4Player Podcast #832 - The Tax Evasion Show (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, Marathon Alpha, and More!)

Before diving into the depths of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, we take a detour to return to Blue Prince now that Nick has given himself to the game. Brad talks about the new Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update and highlights Chronicles of the Wolf; a well made homage to classic Castlevania. Chris Davis surprises the group with a game off his extensive backlog (**It's Okami**) and Krispy hit the road recently so he got to spend some time with Mario Kart World, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Unicorn Overlord on his Nintendo Switch 2! So many video games, so little time...  Impressions - Blue Prince (3:00) Impressions - Chronicles of the Wolf (21:20) Impressions - Monster Hunter Wilds - Title Update 2  (32:00) Impressions - Okami (43:30) Impressions - Nintendo Switch 2 including Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Mario Kart World, and Unicorn Overlord (1:01:15) Impressions - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (1:17:00) 4Player Minute (1:34:00)

We're basically half way through 2025 so we brought back the Top 3 podcast this week to talk about the games that have our attention in the 2nd half of the year. We each run through our personal Top 3 most anticiapted games in the first half and then we do a bonus round in the back half that focuses on our more unexpected choices. All-in-all, this episode highlights 18 GAMES (technically 19) that we think you should be paying attention to in the coming months - Both big and small! Segment 1 - Our top 3 most anticipated games of 2025 | The big ones (1:00) Segment 2 - Our top 3 most anticipated games of 2025 | The odd ones (1:10:40)

A lot has transpired in the world of gaming since our last recording. Summer Game Fest brought us a bundle of exciting announcements - including Resident Evil Requiem - and the Nintendo Switch 2 officially launched! We give some initial thoughts on the new hardware and Mario Kart World and do a quick recap of the SGF highlights. On top of that, Krispy takes us on a deep dive into Dune: Awakening, Chris Davis talks The Precinct, and Brad talks about exciting new demos for Mina the Hollower, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Absolum, and Baby Steps! Impressions - Dune: Awakening (9:20) Impressions - Demos: Mina the Hollower, Absolum, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, & Baby Steps (37:50) Impressions - The Precinct (1:31:05) Impressions - Mario Kart World + Nintendo Switch 2 (1:27:00) News - Resident Evil Requiem Announcement (1:45:50) News - Summer Games Fest Recap (2:03:00)

With E3 a thing of the past, Brad officially dubs early June as "Gamer Hanukkah" (more commonly known as Summer Game Fest) - A week (or more) long celebration of the gaming industry that comes with a boat load of big gaming announcements and reveals! We devote the entire first segment to talking about our expectations and dreams for the event, including the possible reveals for Resident Evil 9, a remake of Final Fantasy Tactics, IO Interactive's new James Bond game (Now titled "First Light"), and more! In the second segment, Brad talks about Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo - a game that might quell the wait for Mina the Hollower - and Chris Davis brings impressions of two new (and upcoming) indie games: Deliver at all Costs and Hell is Us (demo). Discussion - Summer Game Fest Predictions (1:25) Impressions - Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo (53:50) Impressions - Deliver at all Costs (1:12:40) Impressions - Hell is Us Demo (1:29:10) 4Player Minute (1:42:40)

Brad's home has been invaded by Covid once again but not even that can stop Brad from digging into the hotly anticipated new deck-builder, Monster Train 2! Nick shovels more "Nick-slop" in the form of lo-fi indie horror game, Labyrinth of the Demon King and Chris Davis delves deeper into DOOM: The Dark Ages! We also talk Mission Impossible and try our best to convince Krispy to play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33!  Banter - Movie Talk (2:25) Impressions - Monster Train 2 (18:50) Impressions - Labyrinth of the Demon King (38:05) Impressions - DOOM: The Dark Ages (47:00) Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (1:08:35) 4Player Minute (1:22:20)

Don't let the episode title fool you, it's not all doom and gloom this week... DOOM: The Dark Ages is out and we dig into what it gets right and wrong; Regardless of it's faults, it's still great to see DOOM thriving in the year of our (dark) lord, 2025. Brad suspects that Mercury Steam may have lucked into creating a hidden gem with their latest IP, Blades of Fire, and Krispy can't say enough great things about Skin Deep (Blendo Games new joint). **Please Note there that there is a hiccup in Brad's audio in the 2nd segment around the 1-hour mark that doesn't get resolved for approx 20 minutes. We apologize for the error... It was TOTALLY NOT NICK'S FAULT** Impressions - Blades of Fire (12:46) Impressions - DOOM: The Dark Ages (30:35) Impressions - Skin Deep (1:00:05) 4Player Minute (1:20:20)

Next week is gonna be big but the calm before the storm comes in the form of more in-depth impressions of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; An undeniably impressive RPG for the modern age that wears nostalgia on it's sleeve. Brad makes a strong case for playing Bionic Bay and Nick talks about the experience of replaying The Last of Us: Part II alongside season 2 of the HBO adaptation. Of course, we also take a moment to celebrate Giant Bomb's newfound independence in the wake of last week's game's media calamity.  Discussion - But what DOES Chris Davis watch? (9:54) Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (24:55) Impressions - Bionic Bay (44:20) News - Giant Bomb Reclaims it's Independence! (55:28) 4Player Minute (1:09:00)  

On Brad's birthday episode, we talk about games journalism being culled in the name of "brand safety" - a concept completely foreign to us here at 4Player. We also dissect the shiny new trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, analyze some outrageous claims from Chris Davis that relate to our Game of the Year lists, and let Brad get his nerd on when talking about StarVaders. Discussion - Ongoing 'The Last of Us' HBO impressions (2:35) Impressions - Warframe (11:50) Impressions - StarVaders (21:15) Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 + GOAT List Controversy (39:30) News - Reactions to the 'Grand Theft Auto VI' Trailer (1:04:20) News - Games Jounalism (and all Media) is Under Fire Once Again (1:16:20) 4Player Minute (1:34:30)

This Week on the Show: Discussion - Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order Chaos (4:05) Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (15:15) Impressions - Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (56:50) Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (1:09:50) Impressions - Marathon Alpha (1:23:20) 4Player Minute (1:34:30)

This week's discussion topics:  First Thoughts - The Last of Us Season 2 (7:55) Impressions - Nubby's Number Factory (15:40) Impressions - South of Midnight (27:20) News - Nintendo Switch 2 price expected to rise due to tariffs (46:50) Impressions - Blue Prince (53:52) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:25:40) 4Player Minute (1:43:00)