4Player Podcast #842 - The Smooth Body Show (Donkey Kong Bananza, Luto, Promise Mascot Agency, and More!)

What is there to say? Hollow Knight Silksong is out and we have played a bunch of it. In fact, the game is so good that it brought Ed out of hiding and onto the podcast for the first time since our 2025 Fantasy Critic Draft! After slobbing all over Silksong, we take some time to recap this week's big Nintendo Direct and the abundance of announcements thaat continue to make 2025 one of the wildest years for gaming ever! Metroid Prime 4 and Hades 2 have new release dates and the next Fire Emblem is lookin hot.  Banter - Catching up with Ed (7:20) Impressions - Hollow Knight Silksong (18:20) News - Nintendo Direct Recap (1:09:40) 4Player Minute (1:29:55)

As the clock ticks down toward the looming release of Hollow Knight Silksong, we say goodbye to a bygone era. Strangely enough, that era ends with us revisiting three established franchises with vastly different approaches to modernization. Nick and Chris Davis talk about the impressive - but slightly unambitious - remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Brad delves into Shinobi: Art of Vengeance which has reinvented the franchise with a shift of genre and a beautiful new coat of paint. Meanwhile, Krispy declares No Man's Sky: Voyagers to be the ultimate expansion which softens the barrier-to-entry and out Starfield's Starfield. Impressions - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (12:10) Impressions - Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (45:15) Impressions - No Man's Sky: Voyagers (1:00:40) 4Player Minute (1:18:00)

This is not a drill. Hollow Knight Silksong not only has a release date... It's NEXT WEEK! As exciting as that is, we have to deal with the here and now. Brad tries his best to talk about Sword of the Sea without mentioning Journey but fails miserably. Nick delves into Heartworm, a 2025 indie horror game that harkens back to the days of PS1-era survival horror and Chris Davis continues his recent love affair with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 but focuses on the campaign this week. With a little Lumines Arise (Demo), Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, and some Deadlock Beta impressions sprinkled throughout, you've got yourself a podcast. News - Hollow Knight Silksong Release Date Announced (12:00) Impressions - Sword of the Sea (21:40) Impressions - Heartworm (34:40) Impressions - Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (43:55) Impressions - Lumines Arise Demo (1:03:00) 4Player Minute / Deadlock Impressions (1:26:50)

Gamescom 2025 kicked off this week in Germany so we devoted most of this episode to recapping the news and announcements coming out of the Opening Night Live ceremony! This includes updates for highly anticipated games like Routine, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Resident Evil Requiem, and more! Believe it or not, there is also big news to report regarding Hollow Knight Silksong and Bioshock 4! Brad squeezes in some impressions of Fumes; a car combat game in early access which scratched his Twisted Metal itch (kinda). News - Hollow Knight Silksong Updates (10:45) News - Bioshock 4 Development Shakeup (23:10) News - Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 Recap (28:40) Impressions - Fumes (1:12:30) 4Player Minute (1:24:40)

Nick's making random gaming decisions again but it gives us a chance to revisit Octopath Traveler II; An RPG that didn't get a ton of coverage from us when it first released. Before the onslaught of AAA releases hits, Brad keeps the flow of indie darlings flowing. This week, he talks about Ooo and Is this Seat Taken; both of which are worth  your attention albeit for very different reasons. Of course, Chris Davis is coming in hot with his in-depth impressions of the Battlefield 6 Beta! Impressions - Octopath Traveler 2 (8:50) Impressions - Ooo (16:00) Impressions - Is this Seat Taken? (23:42) Impressions - Battlefield 6 Beta (41:00) 4Player Minute (1:04:00)

We're coming in hot this week! You may not know this but 2025 is the year of the ninja! Brad brings his thoughts on two new 2D entries in classic ninja franchises: Ninja Gaiden Ragebound and the demo for the upcoming Shinobi: Art of Vengeance! Nick digs a little deeper into Donkey Kong Bananza which might go down as the best "baby-game" ever made. Chris Davis gives his final thoughts on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 along with footage that will haunt Brad's nightmares.  Impressions - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound (4:00) Impressions - Shinobi: Art of Vengeance Demo (12:35) Impressions - Donkey Kong Bananza (23:15) Impressions - Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 (38:00)

This week brings MORE Superman chit-chat now that our resident comic-book expert has seen the film! Brad talks about Promise Mascot Agency which feels like a bizarre mini-game ripped straight out of Yakuza. Of course, we also dig into Donkey Kong Bananza; The Nintendo Switch 2's first "killer app!" Nick also delivers early impressions of Luto which feels like a bizarre cross between PT and The Stanley Parable. There's loads to talk about but for some reason, Chris Davis didn't bring us footage of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4! WTF? Film Banter (2:00) Impressions - Promise Mascot Agency (12:00) Impressions - Donkey Kong Bananza (28:00) Impressions - Luto (57:20) Impressions - Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 + 4 (1:07:00) 4Player Minute (1:18:10)

It's a week of highs and lows! Unfortunately, Xbox was hit with another wave of layoffs and high-profile cancellations including the likes of Perfect Dark and Everwild. It's not all bad news bears though. We cover the new Superman movie, revisit The Wonderful 101, and delve deeper into the insane and wonderful world of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach! Chris Davis also played... The Thing Remastered(?!).  Film Banter - Superman (4:40) News - Xbox Layoffs and Cancellations (12:10) Impressions - The Thing Remastered (39:00) Impressions - The Wonderful 101 (44:20) Impressions - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach (1:04:00) 4Player Minute (1:42:50)

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)