Phantom Blade Zero Is NOT a Soulslike! - Swapping Joysticks #196

Ed wasn’t sold on the Ocarina of Time remake when Nintendo first showed it, but playing it changed his mind. Joesephyr joins us to talk about what the remake gets right, Ben’s first week in World of Warcraft Forever, and why Ed can’t stop playing Final Fantasy Resonance. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:21 Intro 00:51 Meet Joesephyr 12:24 Avenue Q & Theatre Etiquette 19:17 The Street Fighter Movie 25:28 World of Warcraft Forever 28:41 GTA 6 & Classic GTA 40:10 The Ocarina of Time Remake 01:09:41 Final Fantasy Resonance 01:18:24 Which Game Franchises Always Get Another Chance? 01:32:05 Outro ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com ▼ Joesephyr’s links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - https://twitch.tv/joesephyr ● Follow on Instagram - https://instagram.com/joesephyr ▼ Ben’s links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus ▼ Ed’s links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social

Ed’s loving Phantom Blade Zero, but he’s got a few things to say about people calling it a Soulslike. Plus, we disagree about friend slop, catch up on Final Fantasy, and look ahead to November’s biggest games. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:26 Intro 03:07 Gym Hanger & Supermarket Arguments 05:51 Godzilla & TV Chat 10:48 Phantom Blade Zero 28:21 Final Fantasy Resonance 29:47 Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold 38:13 Friend Slop: PEAK, Finals Week & R.E.P.O. 48:00 What Have You Been Playing? 01:01:30 November’s New Games 01:03:00 World of Warcraft Forever & Character Names 01:12:31 Zelda, GTA 6 & More November Releases 01:19:38 Outro ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com ▼ Ben's links ▼ Twitch: http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social  Instagram: http://instagram.com/biggusbennus  Discord: http://discord.gg/biggusbennus  ▼ Ed's links ▼ Twitch: http://twitch.tv/ed_nights  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social 

With BioWare closing, we chat about what fans can look forward to, including Exodus and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. Plus, Ed’s hooked on Final Fantasy Resonance, has finished Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, and apparently doesn’t think reading manga counts as reading. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:26 Intro 02:35 Martin Guerre 08:49 Death Note, Manga & Audiobooks 19:38 We're Moving House 21:17 Ed's Elden Ring Book 26:23 Final Fantasy Resonance 39:28 Phantom Blade Zero 41:37 Castlevania: Belmont's Curse 55:51 BioWare & the Future of Mass Effect 01:18:14 What Game Would You Write a Book About? #BioWare #MassEffect #FinalFantasy #Castlevania #GamingPodcast ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com ▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus ▼ Ed's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social

DomsRoundtable joins us this week as Ben shares his latest obsession, Planet Zoo 2, which has been keeping him up until the early hours. But with the game receiving a mixed reception, is the criticism justified? We discuss what's changed from the original, why some players are frustrated and what makes it so difficult to put down. Ed's also been playing Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, and we get into Star Wars Galactic Racer, the best games of 2026, Steam Next Fest and whether GTA 6 is worth buying on day one. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:29 Intro & DomsRoundtable 02:45 Star Wars Galactic Racer 07:44 Steam Next Fest 13:00 My Arms Are Longer Now 15:17 Jackbox Party Pack 12 21:14 The Blood of Dawnwalker & Onimusha 23:50 Best Games of 2026 29:43 Planet Zoo 2 53:52 Castlevania: Belmont's Curse 01:06:36 GTA 6 & Upcoming Games 01:11:35 Buying Games at Launch Planet Zoo 2 review copy kindly provided by Frontier. ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com  ▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus  ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social  ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus  ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus  ▼ Ed's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights  ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social  ▼ DomsRoundtable ▼ ● YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@DomsRoundtable 

This week, we're both playing Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, but is it too easy, and does it take far too long to get going? Ben's finally finished The Blood of Dawnwalker and gives his verdict after 45 YouTube episodes, while Ed's looking forward to Phantom Blade Zero. We also chat about Dragon's Dogma, the frustrations of PC gaming, the return of Ben's Minecraft server and whether the Rides and Relics DLC for Two Point Museum is secretly a test run for a theme park game. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:29 Intro 09:03 Gears of War and PC gaming 12:27 Dragon's Dogma 19:55 Upcoming games and Phantom Blade Zero 20:46 Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave 31:45 The Blood of Dawnwalker 49:22 Minecraft 52:16 Two Point Museum: Rides and Relics DLC 01:02:53 Minecraft Dungeons 2   ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com  ▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus  ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social  ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus  ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus ▼ Ed's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights  ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social 

We've both been playing Star Wars: Galactic Racer, and it seems that mixing Star Wars, Burnout and a roguelite is very much our thing. Ed has also finished Control Resonant and has plenty to say about what worked and what really didn't, we've tried the Castlevania: Belmont's Curse demo, and we ask how many hours a game needs to give us to feel worth the money. Plus, Ed went to a Sonic concert and Ben's music taste gets a thorough inspection. 00:00 Intro and Ben's music taste 09:18 Ed's Sonic concert 16:55 Star Wars: Galactic Racer 37:07 Our Game of the Year contenders 45:21 Castlevania: Belmont's Curse 50:25 Control Resonant (includes spoilers) 1:06:36 How long should games be? 1:26:29 Outro ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com ▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Twitch: http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus ● Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.com

This week, Ed's been playing Control Resonant and has a few things to say about it, while Ben's very excited about the Destiny 2 news. We also went to Xbox FanFest (and missed out on playing Fable), Ed's seen the new Resident Evil film, and we look ahead to the games coming out in October. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:25 Intro 00:45 Xbox FanFest and Fable 18:44 Resident Evil 29:26 Control Resonant 53:35 Fire Emblem 57:00 Destiny 2 01:11:00 Our favourite and least favourite gaming trends 01:26:41 October's biggest game releases 01:35:00 Outro ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com  ▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus  ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social  ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus  ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus  ▼ Ed's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights  ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social 

This week, Ed’s almost finished Wolverine and has some strong thoughts on whether it actually lives up to the hype, while Ben can’t stop playing Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and has jumped into World of Warcraft Forever. We also get into the never-ending discourse around game reviews and critics, and look back at some of the best - and worst - video games based on films and TV shows. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:28 Intro 07:35 Wolverine 20:32 Game reviews and critics 28:44 Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave 39:15 World of Warcraft Forever 55:50 Ed’s name is in a game! 57:06 The best and worst movie & TV games 01:08:00 What we’re playing next 01:10:41 Outro #Wolverine #FireEmblem #WorldOfWarcraft #GamingPodcast ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com ▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus ▼ Ed's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social

This week, Ed’s finished Onimusha: Way of the Sword after spending far too long fighting its final boss, while Ben’s still loving The Blood of Dawnwalker and experimenting with its day and night quests. We also chat Blizzard’s latest announcements, Nintendo’s latest Direct and why Ed really isn’t happy with the Ocarina of Time remake. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:28 Intro 22:02 Onimusha: Way of the Sword 32:37 The Final Boss From Hell 44:12 The Blood of Dawnwalker 58:51 Blizzard announcements 01:18:32 Nintendo Direct 01:27:58 The Legend of Zelda Direct 01:29:04 Ocarina of Time remake Find all previous episodes of Swapping Joysticks at https://swappingjoysticks.com  

This week, Ed’s been loving Onimusha: Way of the Sword, while Ben's been getting stuck into The Blood of Dawnwalker and discovering that becoming a vampire does terrible things to his usual moral compass. We also chat Star Wars Zero Company, Final Fantasy Resonance, Exodus, PlayStation’s latest State of Play and somehow end up arguing about the N64 controller. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:28 Intro 01:04 What we've been up to 16:01 Onimusha: Way of the Sword 26:10 Star Wars Zero Company 34:12 PlayStation State of Play 38:38 Final Fantasy Resonance 46:44 The Blood of Dawnwalker 57:33 Exodus 01:11:08 The worst controller ever?   ▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com ▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus ▼ Ed's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social