This week on Beyond, we're catching up on new Final Fantasy XVI reveals as well as Dead Island 2's impending release and our recent review on it! Colin Stevens joins Max Scoville and Jada Griffin, looking back on 10 bizarre PlayStation products you may or may not have owned. Also, with Dreams set to end future support, what will that mean for the community? Could they possibly have something else cooking in place of it? There's much to remember about this excellent sandbox of creativity. We trust Media Molecule is working on something great behind the scenes. 

In this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, the crew discusses Sony's new controller patent that looks absolutely bonkers... and we LOVE it! But that isn't the end of weird hardware Sony is planning to put out. We also dive into rumors about a new Sony handheld dubbed the "Q Lite" and why we hope it isn't real. We continue the RE4 Remake madness with thoughts on Mercenaries and what's missing. And finally, if you're looking forward to new indies comping to PlayStation, Jada talks about her hands-on time with a handful of them after attending GDC! It's a packed episode full of chaos, so don't miss it!

00:00:00 - Intro & Sony's Latest Patents

00:16:33 - What's with the Sony Handheld Rumors?

00:29:32 - What's Missing from RE4 Remake's Mercenaries Mode?

00:41:20 - Why the RE4 Merchant Rules

00:46:00 - 6 Reasons the Duke is Actually Better than the Merchant

00:56:42 - Meet Your Maker & Other Indies

01:17:33 - Outro

In this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, IGN's John Davison joins Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du to reminisce about their favorite moments of E3. Is this the last we'll ever see what was once the biggest video game event of the year? We also discuss some Souls-likes on the horizon including The Lords of the Fallen and Remnant II. Will they live up to the hype? Only time will tell. Also, what's the deal with the TMNT - The Last Ronin game? How will it compare to God of War which it is supposedly inspired by? Share your thoughts in the comments!

In this episode of Podcast Beyond, it's a Resident Evil 4 Remake extravaganza! Max, Brian, and Jada have played the game from beginning to end (in Brian's case, several times), and they have some thoughts. Brian's gonna wax nostalgic about the content cut from the original game, and Max has a little game for the crew the play. Beyond!00:00:00 Intro

00:01:15 How is Jada enjoying her PSVR 2?

00:12:18 Resident Evil 4 talk

00:27:14 Cut content from RE4

00:34:38 Max's RE4 sound effects challenge

00:38:31 RE4's Hollywood connection

00:45:35 A very long outro

In this episode of Podcast Beyond, IGN's flagship PlayStation show, our crew welcomes special guest Simon Cardy from IGN UK. We dive into the idea of a PlayStation 5 Pro and debate its potential appeal. Would a PS5 Slim be a more attractive option? Also, Max shares his experience with the upcoming, wholesome Breath of the Wild-like game, Tchia and we dive into Diablo 4 Beta Impressions. Don't miss this jam packed episode!

00:00:10 - Intro00:03:23 - Do We Want the PlayStation 5 Pro/Slim?00:19:13 - The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR Impressions00:28:13 - Tchia Gameplay Impressions Look Good!00:38:56 - Diablo IV Beta00:47:50 - VR Not Amused & Outro

HBO’s The Last of Us Season 1 has come to an end and the Podcast Beyond crew dives into everything that made the episode so great. The Last of Us Episode 9 takes us through the finale of Part 1’s story, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re entering SPOILER territory! But for those that have seen it, the question as to whether or not the series lived up to the game’s ending will naturally come up. Let’s talk about it! Plus, Jada has spent a lot of time with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and fills us in on her favorite things about the game. And speaking of favorites and games…? The PlayStation Store is having a big sale! While it’s easy to just list off the biggest popular games you can pick up for chicken strips, we wanted to touch on lesser known titles to make sure you aren’t missing out on some gems!

00:00:10 - Intro & The Last of Us Episode 9 Reactions

00:21:52 - Dead Island 2 is Coming!

00:28:10 - Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Impressions

00:32:00 - Akeem’s Thoughts on the PS Plus Collection Leaving

00:43:24 - Our Favorite Gems in the PlayStation Store Sale & Outro

In today’s Podcast Beyond episode, the crew discusses the state of Sony’s properties and how many games they currently have in the works compared to their movies and shows. With the success of The Last of Us, Sony has big shoes to fill when it comes to upcoming movies and shows including the God of War movie, Gran Turismo, and whatever Gravity Rush is going to be. Also, we explore the best and the worst of quick time events and share our thoughts on them. (Any excuse to showcase some Asura’s Wrath gameplay is good enough for me! - Red, the Producer)

00:00:10 - Intro & Sony’s Games vs Movies/Shows

00:24:52 - Some of the Most Underrated PS2 Games 

00:42:00 - What Makes a Great Quick Time Event?

01:05:23 - Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi 4 is Coming!

01:09:38 - Final Fantasy XVI and the PS5 & Outro

In this episode of Podcast Beyond, the crew celebrates Elden Ring's 1-year anniversary along with the announcement of upcoming Elden Ring DLC called "Shadow of the Erdtree". Were there any other games in February we're missing? I'm sure we're good, right Akeem? And speaking of, Akeem LOVES the PSVR 2 and fills us in with some details on why he likes it more than the Meta Quest 2! We also haven't forgotten about the February State of Play and react to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League falling into the realm of Games as a Service.

00:00:10 - Intro & Elden Ring DLC Announced (HBD!)

00:16:37 - Akeem Thinks PSVR2 is Better than the Quest 2 

00:43:45 - Our Thoughts on the February State of Play

00:56:23 - Suicide Squad vs Superhero Games

01:10:49 - Max’s Crime Boss: Rockay City Early Impressions & Outro

On the eve of PSVR2’s launch, Max Scoville and Jada Griffin are joined by Taylor Liles and Simon Cardy, both of whom have had a chance to take Sony’s next-gen virtual reality headset for a spin. Cardy talks Horizon Call of the Mountain, which unsurprisingly involves a lot of climbing, but also has pan flutes. Meanwhile, Kayak VR sounds appropriately relaxing and What The Bat is as silly as you might expect. We took Wild Hearts for a spin and it’s definitely a Monster Hunter-like, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Plus, let’s spin the wheel and pitch our most disappointing VR add-ons for non-VR games.

Happy Valentines Day! In this episode of Beyond, the crew takes us on a look back at some of our favorite video game romances. But why stop there? We also took a deep dive into which video game characters are the worst kissers. Fair warning, it gets a bit… messy? You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, and you will definitely ask why we left out Ebrietas in our list. Jada also talks about her preview of Pacific Drive and reviewing Theatrhythm Final Bar Line… please don’t just how we pronounce that.

00:00:10 - Intro

00:05:43 - Curse of the Licensed Games 

00:27:20 - Romance in Video Games

00:39:39 - The Worst Kissers in Video Games According to Max & Jada

00:52:28 - Pacific Drive Impressions

01:06:27 - Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Review

01:11:43 - The Last of Us: Episode 5 Reactions & Outro

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has been delayed 6 weeks to April 28th, 2023! Though that means more waiting for us, we're hoping it means the game will get more love and polish with that extra time. On this episode of Podcast Beyond, we talk about improvements we'd love to see in Jedi: Survivor that would possibly turn it into a solid GOTY contender. We also dive into new PS5 updates, more DualSense Edge talk, and what happens when games-as-a-service shut down. Back 4 Blood and Knockout City were so fun! IT's sad to see them go, but what's next for GAAS? Join Max Scoville, Jada Giffin, Josh Du, and returning guest and former host Mark Medina on BEYOND!

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:57 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

00:21:34 PS5 gets a new update

00:32:26 More games-as-service games are shutting down

00:48:35 DualSense Edge talk

00:57:55 HBO's The Last of Us Episode 4 talk

01:10:19 Gran Turismo 7's PSVR 2 update

01:21:19 Outro

Sony has recently announced that they will NOT be attending E3 2023. With Xbox and Nintendo also not making any plans on showing, what does this mean for E3 and ESA as a whole? Also, Naughty Dog says we won't be seeing Nathan Drake as part of Uncharted in future games. Uncharted as a SERIES, however, still has all of us guessing as to what's next. Let's talk about it! We also dive into great games getting stealth released out of nowhere as well as taking a deeper look into what did and didn't work between Dead Space Remake and The Callisto Protocol. TONS of interesting topics, this week, folks! Don't miss out on this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!

Forspoken is finally here! Since its release, the internet has lit up with very polarizing reviews, but the Podcast Beyond crew also have their two cents on the subject. Forspoken is very ambitious, but is that enough to make it worth picking up day one? Max has also had time to play with the DualSense Edge! Will you be getting one yourself? It's a nice piece of hardware, but battery life still seems to be an issue. Perhaps it'll be the perfect fit for the PSVR 2 which we now know of 30 new games announced for it! How will they live up to what we've seen on the original PSVR? Finally, what was up with that ending to The Last of Us Episode 2? Stick around for a spoiler-filled quick reactions chat about it, because it was a lot to take in. BEYOND!

00:00:10 - Intro

00:01:09 - Forspoken: Is It Any Good?

00:24:33 - DualSense Edge Impressions

00:27:58 - The 30 PSVR 2 Games Announced

00:47:06 - Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Deserves a Prequel, Not a Sequel

00:58:25 - PlayStation ModLibs

01:03:58 - The Last of Us Episode 2 Reactions & Outro

With the release of the PSVR 2 just on the horizon coming February 22, 2023, the Podcast Beyond crew get into what the different things that will make or break its release. Will the PSVR 2 be worth the wait or has the ball been dropped due to the momentum of the first generation's game releases slowing to a crawl? Plus, the release of the first episode of HBO's The Last of Us series has us all in its grips, but what does the Beyond audience think about it? Jada Griffin gives us the lowdown. And speaking of Jada, our resident trophy hunter, what game is currently on her s--- list on her quest to racking up her trophy count? Join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Brian Altano in our latest episode of Podcast Beyond!

00:00:10 - Intro

00:01:54 - Where’s the PSVR 2 Hype?

00:22:04 - Beyond Community Impressions of The Last of Us HBO Series

00:36:01 - F This Trophy: Final Fantasy Crisis Core

00:42:30 - God of War: Ragnarok Gets New Game Plus & Our Favorite NG+’s

00:51:50 - Outro

In this episode of Podcast Beyond, the Beyond crew talk about whether or not the orientation of your PS5, vertical or horizontal, might be detrimental to the lifespan of your gaming console. There have been reports that apparently keeping the PlayStation 5 upright leading to long-term problems for internal pieces in the #PS5. The #PlayStation5 is readily available in retail stores, and Max Scoville invites an actual “PS5 scalper” on the podcast to both confront and ask him how his PS5 reselling business is going in 2023 given the news. There’s a big reveal, and Akeem Lawanson discusses his disdain for PS5 resellers, along with his very own version of the PlayStation Project Leonardo controller kit. The Beyond crew then dives into a non-spoiler discussion of The Last of Us HBO series. Sony’s AFEELA is a car that’ll be in the wild, Brian Altano hates shimmying through cracks in video games, Jada Griffin breaks down the games she Platinumed over the holidays, and so much more on this episode of BEYOND!

00:00:00 Intro

00:01:00 PS5, vertical or horizontal?

00:07:00 Interview with a real-life PS5 scalper

00:10:12 Akeem buys a Project Leonardo controller

00:13:08 Non-spoiler-y discussion of HBO's The Last of Us

00:27:52 Brian hates shimmying through cracks

00:36:36 Sony and Honda introduce AFEELA

00:38:57 Jada's 3rd Annual Trophy Gauntlet

00:51:24 Outro

In this episode of Podcast Beyond, Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Josh Du, and Akeem Lawanson runs us through some of the third-party and first-party PlayStation exclusives coming out in 2023, including Horizon Call of the Mountain for PSVR2, Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 #PS5 game, Forspoken and many more. Hitman 3 is being rebranded as World of Assassination, and the Beyond crew break down what this means for both newcomers and those returning to the Hitman franchise. With the entire Hitman trilogy soon to be in one package, this might be the time for Josh Du to hop into the slacks of Agent 47. 

00:00:00 - Intro00:01:19 - PSVR 2  talk

00:11:43 - Other big games of 2023

00:23:55 - Hitman 3 gets rebranded

00:29:24 - Konami's mystery games

00:41:42 - PS Plus games for January 2023

00:47:11 - Outro

In this episode of Podcast Beyond, Jada Griffin talks us through on what she loved about the DualSense Edge in her hands-on preview at PlayStation HQ. Is it more than meets the eye? What are the best features on it and how customizeable is the DualSense Edge? Will it be great for accessibility? Join the crew as they ask the important questions of whether the new controller for the PS5 is worth it.

Also, with the announcement of Death Stranding 2, Josh questions whether or not he should FINALLY start playing Death Stranding. How does it hold up? And what does Brian Altano think of Callisto Protocol? As you can see, there are TONS of questions waiting to be answered in this jam packed Holiday episode.

00:00:10 - Intro

00:50:00 - DualSense Edge Controller Hands-On Impressions

00:12:42 - DS2: Should I Play Death Stranding?

00:27:09 - PlayStation Mod Libs

00:33:29 - Brian & Callisto Protocol 

00:43:34 - IGN’s Best PlayStation Characters & Outro

Will Armored Core 6 be anything like the Soulsborne games we've grown accustomed to? How has Elden Ring's success affected FromSoftware's approach to the latest Armored Core game? In this episode of Podcast Beyond, Max scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and Akeem Lawanson dive into what makes Armored Core so different to FromSoft's most successful games. Whether you've played previous Armored Core games in the past or not, we're still very curious whether anything will change with the series, especially considering how successful Elden Ring was this year, even taking home the Game of the Year award from The Game Awards last week!

Also, Akeem has had something brewing for years now that he's FINALLY able to talk about! What's with this beef with Brian? Find out in today's episode of Podcast Beyond!

Will gamers choose Elden Ring for 2022's GOTY, or will God of War: Ragnarok swoop in at the end of the year and take it from them? It's a question everyone's had on their minds well into 2022. Elden Ring is a massive open-world phenomenon that will stick with gamers for its unforgiving, yet memorable world with rich lore, and God of War: Ragnarok is a story for the ages that takes you across the nine realms with some of the best acting ever put in a video game. Max Scoville and Brian Altano on Team Elden Ring go head-to-head-to-head-to-head with Jada Griffin and Akeem Lawanson on Team Ragnarok as they debate their points on which game they believe deserves the crown.

00:00:10 - Intro

00:00:55 - The Great Elden Ring vs. God of War: Ragnarok Debate

00:49:50 - Outro

The original Witcher game is 15 years old, and recently CD Projekt Red has announced that it will be getting a complete open-world remake! In this episode of Podcast Beyond, Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Colin Stevens talk about other games they think would benefit from open-world remakes as well. Also, we take a look at some hilarious Platinum-farming shovelware that requires you to... stroke a turtle? Yeah, we're as confused as you are. Wait till you see Italian Journey! You won't believe what kind of games have managed to make it into the PlayStation Store. Finally, Max comes to a realization that Bloodborne is like parenting? Utter madness. 

In this episode of Podcast Beyond, the crew joins Eric Williams, director of God of War: Ragnarok and reveal some new information about things like easter eggs that you DEFINITELY missed, why Ragnarok breaks God of War tradition, and the story behind Ragnarok's biggest optional secret!

Join Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du as we break open God of War: Ragnarok in this spoiler-heavy and incredibly fun chat with game director Eric Williams! You're not gonna want to miss this one!

The PlayStation 5 is two (2) years old, and the Podcast Beyond crew is back, this time going through each of the PS5’s biggest features and how well they’ve held up over the years. Does the PlayStation get a passing grade for what it promised us back during its release in 2020, or have certain things simply fizzled out over the years? Join Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du as they talk about everything PS5 including the DualSense controller, Pulse 3D headset, and its high-speed SSD. 

We also look forward to 2023 and the amount of games releasing as a result of 2022’s delays. Next year is already looking out of control and we’re here for it! And finally, Brian tells us why he thinks now is the perfect time for Sony to announce a new PlayStation handheld. Could it compete with the likes of the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck? Join us and find out! BEYOND!

It’s a big week for the PS5 with God of War: Ragnarok’s release on the horizon. We talked with Simon Cardy, the game’s reviewer and dive deep into how he came to call God of War: Ragnarok a masterpiece. But that’s not all! This episode is jam packed with God of War bits  including Kartos’ history of video game cameos along with something about a stealth horror God of War vs Predator game? Anyway… BEYOND!

00:00:00 - Intro & God of War: Ragnarok Review Discussion

00:12:16 - The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station Podcast Preview

00:14:56 - God of War: Ragnarok Discussion Pt. 2

00:20:41 - God of War vs God of War

00:24:45 - God of Wheel!

00:39:28 - Will GTA 6 Disappoint Vice City Fans?

00:46:23 - Community Spotlight & Outro

Subscribe to the horror series set in the universe of “The Callisto Protocol,” the hotly anticipated game from Striking Distance Studios.  

Helix Station was once the jewel of the Jovian system, but it’s been a decaying ghost ship ever since its Carpenter drive went supercritical. When a dangerous escaped criminal seeks refuge there, officers of the Black Iron Prison force a pair of veteran skip tracers to help recover him. But once on Helix, they discover murderous alien life forms, as well as unspeakable horrors from their past.

Starring Gwendoline Christie and Michael Ironside. IGN is publishing and distributing Helix Station in partnership with Striking Distance Studios, creator of the game The Callisto Protocol. The first two episodes of The Callisto Protocol: Helix Station are available now, with new episodes dropping every Thursday. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts. 

callisto-protocol-helix-station.simplecast.com/">Listen & Subscribe here!

A recent financial report revealed that PlayStation Plus has lost a few million subscribers since June. Is this a sign of the end times? Should Sony worry? Is this Game Pass’s fault? It’s complicated! But we have our theories. Aside from that, we’re talking about how Call of Duty Modern Warfare II’s record-breaking sales on PlayStation might never reach the same heights, playing another round of Pollstation Plus - and discussing how Crash Bandicoot, literal mascot for the PS1, is now an Xbox property, plus (no pun intended) new PlayStation Plus games for November as well as some news about EA inking a ten-year deal with Marvel to make games… We’ve got a bad feeling about this. This week’s Beyond is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Josh Du, and Akeem Lawanson.

This week, we’ve all been playing one of the most anticipated PlayStation games of the year: God of War Ragnarok. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got answers - don’t worry, they’re spoiler free. Meanwhile, Brian got to take Capcom’s upcoming Resident Evil 4 Remake for a spin, and dozens of full playthroughs of the original RE4, there were lots of surprises in store. Much has been said about Gotham Knights’ lack of Batman, but what about its lack of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Halloween is around the corner, so let’s discuss horror games - or rather, what makes a horror game? Amidst all this very serious discourse, we also found time to have some fun. Let’s spin the wheel and see what genre the next God of War reboot will be - and then give our best elevator pitch for it. Plus, hundreds of you answered our poll and now we have to see how well we know YOU, our audience. What kind of animal do you think Crash Bandicoot is? What American city should get the Grand Theft Auto treatment that hasn’t already? You know, assuming you forgot two thirds of GTA: San Andreas? This week’s Beyond is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Josh Du.

00:00:10 - Intro

00:02:38 - Resident Evil 4 Remake Impressions

00:19:53 - What Makes a Horror Game a Horror Game?

00:27:28 - Gotham Knights is a Better TMNT Game Than a Batman Game

00:36:19 - PollStation Plus

00:48:50 - Your God of War: Ragnarok Questions Answered!

01:09:15 - Pitching the Next God of War Reboot & Outro

The Dualsense Edge, Sony’s high-end PlayStation 5 controller, is officially priced at $199.99 - is that too much for a controller? Join Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and Akeem Lawanson as we unpack our conflicted thoughts on the matter and look back at some of the more expensive controllers in the history of gaming, from Microsoft’s Xbox Elite controller, to Steel Battalion’s infamous Mega Jockey 9000, to Nintendo’s iconic Power Glove. Plus, new Silent Hill might be on the way, but it’s been a quiet (and crappy) decade for Silent Hill fans as the PS Vita-exclusive Book of Memories turns 10. Why hasn’t Konami treated survival horror fans as lovingly as Capcom has with Resident Evil’s new games and remakes? 

Speaking of spooky remakes, can we get a PS5 version of Bloodborne, already? If we’re getting overhauled versions of modern Sony classics like The Last of Us: Part One (which already got remastered once) and the much-rumored PS5 port of Horizon Zero Dawn, how about giving one of the best PS4 exclusives some 4K 60-frames-per-second love, too? Demon’s Souls shows Bluepoint can handle a FromSoft game. Bloodborne needs a next-gen transfusion next. Oh, and Horizon Forbidden West is getting its own clothing line thanks to a collaboration with ASOS - it’s taking a more fashion-forward approach than most gaming merch, but we have mixed feelings overall.

00:00:00 - Intro00:01:34 - News & Stuff00:10:48 - Is the DualSense Edge Worth $200?00:22:28 - A Decade of NO Silent Hill00:34:44 - What's That Sound?00:39:36 - Remaster Bloodborne, You Cowards!00:43:20 - ASOS + Horizon Forbidden West + Outro

Beyond and hello! This week on IGN’s PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond, the crew gives their impressions on the somewhat messy, but still really fun – Overwatch 2. Also discussed is the current state of PlayStation Stars, which turns out is kind of a bummer, but sounds like it has some fun bits of trivia. And of course, Mark says his goodbye as the host and permanent cast member on the show. 

00:00:10 - Intro

00:02:01 - Overwatch 2 Impressions

00:24:59 - What Exactly is PlayStation Stars?

00:29:21 - PS Stars Quizathon!

00:37:39 - What We’re Playing

00:43:50 - Mark’s Signoff & Outro!

Beyond and hello! This week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation podcast covers the controversial reports that 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn could in fact be receiving the remaster, or even remake, treatment. So ride along with Mark Medina, Alex Stedman, and Matt Kim as we go over these rumors and try to make sense of it all. Is it corporate greed? Or is it movie and TV show related? You’ll have to watch to find out! (but…yes, probably to both)

Also discussed was the surprise news of a brand new Witcher trilogy in the works, as well as the followup to Cyberpunk 2077.

00:00 - Intro03:20 - Horizon Zero Dawn Is Getting a Remake??10:46 - PlayStation TV Shows and Movies Discussion25:16 - CD Projekt Red Just Announced a TON of Games!38:52 - We Talked About the Game of Thrones on a PlayStation podcast43:00 - The PS5 Is Jailbroken??

Beyond! Whelp, it turns out Rockstar has once again had some of the details of their highly-anticipated future installment in the GTA series make its way onto the internet before it was ready. This one, however, has seemingly claimed the crown of being one of the biggest video game leaks of all time. Yikes! So ride along with this week’s Beyond crew – Mark Medina, Matt Kim, Jada Griffin, and Kenneth Shepard – as they speculate how this leak could’ve happened, and the ripple it may have on the future of remote game development.

Also discussed is the increased player count in Cyberpunk 2077 thanks to Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, EA Motive is making a brand new Iron Man game, and how PS VR2 won’t have backward compatibility. Boo!

00:00:00:00 Intro

00:27:27:05 PSVR2 Hands-On

00:40:09:02 The Last of Us Part 1

00:48:52:01 What We've Been Playing

Mark is joined by Jada Griffin, Brian Altano and John Davison as they discuss a much juicier than anticipated September Sony State of Play. There were plenty of surprises in Tekken 8, God of War: Ragnarok and a Star Wars PSVR 2 game in Tales From the Galaxies Edge Enhanced Edition, plus plenty of new reveals that piqued our interest in Pacific Drive, Syn Duality and Like a Dragon. All of that and we take a closer look at the flood of Assassin’s Creed games that were revealed during the weekend’s Ubisoft Forward.

Beyond!

The holidays are fast approaching, and with them comes a lot of chatter about what the best video game of the year was. Is the best Game of the Year already out, or is it still on the way? Ride along with IGN’s Jada Griffin, Tom Marks, Matt Kim, and Mark Medina as they speculate wildly about which PlayStation game is going to come out on top when 2022 finally comes to a close.

Also, Cyberpunk 2077 is back in the headlines, not only with a brand new expansion announcement, but also the news that it's essentially a...next-gen game only going forward? Strange times!

The holidays are fast approaching, and with them comes a lot of chatter about what the best video game of the year was. Is the best Game of the Year already out, or is it still on the way? Ride along with IGN’s Jada Griffin, Tom Marks, Matt Kim, and Mark Medina as they speculate wildly about which PlayStation game is going to come out on top when 2022 finally comes to a close.

Also, Cyberpunk 2077 is back in the headlines, not only with a brand new expansion announcement, but also the news that it's essentially a...next-gen game only going forward? Strange times!

00:00 - Intro 

01:23 - What We've Been Playing 

15:54 - Cyberpunk 2077 Update and DLC 

33:57 - PS5 Update 

36:30 - Camo PS5 Accessories 

38:44 - Fromsoftware Investors 

49:10 - PlayStation GOATY Watch 

01:15:34 - Outtro

The seemingly impossible has happened! After nearly two years of being on the market, the PlayStation 5 is receiving a price INCREASE in many major regions. While it might seem like a shock to some folks, it seems like nothing is unprecedented in these….unprecedented times! So join IGN’s Matt Kim, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina as we theorize why this happened at all, and what it could mean for PlayStation’s current console production shortages.

Also, The Last of Part 1 is almost here, and we’ve been playing it. So if you’re curious about this strange new title and want to know what we think of it, then this might be the episode for you!

00:00:10 - Intro & News!

00:05:43 - PS5 Getting a Price Hike???

00:29:10 - The Last of Us: Part I Impressions

00:51:26 - Outro

The seemingly impossible has happened! After nearly two years of being on the market, the PlayStation 5 is receiving a price INCREASE in many major regions. While it might seem like a shock to some folks, it seems like nothing is unprecedented in these….unprecedented times! So join IGN’s Matt Kim, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina as we theorize why this happened at all, and what it could mean for PlayStation’s current console production shortages. 

Also, The Last of Part 1 is almost here, and we’ve been playing it. So if you’re curious about this strange new title and want to know what we think of it, then this might be the episode for you!

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to bid farewell to Jonathon's time as host of Beyond! After nearly four years as host, Jonathon is leaving IGN and Beyond!, too, and so Mark and Jada wanted to send Jonathon off by walking down memory lane, discussing PlayStation and IGN memories with each other, talking about what's to come in the world of PlayStation, and reflecting back on his time hosting Beyond! (We try to sneak in a little news talk in there about the DualSense Edge, the PSVR 2 launch window, and some surprising PlayStation movie adaptions. But look, this episode is a more reflective, personal one for the crew, they'll be back to normal PlayStation discussions next week!) Brian and Max also join Jonathon for a segment to discuss their time on Beyond! together, wrapping up and bookmarking this era of Beyond! And then, Jonathon bids his final farewell to the show, to the audience, to the co-hosts, and producers. And from Jonathon himself (hi, me here!), thank you so much to everyone who has supported the show during my time hosting. Beyond! has meant so, so much to me throughout my life as both a fan and someone on the show. I am so proud and grateful of the show we've made, and grateful to anyone who's tuned in. As always, BEYOND!

00:00 - Intro and Jonathon’s Big Announcement! (And a little bit of news) 11:21 - PlayStation Memories from the Past 22:44 - Future PlayStation Speculation 33:11 - Memories of Jonathon’s Time Hosting Beyond 37:35 - Max and Brian Say Their Farewells to Jonathon 50:12 - Outro and Tons of Tears

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to bid farewell to Jonathon's time as host of Beyond!

After nearly four years as host, Jonathon is leaving IGN and Beyond!, too, and so Mark and Jada wanted to send Jonathon off by walking down memory lane, discussing PlayStation and IGN memories with each other, talking about what's to come in the world of PlayStation, and reflecting back on his time hosting Beyond! (We try to sneak in a little news talk in there about the DualSense Edge, the PSVR 2 launch window, and some surprising PlayStation movie adaptions. But look, this episode is a more reflective, personal one for the crew, they'll be back to normal PlayStation discussions next week!)

Brian and Max also join Jonathon for a segment to discuss their time on Beyond! together, wrapping up and bookmarking this era of Beyond! (Parental warning, a couple of curses are said during this segment! Timecodes below if you need) And then, Jonathon bids his final farewell to the show, to the audience, to the co-hosts, and producers.

And from Jonathon himself (hi, me here!), thank you so much to everyone who has supported the show during my time hosting. Beyond! has meant so, so much to me throughout my life as both a fan and someone on the show. I am so proud and grateful of the show we've made, and grateful to anyone who's tuned in.

As always, BEYOND!

00:00 - Intro and Jonathon’s Big Announcement!11:21 - PlayStation Memories from the Past22:44 - State of Play Speculation33:11 - Memories of Jonathon’s Time Hosting Beyond37:35 - Max and Brian Say Their Farewells to Jonathon50:12 - Outro and Tons of Tears

On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation show Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to dive into the latest PlayStation news, discuss some classic PlayStation memories, plus a deep dive on the new game Rollerdrome with one of the developers behind it!

First, Jonathan, Jada, and Mark dig into the latest PS4 and PS5 news, including Astro’s Playroom devs Team Asobi working on their biggest project yet, , Spider-Man having a pretty successful PC launch, Marvel Games holding a panel during D23, and some updates on live-service and multiplayer games, like Fortnite getting Dragon Ball and Multiversus getting Black Adam and Stripe. And that really gets us on a weird Gremlins tangent.

Then, we dig into a discussion about our histories with PlayStation, and specifically discuss when PlayStation became our platform of choice. We dig into the games, consoles, and general eras of PlayStation that have had us coming back for years. And we want to hear your stories as well! Write in to beyond@ign.com with the subject line “PlayStation Origin Story” to tell yours!

Then, Jonathon speaks to Simon Bennett of Roll 7 to discuss the studio’s awesome new skating-meets-shooter game Rollerdrome, how the studio put this strange yet fun idea together, and why it made such a smart fit alongside the developers other games like OlliOlli.

00:00:00 - Intro & News!

00:19:23 - What Made You a PlayStation Player?

00:50:36 - Rollerdrome Dev Interview

01:16:53 - Outro

On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation show Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to dive into the latest PlayStation news, discuss some classic PlayStation memories, plus a deep dive on the new game Rollerdrome with one of the developers behind it! First, Jonathan, Jada, and Mark dig into the latest PS4 and PS5 news, including Astro’s Playroom devs Team Asobi working on their biggest project yet, , Spider-Man having a pretty successful PC launch, Marvel Games holding a panel during D23, and some updates on live-service and multiplayer games, like Fortnite getting Dragon Ball and Multiversus getting Black Adam and Stripe. And that really gets us on a weird Gremlins tangent. Then, we dig into a discussion about our histories with PlayStation, and specifically discuss when PlayStation became our platform of choice. We dig into the games, consoles, and general eras of PlayStation that have had us coming back for years. And we want to hear your stories as well! Write in to beyond@ign.com with the subject line “PlayStation Origin Story” to tell yours! Then, Jonathon speaks to Simon Bennett of Roll 7 to discuss the studio’s awesome new skating-meets-shooter game Rollerdrome, how the studio put this strange yet fun idea together, and why it made such a smart fit alongside the developers other games like OlliOlli. 00:00:00 - Intro & News! 00:19:23 - What Made You a PlayStation Player? 00:50:36 - Rollerdrome Dev Interview 01:16:53 - Outro

On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mitchell Saltzman to talk about the latest news in the world of PlayStation, and the excitement of EVO and why it’s the best time to get into fighting games.

First, the cast runs down some of the big news in the world of PlayStation, including the new PlayStation Plus extra lineup, including Yakuza games, Monopoly, and more; the casting of new and familiar characters in The Last of Us HBO TV show, Marvel Midnight Suns’ delay out of October, and the Call of Duty Modern Warfare II beta.

Then, we dig into some thoughts on fighting games. With EVO having recently concluded, the first time since PlayStation acquired a stake in the tournament. Mitchell offers some of his thoughts from actually competing in and attending EVO, Jada offers her thoughts on watching as a fighting game fan, and Jonathon discusses his experience watching as someone who has never really been into fighting games. The cast talks about why now is perhaps the best time to get into fighting games, given the positivity and support around the scene, the success of free-to-play fighters like MultiVersus, which the panel has all been playing, and what upcoming and older fighting games might be good starting points for players who want to get into the fighting game scene.

Then, Jonathon speaks with two of the developers behind Cult of the Lamb, which hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this week. Julian Wilton, Massive Monster Creative Director, and Jay Armstrong, the studio's Design Director, join Jonathon to dig into Cult of the Lamb’s development process, the joys of it’s combination of game genres, and whether the team always knew it had to be a lamb at the center of it all. The cast then discusses some of the comments we received from last week’s show, the games we’ve been playing, including MultiVersus, Cult of the Lamb, and Nobody Saves the World, and Jonathon reads a wonderful Memory Card. And we do it all while accidentally creating like six portmanteaus. 

Want to be part of the show? Write in to beyond@ign.com.

00:00:00 - Intro & News! 00:14:45 - Mitchell Attended EVO 2022! 00:27:53 - Multiversus’ Success & Jumping Into Fighting Games 00:40:54 - What’s the Best Fighting Game to Start With? 00:52:13 - Cult of the Lamb Dev Interview 01:21:13 - Memory Card & Outro

On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mitchell Saltzman to talk about the latest news in the world of PlayStation, and the excitement of EVO and why it’s the best time to get into fighting games.

First, the cast runs down some of the big news in the world of PlayStation, including the new PlayStation Plus extra lineup, including Yakuza games, Monopoly, and more; the casting of new and familiar characters in The Last of Us HBO TV show, Marvel Midnight Suns’ delay out of October, and the Call of Duty Modern Warfare II beta.

Then, we dig into some thoughts on fighting games. With EVO having recently concluded, the first time since PlayStation acquired a stake in the tournament. Mitchell offers some of his thoughts from actually competing in and attending EVO, Jada offers her thoughts on watching as a fighting game fan, and Jonathon discusses his experience watching as someone who has never really been into fighting games. The cast talks about why now is perhaps the best time to get into fighting games, given the positivity and support around the scene, the success of free-to-play fighters like MultiVersus, which the panel has all been playing, and what upcoming and older fighting games might be good starting points for players who want to get into the fighting game scene.

Then, Jonathon speaks with two of the developers behind Cult of the Lamb, which hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this week. Julian Wilton, Massive Monster Creative Director, and Jay Armstrong, the studio's Design Director, join Jonathon to dig into Cult of the Lamb’s development process, the joys of it’s combination of game genres, and whether the team always knew it had to be a lamb at the center of it all. The cast then discusses some of the comments we received from last week’s show, the games we’ve been playing, including MultiVersus, Cult of the Lamb, and Nobody Saves the World, and Jonathon reads a wonderful Memory Card. And we do it all while accidentally creating like six portmanteaus.

Want to be part of the show? Write in to beyond@ign.com.

00:00:00 - Intro & News!

00:14:45 - Mitchell Attended EVO 2022!

00:27:53 - Multiversus’ Success & Jumping Into Fighting Games

00:40:54 - What’s the Best Fighting Game to Start With?

00:52:13 - Cult of the Lamb Dev Interview

01:21:13 - Memory Card & Outro

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to dive into a question we've faced when playing many a game: when is a game too long, when does a game last for just the right amount of time, and are there any games that are too short and we wished lasted longer? The trio dives in and discusses some of the games they've found were just the right length, from What Remains to Edith Finch to Titanfall 2 to Jonathon's impassioned plea for Persona 5, to games we enjoyed but that we felt were too long, like Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Mark's thoughts on Final Fantasy XIV. (We'll let him explain.) We also briefly jump into the PlayStation update that PS5 accolades are going away, whether you used them or not, and Jada follows up on some questions from last week's episode about where to get into the Yakuza franchise.Write in with your thoughts on PS5 UI and features you like and don't, or write in with a Memory Card story to beyond@ign.com.

Timecodes: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:50 - The Great Game Length Debate 00:51:30 - PS5 Accolades Going Away? 00:54:16 - What’s the Best Yakuza Game to Start With? 01:01:52 - Outro

On this week’s episode of Beyond! The crew discusses all the new Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks(?). We also dive into whether or not we’ll actually ever see the now on-hold KotoR remake. Oh, and Dornbush is gone, which means there are no rules! We just want to say sorry in advance…

Also, we got some new details on the hotly anticipated PS VR2, and we got a chance to interview the developers for everyone's new favorite cat game: Stray.

On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Tom Marks, and Mark Medina to discuss all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation, including our thoughts on why Stray is the adorable cat game we hoped for.

But first, we jump into some of the PlayStation news of the last week, including the announcement of the new PlayStation Stars loyalty program, whether we hope it means the return of PlayStation Home thanks to its assortment of digital collectible, and how we hope these new features are implemented. Then, we talk a bit about God of War Ragnarok’s new story synopsis (skip ahead if you don’t want to hear any details), as well as PlayStation deepening its investment in the esports space.

Then, we dive into our thoughts on Stray, the new PlayStation-console exclusive from Annapurna and BlueTwelve Studio. Tom reviewed Stray for IGN, so he offers some thoughts from his review about why he thought Stray was great, Jonathon and Mark offer their experiences having beaten Stray as well, and Jada offers her early impressions from the beginning of Stray…as well as how she played Tokyo Jungle to get another cat gaming experience while she waited.

We also dig into a lovely Jak & Daxter Memory Card story, read some of your responses to Mark’s TLOU question from last week, and help a listener figure out what RPGs to jump into.

If you’d like to write into the show with questions, Memory Card stories, answers to our questions on PS Plus releases or the best first date games to play, write into beyond@ign.com

Timecode:

• 00:00:00 - Intro 
• 00:03:50 - PlayStation Stars Announced!
• 00:15:54 - God of War: Ragnarok Gets a Story Synopsis
• 00:21:18 - Stray is Finally Here!
• 00:57:19 - Memory Card & Outro

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Mark Medina to discuss all the latest and greatest in the world of PS4 and PS5 games. And of course, we jump right into the fact that God of War Ragnarok finally has a release date, and it's hitting on November 9. PlayStation also revealed the collector's editions for God of War Ragnarok, and we dig into what players can expect from the special editions for PS4 and PS5 players. We discuss God of War's release date and how it fits into the rest of PlayStation's year, what we expect we'll get from God of War Ragnarok ahead of its launch, such as trailers or a God of War-focused State of Play, and why it was so frustrating and disappointing to see God of War devs face abuse ahead of the release date reveal. God of War Ragnarok's release date isn't the only big calendar change for the rest of 2022's PlayStation games lineup we discuss, though, as we also talk about Forspoken's delay into 2023. We dig into the unique phrasing Square Enix uses for Forspoken's release date delay, but how it may be a good thing for the game's chances at success. We also discuss why it makes sense for PlayStation and Square Enix to want to move Forspoken out of the fall, what PlayStation's end-of-year 2022 lineup will look like, and more. Plus, we discuss a bit of the other news of the week, including Sucker Punch confirming there are no Infamous or Sly Cooper games in the works, the alleged reports that Rockstar is reportedly not working on GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption remasters, and dig into a Final Fantasy demo-focused Memory Card.

This week on one of IGN’s most popular PlayStation shows, bumbling substitute host Max Scoville is joined by rowdy Italian Brian Altano and award-winning journalist Matt Kim. Full disclosure: we initially planned this week’s episode to be a live God of War Ragnarok State of Play post-show, but we still hadn’t heard anything so that got scrapped last minute. Bear with us as we goof around and discuss this week’s PlayStation-adjacent news, such as a leaked Skull & Bones release date, the Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West Netflix show’s leaked title (“Horizon 2074”) and news that FromSoftware’s next unannounced game is in final stages of development. Is it Armored Core 6? Very possibly, but how do you make an Armored Core game in a post-Dark Souls gaming landscape? PlayStation Plus games for july have been revealed, along with some hot new musical additions to the official PlayStation Plus Spotify playlist that we learned is a thing

A former Days Gone director announced his next project, Ashfall, which sounds cool until you get to the part about NFTs. A new law in Quebec requiring immigrants to learn French to access government services, which might cause problems for the many Montreal-based video game studios’ efforts to recruit new talent. None of us can speak French very well, but we try. Plus, we chatted a little about Plague Tale: Requiem, which is coming to PS5 later this year, and Neon White, which isn’t announced for any PlayStation devices, but Matt wanted to talk about it so don’t blame me.

This week on the number one PlayStation Podcast produced by IGN, join substitute host Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and Matt Kim as they discuss the latest goings-on including (but not limited to) job listings posted by Sucker Punch that suggest the studio might be making an open-world game with stealth and melee combat. So, Ghost of Tsushima 2? Or Ghost of some other Japanese island? Or hey, maybe it’s Sly Cooper. We can dream.

We also have some new details on Final Fantasy 16, which will not be an open-world game or too similar to Final Fantasy 14, but it sounds cool nonetheless. The Birdman himself revealed that Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 almost got remakes, but apparently those got scrapped. Meanwhile, PlayStation is skipping Gamescom, YouTuber DIYperks made his own PS5 Slim, and Creative Assembly’s new game Hyenas sounds pretty cool. Plus, we talk about Ape Escape and Metal Gear Solid 3 and Dragon’s Dogma, which Max is still very excited about.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Max Scoville and, for her final episode as a cast member, Lucy O'Brien, to discuss all the news in the world of PlayStation.

The panel begins by jumping into the recent Final Fantasy news, including confirmation of FF7 Remake Part 2 being Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, a Crisis Core remake, and where to start if you're looking to get into Final Fantasy. Then, the panel discusses a bit about the confirmation of Dragon's Dogma 2, and why Max is really excited to revisit the franchise.

The panel then dives into a few PlayStation first-party topics, including the wild rumors about God of War Ragnarok delays, the reports about God of War Ragnarok's potential alleged release date, and why we're OK not hearing too much about the sequel so far. Next, we dip into some impressions about the new PlayStation Plus, its offerings, and our hopes for its future, and then we discuss The Last of Us remake, also known as The Last of Us Part 1, and our interest in Naughty Dog's future with the franchise.

We also discuss some of the games we're playing, including Max's surprising interest in Fortnite, before we give a tearful goodbye to Lucy, who we'll miss dearly and are so grateful for her many wonderful years on the show.

Timecode: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:50 - 2 More Final Fantasy Games Revealed! 00:11:52 - Dragon's Dogma 2 is Coming! 00:18:35 - The Mystery of God of War Ragnarok 00:27:42 - PS Plus News 00:42:39 - The Last of Us: Part I Remake Revealed 00:54:15 - What We're Playing! 01:01:16 - Goodbye Lucy!

On this week’s episode of IGN’s weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Joseph Moran and Kyle Stephenson of The Trophy Room podcast to discuss all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation. As the PlayStation podcast streams collide, the trio dig into some of the newest reveals of the summer, like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s reveal trailer, Joseph’s thoughts on the COD sequel, and why he’s excited to return to the Modern Warfare series. Then, hot off the reveal of Sony Bend’s new logo and the promise of its next game built on the open world ideas of Days Gone and featuring multiplayer, we dig into the larger promise of PlayStation’s multiplayer future. With reported or rumored multiplayer, live-service, or social projects at Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Haven, London Studio, and many more, we discuss what our actual hopes are with PlayStation’s plans to ramp up its multiplayer focus. We discuss why we think there’s hope for new PlayStation multiplayer games, especially with past successes like Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and The Last of Us: Factions, the lineage of PlayStation multiplayer, why we don’t think this will be the end of PlayStation’s single-player focus, and our expectations for the variety in PlayStation multiplayer games we hope to see in the future. We also take a look at the announcement that E3 will be returning in 2023, but what we expect from PlayStation as the gaming events landscape continues to change. Are we expecting Sony to return to E3, or will it continue to go its own way? And do we hope that means eventually bringing back PSX as a part of its larger events plan for the future. Plus, Kyle and Joseph share Memory Card stories, the trio reminisces about old controllers, and much more!

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Max Scoville, and Jada Griffin to break down the June State of Play live, immediately after it aired.

The group digs into all the big reveals from the show, what we loved most, what surprised us, and how we think the State of Play stacked up to past ones. We discuss the thrill of Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, and Final Fantasy XVI being announced or showcased. Then, we dig into some of the PS VR 2 reveals, like a better like at Horizon Call of the Mountain, Resident Evil 8, and more. Plus, we take a look at the lineup of awesome indies like Stray, Season, and Rollerdrome coming in the next few months, while also covering everything else we saw at the showcase.

(This episode was filmed live right after the State of Play, and had to be cut down due to some live show hiccups, so apologizes for any skips in the audio you hear!)

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to check in on Mark's perilous journey atop Splash Mountain, and also discuss the biggest PlayStation news of the week.

The crew digs into PlayStation confirming it is adapting God of War, Horizon, and Gran Turismo into TV shows or movies (note: we recorded before reports suggested GT will be a movie, not a show!), our hopes and expectations for what Netflix's Horizon show may be, how God of War on Amazon could shake out, and if the classic Need for Speed film is a good blueprint for Gran Turismo.

We also discuss some of PlayStation's future ambitions for not just PlayStation's biggest games becoming movies and TV shows, but also their plans to expand their PC experiences, as well as their mobile games output. We look into their plans for the next few years, what they likely mean for PlayStation's focuses, and while we think the great PlayStation games we love aren't going anywhere.

We also dig into the leaks of a Death Stranding 2, some PS Plus updates, Jada's impressions of Multiversus, and more!

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:55 - PlayStation Bets On Big TV Shows 00:33:33 PlayStation Investments Report 00:48:36 - Death Stranding 2 Speculation 01:09:51 - News Roundup 01:11:40 - What We’ve Been Playing 01:17:20 - Outro

Follow us all on Twitter:  twitter.com/jmdornbush twitter.com/mark_medina twitter.com/jada_rina

On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Brain Altano, and Max Scoville to cover all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation. And this week, they’re jumping into the newly revealed new PlayStation Plus games lineup, or at least, the partial PS Plus games lineup Sony revealed ahead of the subscription service’s revamped launch in the coming weeks. The panel digs into what games have been confirmed so far from the PS5, PS4, PS3, PS2, and PS1 games library, discuss some of the surprisingly good choices, the games we hope are still planned to be included, and some of the good and odd choices for remasters and remakes versus original releases across the PlayStation generations. We also dig into some of PS Plus’ surprising benefits, like these older generations allowing for original purchases of old PlayStation and PSP games to be downloaded even if you don’t subscribe to the new PS Plus. Plus more discussion on Game Trials, our general new PS Plus expectations and games lineup hopes, and much more. Will we have time for more PlayStation news of the week? Who knows! But we attempt to cover more, including the potential return of Silent Hill, and we also have Brian and Max offer some of their predictions for what’s to come from any potential PlayStation summer showcase, a Trophy Test, and much more.

On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin to dive into all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation news and games.

The duo dive into a breakdown of big takeaway from Sony’s earnings report, and what they mean for potential and current PS5 owners. We discuss Sony’s forecast for selling PS5’s in the next fiscal year, and how it would nearly double the number of PlayStation 5’s out there, meaning a lot more players could jump onto PlayStation’s latest console. We discuss our hopes and realistic expectations for when we might see these millions of more PS5s make it into the hands of players, what it may mean for this generation as a whole, and much more. Plus, we dig into PlayStation’s commitment to invest $300 million more into its first-party studios (not referring to PlayStation acquisitions), and what that might mean for the cadence and ambition of PS5 games being released. We discuss whether the cross-gen release plan is dwindling and if PlayStation and third-parties are primarily moving on to the latest console generation, what that means for players, and how we’re already seeing that go into effect with games like Gotham Knights.

Speaking of that upcoming Batman game, we dig into the Gotham Knights gameplay demo that WB Games recently revealed, offered our impressions on the gameplay and WB’s decision to abandon the last-gen PS4 and Xbox One versions in favor of just releasing Gotham Knights on PS5 and Xbox Series. Could we see more companies doing this? Do we expect God of War Ragnarok to be the last cross-gen first-party game? All this and more in our discussion!

Plus, we offer a Trophy Test answer for last week’s question, introduce a new one for next week, offer some gameplay impressions on Apex Legends’ new season, Unpacking, and more, Jada suggests some PSP games she hopes to see on the new PS Plus, and we read a nostalgia-fueled Memory Card story about trips to Blockbuster.

00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping

00:03:10 - Trophy Test!

00:08:00 - Will More PS5s Be Available Soon?

00:22:00 - PlayStation Putting More Emphasis on 1st Party Studios

00:36:06 - Gotham Knights Gameplay Impressions

00:47:06 - What We’re Playing

00:58:02 - Our Favorite PSP Games

01:02:29 - Memory Card & Outro

The summer gaming events season is starting to come into focus, but we still don't know what PlayStation is up to! That's why on this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to speculate about what our hopes are for PlayStation's next big showcase, whenever it is. Knowing we haven't gotten a PlayStation showcase since last year, and only a few States of Play in 2022, the trio dives into what our hopes would be for a potential PlayStation summer showcase,  including guesses we hope you'll hold us to when they turn out wrong about when a summer showcase might air, what games would be included, and more. We break down the likelihood of seeing a showcase in the coming months, what possibilities of God of War Ragnarok, PSVR 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and other first-party games may be there, as well as our third-party picks ranging from Stray to Resident Evil Village DLC to much more. Be sure to tell us your hopes for PlayStation's next showcase in the comments or write into beyond@ign.com, and we'll read some on the show! After that, we also dig into some news for the week, primarily focused on Square Enix selling some of its studios to Embracer, as well as big franchises like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and more. Then, Jonathon speaks with some of the developers of the new indie game Trek to Yomi about their take on samurai action, and we wrap up the show with a Memory Card story, a new Trophy Test, and more! 00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:09:18 - What’s PlayStation’s Summer Plan? 00:56:29 - Square Enix Sells Some of its Studios 01:12:28 - Trek to Yomi Dev Interview 01:34:56 - Memory Card & Outro

 On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to dig into the various bits of PlayStation news this week, including new updates for PS5, PlayStation Plus, and PlayStation's PC and preservation plans. After a brief Beyond Movies and TV podcast interlude about Everything Everywhere All at Once (no spoilers but you can skip ahead with timecodes below!), the gang dives into all the new reports surrounding PS Plus' new game trials. We break down what the deal is with these new game trials, how they affect PS Plus' offerings, what exactly they are as compared to traditional demos, and much more. We break down what it might mean for players, how it could raise questions for developers, and whether the practice might change the expectations for playing on PlayStation with its revamped subscription service Next, the group discusses Variable Refresh Rate coming to PS5, and also gets sidetracked discussing Ghostwire Tokyo...which does not have confirmed VRR support! But we do discuss the new feature a bit, what games are receiving the update, and Sony's general approach to the feature for PS5 games. Plus, we discuss the release date for the new PS Plus, what games are coming for PS Plus in May, and a lot more news in the world of PlayStation 4, PS5, and more. Topics include PlayStation's reported new preservation team, patches for Elden Ring and Sifu, Mark's marriage, and more. We also read a beautiful Memory Card story from a Beyond! listener, Jonathon offers a Trophy Test for the panel, and more! (Headline meant to be read in a Jerry Seinfeld voice) 00:00:10 - Intro & EEAAO Chat! 00:05:28 - PS Plus Announces Game Trial Initiative 00:33:25 - VRR Comes to PS5 00:48:38 - PS+ Games for May 00:56:55 - More News 01:07:36 - Memory Card & Outro

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond 746, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina for another trip down PlayStation nostalgia lane, as we discuss the PS2 games we want on the new PS Plus lineup later this year. The trio throws the show order all out of whack when they open the show discussing the games they've been playing this week (and shockingly not Severance)! We discuss a bit of A Plague Tale, Jada's love for Slay the Spire, and how Jonathon accidentally made Mark fall in love with Fortnite. Then, the cast breaks down the PS2 games we'd like to see added to PS Plus, alongside the problems that come with so many having received remasters or remakes, what original versions we would still want to see, and if having a PS2 original to download is a better option than a PS3 remaster to stream. (Jonathon has a semi-breakdown in real-time about it, even!) We dig into some of the biggest games we loved from the PS2 era, from PlayStation first-party games on the PlayStation 2 like Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank, to third-party hits like SSX Tricky, X-Men Legends, the GTA Trilogy and more, along with big franchises like Dynasty Warriors, Persona, and so much more, including even PS2 licensed games and favorites of the era, like the PlayStation 2's 007: Nightfire and the Lord of the Rings games like Two Towers and Return of the King on PS2. We also discuss some of your picks for your favorite PS2 games, and discuss the ups and downs of the PS2 generation overall. Then, the crew takes a breather from our PS2 nostalgia to look at some of the latest news of the week, including Amy Hennig's new Star Wars game, the latest Portal 3 hopes, Kojima Productions not joining PlayStation and more, before wrapping things up with an appropriately themed PS2 Memory Card!

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to travel back in time to the days of the PS1, and reminisce about the PS1 games we loved and want to see added to the new PS Plus lineup. While we know plenty of games from the era have received remasters and remakes, we dip into franchises like Ape Escape, Brave Fencer Musashi, Mega Man X, Tomba, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy, Digimon, Crash Bandicoot, and more for what we'd like to see added to the lineup. We discuss why we loved the games we did, what games we missed out on that we also want added so we can complete our historical knowledge of PlayStation's original console, and call out a number of picks from the Podcast Beyond community. Then, Jonathon speaks with Ian Campbell and Graham Smith from Drinkbox Studios to discuss Drinkbox's Nobody Saves the World making the jump to PS4 and PS5 this week, what players can expect, and Drnikbox's PlayStation lineage. After that, Jonathon, Jada and Mark discuss some of the news of the week, including Kingdom Hearts 4's reveal, The Witcher 3's PS5 delay, and more, plus a Memory Card story of a particularly enterprising PlayStation player. If you'd like to write in with Memory Card stories, PS Plus wishlists, questions for the show, or something else, write into beyond@ign.com 00:00:10 - Intro & Rogue Jam 00:03:17 - Our PS1 Wishlist for PS Plus 00:59:16 - Drinkbox Studios Dev Interview for Nobody Saves the World 01:25:38 - More Gaming News! 01:45:07 - Memory Card & Outro

On this episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to talk about PlayStation... and Severance. But mostly PlayStation, we promise, Mark's just really happy Severance got renewed. But after that, we dig into the biggest news of the week, including confirmation that a new Tomb Raider game is confirmed, as well as our hopes and expectations for a new Lara Croft adventure from Crystal Dynamics. We dig into what we did and didn't like about the reboot trilogy, what we hope a new game would carry forward, and if it's even something we want set in that same universe or a new timeline entirely. Then, we discuss a bit about E3 2022 not happening, what we expect from PlayStation's event plans in the coming months, and more about how busy this summer is likely going to be for gaming events. We also discuss Jim Ryan's recent comments about Sony's plans for more acquisitions, and the discussions PlayStation is having with other major and indie devs and publishes to support the upcoming PlayStation Plus library. Then, we dig into what we're playing, including Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, LEGO Star Wars, Maquette, Fortnite's Zero Build mode, and more.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina to dig into the latest PlayStation news of the week. And of course, the biggest topic on our minds is the new PlayStation Plus subscription tiers, how Sony is altering PS Plus, and whether we have enough details yet to know if it's worth subscribing to the higher tiers. The panel breaks down their initial reactions to the new PS Plus three-tiered system, how it integrates PlayStation Now, and where it stands as an offering for PlayStation fans.  We dig into the pricing structure, the availability of older libraries, the lack of PS3 downloads and PlayStation Vita as a whole, and whether different tiers appeal to new PS5 players, longstanding PlayStation fans, or both. We of course touch on the biggest question - what the library will actually look like, and knowing that PlayStation won't release its first-party games day one on the service, we discuss what they could do to make the game libraries worth subscribing to. We also discuss whether a metaphorical sandwich can help explain the different PS Plus tiers. We also hear from the audience on some of your thoughts on the PlayStation Plus changes! Then, we dig into some other news for the week, like April's PlayStation Plus games, the renewal of a trademark and tthe hopeful return of our one true PlayStation hero Knack, Gran Turismo 7's recent apology and economy changes, GTA+ if you wanted info on another subscription service, and a bit of Brian's Elden Ring Experience.

It's been zero days since PlayStation has acquired a studio! That's right folks, just when you think every studio in the world has been bought up by either PlayStation or Xbox, Sony once again surprises us with another PlayStation Studios announcement. So watch along with Jonathon Dornbush, Mark Medina, and Jada Griffin as they give their best guess as to why Haven Studios could be a smart bet for the upcoming PlayStation Live Service lineup. Also, they dive into the recent Gran Turismo 7 controversies, and give even more thoughts on the newest PlayStation console exclusive: Ghostwire: Tokyo. And don't forget, Apple TV+'s Severance is a really good show, so if you're not playing a video game this weekend, do yourself a favor and watch Severance. This isn't an ad, it's just a really good show. Just watch the podcast, you'll get it. Ok bye!

00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:02:23 - PlayStation acquires Jade Raymond's Haven Studios 00:30:06 - Gran Turismo 7 Under Fire 00:47:22 - PS4 & PS5 Updates Now Live 00:53:39 - New Witcher Saga Announced! 00:59:38 - Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed Announced 01:04:02 - What's Up with Project Spartacus? 01:11:23 - What We're Playing & Outro

 On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Seth Macy to break down all the biggest games of March we've been enjoying so far. March's best games have included some memorable cars, chaos, and ghosts, and we're breaking it all down on Podcast Beyond Episode 741. Before we dig into gameplay impressions, we first cover some of the latest news in the world of PS4 and PS5, including the sales success of Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West, and how the latter stacks up to sales of other PS5 games. Continuing our coverage of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games, we also give Jada and Seth, two TMNT superfans, time to dig into the reveal of the TMNT: Cowabunga Collection at last week's State of Play. Following that, our PS4 and PS5 podcast dips into gameplay discussion, including Jada's Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin review and what she's thought after over 90 hours of gameplay. Next, Seth offers his Gran Turismo 7 impressions after being a longtime fan of the franchise from the early PS1 and PS2 days of Gran Turismo, and what it's been like to come back to the series after some time time away, how gorgeous it is, and more. Then, Mark and Jonathon offer their preview impressions of an early portion of Tango Gameworks' upcoming Ghostwire: Tokyo, digging into the world design, combat, and story they've seen so far. TIMECODE: 00:00:10 - Intro & News 00:12:25 - TMNT: Cowabunga Collection chat 00:20:12 - Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Review 00:33:17 - Seth Macy on Gran Turismo 7 00:47:27 - Mark and Jonathon's Ghostwire: Tokyo impressions 01:02:15 - Outro

On a special episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Guerrilla's Narrative Director Ben McCaw and Senior Writer Annie Kitain to dive into full spoilers for Horizon Forbidden West's story, ending, and more. (Spoilers ahead!)

Ben and Annie speak with Jonathon about Aloy's story throughout Horizon Forbidden West, certain major story decisions, the ending, and more. But as we touch on major moments from throughout, expect Horizon Forbidden West spoilers! If you don't want to be spoiled on Horizon Forbidden West's story, turn back now! Come back after you've beaten the story to hear some insight from the two on the process behind Horizon Forbidden West's ending, and much more.

On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina (and later Jada Griffin) to dig into the PlayStation State of Play of March 2022 on Beyond episode 740. While Jada joins us later in the show to discuss her excitement over what was shown, Mark and Jonathon kick off the podcast by discussing the surprise announcement of Returnal's 3.0 update coming later this month, and why we're excited to revisit Atropos with Returnal co-op. We also dig into some of the Square Enix games included in the show, like Forspoken, Valkyrie Elysium, and The DioField Chronicle. Plus, Jada joins us to discuss her excitement for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R, the TMNT collection called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, and more. Plus, the gang covers some of the other recent PlayStation news, like Forspoken's new release date, Gotham Knights' October release date, God of War's potential TV show, an expanded lawsuit against PlayStation, and Sony's response to donate aid to Ukraine and cutting off of game sales in Russia.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Lucy O'Brien, and Tom Marks to dig into the latest PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PSVR 2 news and rumors. First, the panel dives into the alleged new details of PlayStation's upcoming subscription service, PlayStation Spartacus, and what they might mean as an evolution of and successor to the standard PS Plus we know now. We dive into the reported new pricing tiers and inclusions, whether the offerings are enough or balanced well, and what we think of it in terms of current PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now offerings. We also dig into some of the PlayStation news of the week, including Horizon Forbidden West's latest patch, a GhostWire Tokyo prelude novel, DICE Awards wins for Sony asnd some brief hints at Returnal dev Housemarque's new game, and then we dig into what we've been playing, including new and updated takes on Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring.

Elden Ring is just about here and the reviews for it are extremely positive! So on this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation Podcast, we chat about what it was like for Mitchell Saltzman to review such a massive game in 87 hours, and why it's something fans of the genre will definitely love. We also explore all the new systems it has to offer, and how its open-world adds a dash of welcome flavor to an already tried and true concept.

Also, Jada Griffin sits down with Neil Jones the creator behind Aerial Knight's Never Yield, to talk about its development, the game industry, and all the new content featured in DA Update.

There was also a bit of PlayStation news for folks to be excited about, including a look at the PS Plus games you'll get to claim in March, as well as a quick discussion about the recently revealed look of the PSVR 2 headset.

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to have a conversation spurred by recent fan comments of the show and the packed release schedule in the next few weeks. With Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, and now even Cyberpunk 2077 potentially taking up our play time ahead of a year that continues to be busy for PS4 and PS5 gamers, we discuss our current feelings on how PlayStation Trophies do and don't affect how we play games. We dive into what the act of playing an open world game like Horizon Forbidden West or Elden Ring can be like if you're interested in collecting trophies, plus how some on the panel love trophy hunting and how others have fallen off interest in collecting them. We discuss trophy hunting burnout, and more broadly, what does and doesn't make a good trophy or even full trophy list. We cover Control, Marvel's Spider-Man and Miles Morales, God of War, Sifu, Guardians of the Galaxy, Uncharted, and so much more as we delve into how trophies have or haven't improved over time, and how they alter our approach to certain games, genres, and franchises. We also cover a bit of the news in the world of PlayStation, including the new Cyberpunk 2077 patch, some Horizon Forbidden West trophy and LEGO news, and PlayStation Productions updates.

On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to discuss our spoiler-free thoughts about Horizon Forbidden West for PS4 and PS5 in our review discussion episode. While IGN's Horizon Forbidden West review writer Simon Cardy couldn't join us, all three of the panelists have put a few dozen hours each into the Guerrilla Games PS4 and PS5 sequel, so we break down what we love about Horizon Forbidden West in this review discussion and why we think Horizon Forbidden West is the best PS5 game so far. The panel covers their thoughts on how Horizon Forbidden West evolves the Horizon Zero Dawn formula, what improvements Guerrilla made to Horizon Forbidden West's combat, traversal, world design, and storytelling. First, while keeping free of any major spoilers, we talk broadly about how Horizon Forbidden West's story not only lets Ashly Burch shine as Aloy in her second Horizon game, but how Guerrilla's approach to fleshing out the Horizon universe is so engrossing in Horizon Forbidden West. Then, we dig into Horizon's new and refined combat and traversal options, including some of the new weaponry in Aloy's arsenal, changes to Horizon's skill trees and outfit upgrades, and much more. Our review discussion for Horizon Forbidden West also touches on some of the traversal additions made to Aloy's world on both PS4 and PS5, like climbing, gliding, and swimming, while also taking a look at the world at large, including Forbidden West's sidequests and storytelling approach, optional side objectives, a surprising bit of Metroidvania DNA, and much more. Mark also speaks to his experience playing Horizon Forbidden West across PS4, PS4 Pro, and PS5, while the trio discusses their preferences of playing in quality or performance mode. For PS5 players, we also dig into Horizon's use of 3D audio and DualSense capabilities, and generally gush about our excitement for more people to get to play. If you have thoughts once you dig into Horizon Forbidden West, tweet at the cast or write in to beyond@ign.com with your thoughts, and we'll read them on the show!

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss the latest in the world of PS4 and PS5 games, starting things off with a Sifu review discussion. Mitchell discusses his Sifu review, his general thoughts about the latest PS4 and PS5 console exclusive (also available on PC). Jada and Jonathon also offer their thoughts on Sloclap's Sifu, its gameplay, what accessibility options could be added, and whether Mark is interested in jumping in! Plus, Jonathon speaks with Sloclap's Pierre Tarno about the making of Sifu! Plus, we cover a slew of PS4 and PS5 gaming news, including the Ghostwire: Tokyo gameplay showcase, and how it did or didn't get us excited for the upcoming PS5 console launch exclusive (also coming to PC in March), the Gran Turismo 7 State of Play, some great Horizon Forbidden West crossovers with Sackboy and Ghost of Tsushima, a new PS5 firmware beta, GTA 6's announcement, and The Wolf Among Us 2, and much more.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Matt Kim to break down the biggest PS4 and PS5 news of the week, namely the latest and biggest acquisition Sony has made in some time. Sony buys Bungie, and we discuss what's next, and the implications of that purchase in Podcast Beyond! Episode 734. We look at why Sony would be interested in Bungie, and Bungie want to join Sony, how Bungie is a unique acquisition and will not necessarily fall under the PlayStation Worldwide Studios umbrella. There's also the matter of potential Destiny TV shows or movies that seem of interest, Sony's increasing investment in live-service games and how Bungie allows for that to accelerate, and, with Jim Ryan's statements that Sony isn't done picking up companies, which development studios would make the most sense, or be good fits, to join Sony PlayStation's stable. We also dig into all the other news in the world of PlayStation, like Ghostwire: Tokyo release date news, Suicide Squad's delay,  Discord integration for PlayStation users, Cyberpunk's leak on the PSN, and more. Plus, Jada gives her thoughts on Dying Light 2: Stay Human!

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to discuss Uncharted's PS5 debut with the Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection, and a host of news in the world of PlayStation. First, we break down the PlayStation Plus lineup for February, which brings three games to players who subscribe to PS Plus: UFC 4, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, and Planet Coaster: Console Edition. We dig into our thoughts on PS Plus, how Sony's alleged upcoming Game Pass-like subscription service might affect it, and more. Then, we follow-up on the discussion around Call of Duty's future on PlayStation, with a new report from Bloomberg about how PlayStation fans can expect COD for a couple years more, and then things start to get murky. Then, we dig into the excitement over a PSN glitch that many assumed to be a leak for PlayStation backward compatibility, how likely it means something is on the way, and more. We also discuss the news that Respawn is working on three new Star Wars games, why Mark should play Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and more. We also dig into what we're playing, including the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection for PS5. Jonathon and Mark discuss what it's like to revisit Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, what the new graphical modes, including Performance+'s 120 FPS, are like, and the scope of the collection for those curious on how it stacks up to other PS4-PS5 ports. We dig a little into its DualSense functionality, how it compares to the PS4 versions, and whether it's more akin to Spider-Man Remastered, the Director's Cuts of GHost of Tsushima and Death's Stranding, or basic patches like Horizon Zero Dawn, and whether it's worth the upgrade. Jada also breaks down some of her time with NEO: The World Ends With You and Horizon Zero Dawn on NG+.

Horizon Forbidden West is only a few weeks away, but IGN's Jonathon Dornbush was able to go hands-on with the sequel for four hours, and has A LOT to discuss about the highly anticipated Guerrilla Games sequel. Now that we've played it ahead of its launch on Feb. 18 on PS4 and PS5, Jonathon breaks down many of the details he's learned about Horizon Forbidden West now that he's gone hands-on and previewed it. As part of this special bonus episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, Jonathon is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Lucy O'Brien to dig into everything we've learned about Horizon Forbidden West, including big changes to Horizon's combat and exploration. Jonathon breaks down some of the new mechanics, skills, and equipment Aloy will have access to in Horizon Forbidden West. And he also explains how players will go about getting some of that stuff, and a lot more, thanks to a more expansive array of sidequests, new mission types, and much more as Guerrilla Games has expanded its settlements. We touch lightly on some story-related content, but try to keep it generally spoiler free when it comes to major story beats in this portion of Horizon Forbidden West. But we do discuss some of the new and returning characters that appear, how Aloy is handling her new journey, and much more.

On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond, IGN's PlayStation Podcast, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Matt Kim to dive into the big news of the week, and, unsurprisingly, we dig into the Activision-Xbox deal. On a PlayStation show, you say? Well, we discuss what this potential deal means for PlayStation players - should Activision and Blizzard games, perhaps most notably, Call of Duty, go exclusive to Xbox consoles and subscription services on console and PC, where does that leave PlayStation? After all, Call of Duty is always one of the industry's best-selling games, and one of the biggest games, with timed exclusives as part of nearly every recent entry, a major factor for PlayStation players. Should future Call of Duty games go away from PlayStation, we discuss what that means for Call of Duty Warzone and more broadly the first-person shooter and multiplayer landscapes on PS4 and PS5. We discuss what PlayStation's recent moves to acquire teams and exclusive games from third-parties means for its future (and why we think multiplayer experiences will be a big part of the PS5's lifecycle), and whether bringing back old franchises like Killzone or Resistance makes sense versus new games. for the PS4 and PS5 player base. We examine PlayStation's recent first-party multiplayer efforts, multiplayer hits on PlayStation Plus, and more as we discuss this, as well as whether the Xbox-Activision deal, and the obvious focus on Xbox Game Pass, will cause any shifts to PlayStation's upcoming alleged subscription plans. Our PlayStation podcast also digs into the new Horizon Forbidden West trailer, as well as God of War's success on PC. Plus, we dive into all the games we've been playing, including Jonathon finally beating Horizon Zero Dawn's The Frozen Wilds DLC, Matt beating Death Stranding, Mark continuing to work through Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and Jada's Demon's Souls trophy hunting. And, for those looking forward to the release of Windjammers 2, Jonathon also speaks to the CEO of DotEmu, Cyrille Imbert, about the series' surprising success on PlayStation a few years ago, their goals with the sequel, and more.

On this week of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Matt Kim to dive into the biggest PS4 and PS5 games and news. First, we take a broad look at the year of big games coming to ps5 and ps4 in 2022 to keep on your radar. Of course, we're looking at big games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarok, but we're diving this week into the other games of 2022 we can't wait to play, from big third-party games like console-exclusive Ghostwire Tokyo, multiplatform games like LEGO: Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Sonic Frontiers, and The Callisto Protocol, plus indies like Tchia and much more. Plus, we also dive into the latest PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 news, including the reports that PlayStation is upping production of the PS4 and PS4 Pro to deal with supply chain shortages of the PS5 in the coming year. We discuss what the report means in light of PlayStation's focus on the PS5, the life and longevity of the PS4 into the coming year, and much more. We also dive into the PlayStation rumors about a potential Twisted Metal reboot being in the works, and then dive into what we're playing!

 On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, and Tom Marks to break down the first big PlayStation news of the year, and take a look at PlayStation's big 2022. First, we dig into the PSVR 2 news drop out of CES, examining the PSVR 2 reveal's specs, what PlayStation VR 2 needs to do to make a big splash, and we take wild guesses on when we think PSVR 2 will be launched and how much we think the PlayStation next-gen headset will cost. We also discuss our hopes for PSVR 2 exclusive games, and how exciting Horizon Call of the Mountain will be. Then, we take a wider look at PlayStation's big 2022, including the three PS4 and PS5 first-party exclusives we know are on the way - Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo, and God of War Ragnarok. We break down our hopes and expectations, when we think God of War will actually be released, and more on our PlayStation podcast. We also take a wider look at upcoming PS4 and PS5 games, including platform exclusives like Sifu and Forspoken, as well as multiplatform games like Elden Ring, Gotham Knights, and more. Plus, we take a look at January's PS Plus lineup and discuss why PlayStation Plus is off to a strong start this year, with looks at Deep Rock Galactic, Persona 5 Strikers, and Dirt 5. We also dig into the games we played over our holiday break, Jada offers some trophy tips after nabbing 11 platinums over break, and much more!

Happy Holidays! This week’s episode, everyone’s here! In what can only be considered the most ambitious crossover event in podcast history (maybe?), all of your favorite IGN podcast hosts have come together for a very special end of year episode talking some of the best moments of the 2021 across the Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo gaming universes. Join Daemon Hatfield – host of IGN’s Game Scoop podcast, Ryan McCaffrey – host of Podcast Unlocked, Jonathan Dornbush – host of Podcast Beyond, and Seth Macy – host of Nintendo Voice Chat, as we look back at the best games of 2021 as well as looking forward to 2022. 

From Halo: Infinite, to Returnal, to Metroid Dread and beyond, you’ll find it here. Let’s ring in 2022 the only way we know how: talking about the best video games of the year!

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Matt Kim, and Mark Medina to discuss the latest news in the world of PS4 and PS5 games, consoles, and more. First, the cast breaks down PlayStation's official unveiling of new DualSense colors and the first official PS5 faceplate covers in new colors, so your massive console doesn't only have to come in white. We discuss what we think this means for future PS5 looks, how it could affect PlayStation's work on specialty consoles for releases like God of War Ragnarok, Spider-Man 2, and more, and if we actually are going to buy them. Plus, we dig into PlayStation's fifth studio acquisition for the year, and how PlayStation's acquisitions could boost its first-party games. We dive into what we think of Sony's strategy this year of acquiring studios, how they both allow for new games and support of the games of other first-party studios, like Santa Monica's God of War Ragnarok, and what we think of the general approach the studio's taking to impact first-party development for PS4 and PS5. We also look into the improving relationship of PlayStation with its indie partners, and discuss what we've been playing ahead of the holidays, including Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Fortnite, Dark Souls, and the Matrix Unreal Engine 5 experience, which we think bodes well for the future of next-gen games designed in UE5.

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond! episode 728, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to discuss what's up with PlayStation's alleged new subscription plans, and what they might mean for PS4 and PS5 owners next year. The trio discusses the reported new details of the alleged three-tier program, which would offer combinations of PlayStation Plus, PlayStation now, and new features, including allegedly demos, game streaming, and back catalogs of PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP games. The cast dives into what we would want from such a subscription plan, if we think PS4 and PS5 first-party exclusives would launch into such a service, and how generally the offerings, as we know them, would compare both to Microsoft and Xbox's Game Pass and Nintendo's Switch Online subscription services. Plus, the cast also digs into the recent news in the world of PS4 and PS5, including Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves collection's release date, some quick Game Awards predictions, and much more.

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to answer one very important question - what are the PS5's best games so far? In Podcast Beyond's episode 727, the trio comes up with their completely unofficial, and not at all contentious list by looking through the entire first year category to decide what PS5 games are the best of the bunch. From Spider-Man Miles Morales, Astro's Playroom, and Demon's Souls at the PS5's launch, to PS4 exclusives like Returnal and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, to other Marvel hits like Guardians of the Galaxy or multiplatform games like Death's Door or Knockout City, and even big MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV, the trio and our producer Red pull together a few rounds of our favorites, throw in some wacky veto powers that then mess up the whole list, and try to salvage the list at the end with something not everyone will hate. Did we come up with a great list of PS5 games? Well, we came up with A list, and that was really the goal of this week's PlayStation podcast. Plus, we quickly bring up some PlayStation news, like a potential Returnal DLC tease, PlayStation Plus' December games, Sons of the Forest's release date, and more.

On this week's episode of Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Matt Kim and Mark Medina to take a look at the future of PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 exclusive games that could be in the works. With Sony recently re-confirming it has more than 25+ PlayStation 5 exclusives in the works alongside the PS5's one-year anniversary, we decided to take a few guesses at what those 25 games are. And, well, the results were results, but your PlayStation fandom mileage may vary, as the trio offers their real and exaggerated guesses, and includes some community choices in the mix. We run down the list of games that are confirmed so far (and for the sake of this discussion, we're including cross-gen exclusives being made by PlayStation Studios), like God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, Marvel's Wolverine, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Then, we start to drill down into our PlayStation exclusive hopes, from the possibilities of a Bloodborne remake or remaster, or even a sequel, to what Astro Bot devs Team Asobi could be working on, whether we'll ever see the return of PlayStation's Infamous and Sly Cooper franchises, if Uncharted has a future, and so much more. From guesses of new PS5 IPs from PlayStation Studios teams, to existing series that need a revival or reboot, to Jonathon's unwavering hope for a PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale 2, we come up with a list that, if unrealistic, we'd at least be looking forward to. We also discuss the PS5 shortages expected through the holidays, why it's so frustrating more people can't get their hands on the system, and more, plus a roundup of what we're playing, including the GTA Trilogy remasters and both the many glitches and bugs we've seen going around and Mark's surprisingly bug-free time with GTA III. Oh, and Jonathon experiences an earthquake during the show.

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to discuss the PS5's first year as we approach the PlayStation 5 anniversary launch this week. The trio looks back at the PS5 games and how the PS4 vs PS5 first years stack up, the new additions to this generation like the PlayStation 5's DualSense and 3D audio, and much more throughout our PlayStation 5 anniversary retrospective. We dig into the PS5's launch games and the many exciting opportunities to explore its new tech in games like Astro's Playroom, Demon's Souls, and Marvel's  Spider-Man Miles Morales, how Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal, Deathloop, and more kept us entertained throughout the PS5's first year, and how certain features like trophies, screen sharing, activity cards, and more have or haven't been put to use on the PlayStation 5. Our PlayStation 5 podcast lookback also discusses the PS5's availability, or lack thereof, as people continue to find PS5's have sold out, and the problems that both the supply chain and bots and scalpers have caused for people getting to enjoy the PlayStation 5. Plus, we discuss what we've been playing on PS4 and PS5, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Ghost of Tsushima, Returnal, Knockout City, and more.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Kat Bailey to discuss the latest news, rumors, and games in the world of PlayStation. But with a recently tweeted photo from PlayStation's Shuhei Yoshida showing Horizon Zero Dawn running on the SteamDeck, we ponder what if... PlayStation made a Vita successor? Would we like to see a new handheld from Sony, and does it make sense in this day and age to produce it, or should remote play and cloud gaming streaming be the future?

Plus, we discuss recent statements from Insomniac about how the studio avoided crunch around part of Marvel's Spider-Man, delays like Midnight Suns, Overwatch 2, Diablo 4, November's PlayStation Plus games lineup, and what we're playing.

On IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina to react live to October's PS5 and PS4 State of Play, covering the biggest announcements, the lack of certain games we hoped to see, and our general impressions of the reveals. We discuss the new PS5 and PS4 trailers for Death's Door, Bugsnax's upcoming expansion, Little Devil Inside, a new Star Ocean, and much more. We also dip into community reactions to the State of Play, why it didn't quite hit the mark for us, and more. But this week was also filled with plenty of other PlayStation news, so we also discuss Returnal's new save state mode in the Returnal 2.0 update, as well as new details about Horizon Forbidden West's exploration and traversal, and more. Plus we offer our impressions of playing Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy so far, along with why we're excited to jump into the GTA Trilogy being released next month.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, IGN's Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to discuss all the latest in the world of PS5, PS4, and more. First, with the recent PS4 and PS5 game delays of things like Elden Ring and the PS5 versions of The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, we talk about how jampacked early 2022 is with PS4 and PS5 games, including Horizon Forbidden West, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Sifu, Elden Ring, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Gran Turismo 7, and so much more. We discuss what we're so excited to play, why we don't mind this fall being a bit quieter, and how we plan to tackle this short span of so many potentially awesome PS4 and PS5 games. We also discuss PS5's sales success in September against the Nintendo Switch, and what that means for PS5 sales going into the rest of the year, as well as the return of custom PS5 faceplates from a t hird-party company,  DBrand, our approach to customizing our hardware or looking for different console and controller color variants, and more. Plus, we also discuss the move of God of War 2018 coming to PC early next year. We also dig into games we've been playing, including Death Stranding: Director's Cut, Hot Wheels Unleashed, New World, Far Cry 6; Jada shares a Memory Card story, and much more!

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Matt Kim and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss the latest in the world of PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation VR. The panel dives into some of the latest PlayStation news, like PlayStation's mobile games interest and Jim Ryan's recent comments about wanting to expand the PlayStation player base, the 5th anniversary of PSVR and some of our favorite PSVR games, and a little bit about what we hope to see in the updates made to PSVR 2 next-gen hardware. But the trio, emboldened by the end of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's DLC fighters,  and the release of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, dives into our dream roster list for PlayStation ALl-Stars 2, the unannounced fighting game sequel we hope really gets made some day. We dig into the obvious and deep cut choices we hope to see, what potential from new and old PlayStation franchises could make their way into the roster for a PlayStation All-Star sequel for PS5, and try to explain away some of our strangest choices. Really, we're sorry. Plus, Jonathon speaks with the developers behind JETT: The Far Shore, including its co-creator and composer about bringing its unique adventure to life, Mitchell gives his thoughts on Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and Demon Slayer, and Matt offers preview impressions of his time with Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker content, including FF14's two upcoming new classes and why he and Jonathon think it's worth jumping into Final Fantasy XIV before Endwalker. We also dig into a Memory Card story, and much more! And if you're looking for more places to enjoy the show, check out Podcast Beyond! on all available platforms: https://linktr.ee/podcastbeyond

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Matt Kim to discuss all the latest in the world of PlayStation, including the PS5 game trials being tested in the UK and how we'd like to see it expand, the continuous leaks for a GTA Trilogy remaster release (which we aren't expecting to be GTA remakes), and what we'd like to see from GTA 3, GTA Vice City, and GTA San Andreas' collective return, plus the rumors that Konami is looking at major revivals for Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, and Silent Hill. We discuss what we want from new Konami games, how new Castlevania's could learn from classics like Aria of Sorrow, the potential for an MGS 3 remake, and more.

We also discuss a bit of the state of PlayStation Now and games we've been playing, including Far Cry 6 and Lost Judgment impressions, a Memory Card story, and more.

BEYOND! The PlayStation news of the week isn't done, so Jonathon Dornbush and Brian Altano get together to discuss the news of PlayStation acquiring Bluepoint, the developers behind Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus remakes.

Jonathon also spoke with PlayStation's Hermen Hulst and Bluepoint's Marco Thrush, so he offers some details from his interview, including Bluepoint's desire to make a new game next, and we discuss PlayStation's overall acquisition strategy.

 On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and special guest Joseph Moran, host of The Trophy Room: A PlayStation Podcast, to discuss all the latest PS5 news, PS4 news, and big PlayStation games. First, we discuss the PS Plus October lineup, how it stacks up to other recent PS Plus offerings, and check in on the service in general, plus we dive into the acquisition of Fabrik Games by one of the most recent PlayStation acquired studios, Firesprite Games. We also discuss PlayStation's PS4 and PS5 cross-gen approach in light of a deep dive into the tech behind advancements of Horizon Forbidden West, what they mean for the next Horizon game, and why we're excited for it and God of War Ragnarok. And last on the news side, we discuss Naughty Dog's recommitment to a multiplayer game, the first photo of The Last of Us show, and the future of TLOU in general. We also dive into all the big games we've been playing from the fall so far, including Hot Wheels Unleashed, of which the executive producer Michele Caletti joins Jonathon to discuss the game's launch, gameplay, and post-launch support, plus thoughts on Death Stranding Director's Cut, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Castlevania Advanced Collection, and more.

On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano and Mitchell Saltzman to discuss Kena: Bridge of Spirits, another great console exclusive game for the PS4 and PS5 lineup. We jump into Mitchell's thoughts from his review, in which he called Kena a great game, what we love and hope to see improved about the combat and exploration in future games, our love of the beautiful art design and detail, and we weirdly get hung up on the game's fonts. But in general, we discuss what's so great about Kena's gameplay and world, and why you'll want to pick up Ember Lab's first game on PS4 or PS5. Plus, we dive into the recent reports about Quantic Dream's alleged Star Wars game, if that's a combination we're interested in seeing, and whether it makes sense for Quantic Dream to explore settings like the original trilogy or apply its choice-based gameplay to an era like The High Republic. We also dive into the reports about discussions of a Marvel vs. Capcom 2 remaster, and Mitchell gives us some insight into why the project is so fervently demanded, and what we hope to see from an MvC 2 remaster. We also read a new Memory Card story, offer wild Super Smash Bros. Ultimate predictions for a PlayStation guest character, and much more!

 On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!,  host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Matt Purslow to discuss all the latest PS5 updates, PS5 games, and more.

First, we discuss the release of the newest PS5 console exclusive, Deathloop, as we jump into Matt's Deathloop review and his overall thoughts about Deathloop's gameplay, world, and unique multiplayer. Jonathon, Lucy, and Brian also offer their Deathloop impressions, taking a look at what we've enjoyed about our early hours of the gameplay so far, and how it sits alongside other Arkane games.

Plus, we jump into the news around the new PS5 update, and what this PlayStation 5 firmware means for both the UI and PS5 SSD expansion. We dissect a bit of how this opens the door to new PS5 hard drives from third-parties, the changes to how PS5 trophies are displayed, and our hopes for what other updates we might see to the PS5 UI.

We also briefly touch on some updated news on Insomniac's Marvel's Wolverine, the new Marvel game from the Spider-Man developers, its mature tone, and what our early expectations are for it. Plus, we discuss some of the other PS5 games we've been playing, Matt shares a wonderful Memory Card story, and more.

PlayStation's September Showcase offered a look at the future of PlayStation Studios and third-party releases on PS4 and PS5, and Podcast Beyond! is here to break down our reactions to some of the biggest reveals.

Join host Jonathon Dornbush, Brian Altano, Lucy O'Brien, and Matt Kim for a quick check-in on our thoughts on God of War: Ragnarok, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Marvel's Wolverine.

Note: This episode was filmed live after the showcase, and unfortunately cut short due to technical difficulties. We'll be back with a full episode next week!

On this week's Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Mitchell Saltzman, and Taylor Lyles to discuss September's PS Plus games, answer your questions about Mitchell's Elden Ring preview, dive into the latest Naughty Dog crunch discussions, and give our thoughts on the early look at the Dead Space remake.

Join Brian Altano, Jonathon Dornbush, Lucy O'Brien, and Max Scoville from IGN's weekly PlayStation show as they discuss the biggest PlayStation and third-party reveals from gamescom. Though Sony didn't have a show itself, we discuss major release date updates like Horizon Forbidden West, JETT The Far Shore, Sifu, plus the announcements of games like Marvel's Midnight Suns and much more. Mitchell Saltzman also joins to discuss his hands-off preview of the highly anticipated Elden Ring.

On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Lucy O'Brien to dig into some of this week's PlayStation news and more. First, we jump into some Ghost of Tsushima chat, including our new Art of the Level feature and the trend of Director's Cuts currently being kicked off. After Ghost and Death Stranding, should games like The Last of Us Part 2 and Bloodborne get similar treatment, and what should they include?

Plus, we discuss a bit about the lack of a State of Play, the constant fake rumors about State of Play's happening, and why this cycle is occurring online, along with a brief check-in on Abandoned, some of the games we've been playing, and much more.