Sacred Symbols, Episode 383 | I Can Dodge Bullets?

An old piece of games industry lore has recently reemerged, and it has people wondering about a tantalizing what-if. Back in 1999, The Matrix hit theaters, and the co-creators of the film happened to have been huge fans of Hideo Kojima, himself a year removed from the launch of Metal Gear Solid. And, as was reported at the time, there was potential that Konami would allow Kojima to pursue a licensed Matrix game post-MGS. A lot of new information has since emerged about what did and didn't happen here, and it makes for a great conversation starter. So let's lean into it, shall we? Our conclusion: Perhaps Kojima doing MGS2 instead of a Matrix game means he likely dodged a bullet (pardon the pun). Other news this week includes some quiet updates seemingly being made to PlayStation Portal's functionality, leaks from Bluepoint's cancelled God of War game, the most recent China Hero Project title in the form of Loulan: The Cursed Sand, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Following Freedom Wars, Patapon, and Everybody's Golf, what should Sony's and Bandai Namco's next collaborative re-release be? Do PC players have any reason to invest in the modern PlayStation ecosystem? Will the culture war consume Naughty Dog's Intergalactic? Does Colin type so fast that his keyboard smokes?

Timestamps:

0:00:00 - Intro

0:43:10 - RIP Nick Mangold

0:44:13 - stand down non-traditional candy

0:50:45 - Chris wills glass Snapple back

0:55:36 - New York location lore

0:59:19 - PS+ Premium streaming to Portal leaked

1:12:23 - Bluepoint's cancelled God of War game leaks

1:22:33 - Sony isn't interested in buying WB

1:30:51 - Konami turned down a Kojima Matrix game

1:48:20 - Loulan: The Cursed Sand is the next China Hero Project game

1:58:19 - Square Enix is cracking down on Dragon Quest spoilers

2:11:02 - November PS+ Games

2:13:51 - What We’ve Been Playing (Ghost of Yotei, PowerWash Simulator 2, Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted, Battlefield 6, Vampire Survivors)

2:41:13 - What Japan Studio game will get released by Bandai Namco?

2:45:10 - Halo and the US government

2:54:17 - Gaming ads on Sacred

3:11:04 - Wait for PS6?

3:20:24 - The console war lives in on services

3:38:25 - Is Intergalactic the next target?