase that left us wondering if Xbox accidentally threw a better PS event than Sony’s recent State of Play (Which we also discuss)

We wrap things up with the latest releases, including the Alien Hominid double drop, MindsEye finally hitting shelves, and newcomers like The Alters, Wizard of Legend 2, and Zombie Army VR shaking things up. Whether you’re into body horror, magical roguelites, or cloning alternate versions of yourself to survive, it’s a packed week.

Let’s get into it.

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Custom Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker: Receive an exclusive custom die-cut vinyl sticker featuring our podcast's unique design. Showcase your support with this limited-edition collectible.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.

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Episode 380 – “Gandalf, Game Fest, and Getting to the End”

Fred finally put a bow on Octopath Traveler II, clocking in at a hefty 76 hours. He’s now stuck in that post-game limbo, unsure what to dive into next—and somewhere along the way, he saw Gandalf, which we’ll unpack. Jake, meanwhile, is still going strong in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, now 31 hours deep and not letting up.

Listener feedback this week was short but sweet. Big Box gave us props for our thumbnail game, and 1blktalon chimed in with a time-stamped shoutout for Jake’s "Amen" moment from Episode 378, also weighing in on Jade Raymond. Appreciate the love—and the laughs.

As for the news, Summer Game Fest 2025 is right around the corner. Geoff Keighley will host on June 6th, and PlayStation is officially on board as a partner. Expect big reveals, including WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, and a post-show indie showcase from Day of the Devs. Meanwhile, IO Interactive is gearing up to unveil 007 First Light during their own showcase the same day, teasing Bond’s origin story with the tagline "Earn the number."

CD Projekt Red is offering a first look at the tech behind The Witcher 4 at the State of Unreal on June 3rd, showing off what Unreal Engine 5 will bring to the franchise. Tango Gameworks is back in action too—thanks to KRAFTON—and already hiring for a new action project following their reboot.

Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will get the spotlight during a June 8th live event hosted by Keighley, with a gameplay demo and surprise guests promised. In less celebratory news, Borderlands 4 found itself in hot water after Randy Pitchford suggested that “real fans” would pay $80 for the game. After backlash, he walked the statement back with a public apology.

Also this week, we learned that The Order 1886 was originally meant to be a trilogy—plans for The Order 1891 and 1899 were scrapped after poor reviews and the eventual closure of Ready at Dawn. A small nod lives on in Astro Bot, where Sir Galahad appears as a collectible.

And finally, MindsEye continues to stir controversy. Developer Mark Gerhard blames targeted attacks and bots for the game’s rocky reception. Whether that’s true or not, the game launches June 10th, so we’ll see for ourselves soon enough.

Let’s get into it.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.

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***AUDIO ISSUES IN THIS EPISODE***

We apologize in advance. Our recording software messed up. Listen to our other episodes to hear the quality we typically bring. This is not a representative episode. Apologies to our listener.

Episode 379 – “Final Boss Breakdown”

Fred’s well over 70 hours into Octopath Traveler II and stuck on the true final boss—his patience is wearing thin, and if this boss doesn’t go down soon, he’s threatening to leap off a cliff. Meanwhile, Jake’s still deep in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and holding off on DOOM: The Dark Ages until he wraps up that beautifully strange ride.

We did get some listener feedback this week, mostly someone roasting us for using AI. (Fair enough—we're still humans with mics, we promise.)

In the news, the June PS Plus titles were announced and it’s a stacked lineup: NBA 2K25, Alone in the Dark, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, and Destiny 2: The Final Shape (dropping May 28). Also this week, the FTC officially dropped its long-standing challenge against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft is calling it a win for players and, in a timely coincidence, Hellblade 2 has been confirmed for a PS5 release.

There’s talk of a State of Play hitting in June, though insiders say it’ll be smaller in scale and likely follow Summer Game Fest. Sony also announced it’s shutting down the PlayStation Stars rewards program, which honestly never really took off. New signups are done, and it’ll fully close in November 2026.

Elsewhere, Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel—codenamed Orion—will return to Night City and introduce a gritty new setting described as “Chicago gone wrong.” And in weird news, Clair Obscur has somehow sold 3.3 million copies in 33 days. Is this real life?

Lastly, if you’re hardware shopping, Sony is dropping $50 off the PS5 Pro through June 11th via PlayStation Direct.

Good time to jump in.

By joining our Patreon community for ONLY $1.00 per month, you'll also enjoy these exclusive benefits:

Early Access: Be the first to listen to our episodes as soon as they're ready. Get ahead of the game and dive into the latest news, reviews, and discussions.

Personalized Shoutout: As a token of our gratitude for your support, we'll give you a special shout out during one of our podcast episodes, acknowledging your contribution and dedication to our show.

Custom Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker: Receive an exclusive custom die-cut vinyl sticker featuring our podcast's unique design. Showcase your support with this limited-edition collectible.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.

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EPISODE 378: Bungie in Crisis, Kojima’s Legacy, and a Ton of Games!

Fred is 68 hours into Octopath Traveler II with just two storylines left to go, while Jake is still exploring Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. No listener feedback this week, but the news is pretty loaded.

Bungie is facing some serious trouble with their upcoming game Marathon. They discovered plagiarized art assets in the alpha build, which led to scrapping the planned gameplay reveal. The team morale is tanking, and now there’s a big question mark over whether they’ll make their September release. On the Sony side, Jade Raymond recently left Haven Studios, the team behind Fairgames. This came after some internal concerns and delays pushed Fairgames into a 2026 release. It definitely adds to the uncertainty around Sony’s live-service plans, which have had a rough ride lately.

Over at SNK, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves didn’t hit the mark, and their CEO has stepped down. Meanwhile, Hideo Kojima is thinking long term—he’s given his assistant a USB stick full of creative ideas, almost like a will, to keep Kojima Productions going strong when he’s no longer around. Kojima’s also pleased that Death Stranding 2 is scoring higher in internal reviews than the first game, though he admits he prefers more divisive feedback. He’s all about bold storytelling and isn’t interested in playing it safe.

And get ready for a huge wave of new games dropping this week. There’s RoadCraft, a disaster recovery sim from the makers of MudRunner; the classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy finally coming to PS5; and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, a rogue-like ninja adventure. If you’re into quirky stuff, Duck Detective has two new cases where you play as a down-on-his-luck duck detective solving mysteries. There’s also a mix of retro platformers, deckbuilders, action RPGs, VR zombie shooters, samurai remasters, and even a dark fantasy open-world RPG called Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. It’s quite a lineup!

By joining our Patreon community for ONLY $1.00 per month, you'll also enjoy these exclusive benefits:

Early Access: Be the first to listen to our episodes as soon as they're ready. Get ahead of the game and dive into the latest news, reviews, and discussions.

Personalized Shoutout: As a token of our gratitude for your support, we'll give you a special shout out during one of our podcast episodes, acknowledging your contribution and dedication to our show.

Custom Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker: Receive an exclusive custom die-cut vinyl sticker featuring our podcast's unique design. Showcase your support with this limited-edition collectible.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.

http://www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.