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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 7: Ranking Bethesda's Game Pass Games

Dropping 20 massive games from one publisher onto a service that is already delivering you value hand over fist can be an overwhelming experience in the most positive way. In today's episode of Defining Duke Ultimate, I hope to alleviate some of that pressure by cutting down Bethesda's titles into a ranked list of what you should be spending your time to play from these games if any at all! This is also fueled through your feedback, so don't just take it from me!

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 85: Colin x Matty = Bethesda + Microsoft Talk

We've stayed apart long enough, don't you think? In a (rather smart) attempt to allow Defining Duke (our Xbox podcast) to grow its own identity without me (Colin), I've stayed far away. But that doesn't mean I can't corral one of those guys every once in a while, right?! Thus, for the first time ever, welcome MrMattyPlays to Sacred Symbols+. Today's episode is all about one thing: Bethesda and Xbox. What're things looking like from the Xbox side of the fence? How's everyone's confidence (or l...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 85: Colin x Matty = Bethesda + Microsoft Talk (Video)

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KnockBack, Episode 162: Our Favorite '90s Memories (Video)

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KnockBack, Episode 162: Our Favorite '90s Memories

You, our precious audience, have a wide array of wants when it comes to KnockBack. You like the episodes about games, and about movies, and TV shows, and all the rest, but you also like when we get into the ephemera of the past, too. Today's show is thus dedicated to just that. We, the Brothers Moriarty, have chosen 10 'somethings' from the decade of the 1990s -- maybe a show we used to watch, or a way we used to do something, or whatever the case might be -- and talked about those memories, ...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 141: Oblivion (Video)

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Timestamps to skip ads:

0:00:56

0:42:52

1:18:24

Sacred Symbols, Episode 141: Oblivion

The deed is done: Microsoft has officially purchased Bethesda. What's that mean for PlayStation gamers? Well, it doesn't seem good, at least if you care about many of that label's products coming to PlayStation 5 outside of Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo. But between the lines are still myriad topics ripe for discussion, like Phil Spencer's years-long lack of categorical, definitive statements, Microsoft's seeming inability to manage the studios they already own, and what PlayStation may look ...

Defining Duke, Episode 10: Xbox Officially Owns Bethesda & Confirms Exclusivity (Video)

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Defining Duke, Episode 10: Xbox Officially Owns Bethesda & Confirms Exclusivity

No more guessing. This week, Phil Spencer, Pete Hines, Todd Howard, and many others gathered to break down everything on the future of this acquisition. Game Pass additions, exclusivity, a summer event. It is all laid out for us to feast on. Now that we know what is happening, where do we go from here? Matty and Karak sift through weeks of build-up and release it all in this very episode!

Timestamps:

0:00:37 - Intro

0:09:09 - Have we ever lost progress on a ...

Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 6: What Games Should Xbox Add To Backwards Compatibility? (Video)

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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 6: What Games Should Xbox Add To Backwards Compatibility?

Xbox has set a precedent with their support for backward compatibility. From playing your favorite original Xbox titles to boosts on modern ones, they continue to expand the offering and meaning of this very feature. This week, however, we narrow our focus on what Xbox is missing! The library of titles waiting to be updated, the future of this program, and how deep does this rabbit hole go? Is it merely making sure the game runs or is there a deeper technical problem? We dissect!

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 84: A PlayStation Nerd Session

It's been a while, friends, since I (Colin!) have gotten a chance to talk to you one-on-one. So, today's episode of + is dedicated to just that. Let's catch up via 29 questions from the audience all about PlayStation, PlayStation games, and more. Let's talk about the first party studios, second party output, PS5, and on and on. I won't even spoil the topics! But if you're a PlayStation nerd (and I know you are!), then this episode is most certainly for you. Hit play...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 84: A PlayStation Nerd Session (Video)

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KnockBack, Episode 161: The Movie Theater (Video)

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KnockBack, Episode 161: The Movie Theater

For pretty much every child, going to the movie theater is a rite of passage. The thing is, the nature of that rite hinges mightily on when and where you grew up. For we The Brothers Moriarty, our formidable movie theater experiences were on Long Island in the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and it's from there that we can draw many memorable, funny, and resonant stories. Our pre-movie rituals. What snacks to eat. Getting rides to and fro. Meeting girls (or boys!). Playing in the arcade. Seeing flicks ...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 140: The Cost of Immersion

There's little doubt Sony is near (or perhaps even at) the front of the race for mass-consumer virtual reality, and it's done a pretty nice job of putting its money where its mouth is. But with PSVR2 tacitly acknowledged and PSVR itself more than four years old, things are starting to slow down a little bit. Or are they? Out of left field, Sony has announced six new PlayStation VR games -- not PSVR2, PSVR -- all of which are due out by the end of 2021. These half-dozen titles create a tantali...

Defining Duke, Episode 9: Elden Ring Had A Major Gameplay Leak (Video)

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Note: This is a repost from yesterday. We encountered a bug on Patreon that caused the post to not show up on feeds or send notifications out. 

Sacred Symbols, Episode 140: The Cost of Immersion (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

Timestamps to skip ads:

0:32:01

1:11:04

Defining Duke, Episode 9: Elden Ring Had A Major Gameplay Leak

Walkthrough and Soulsbornekiro expert FightinCowboy joins the show! After nearly two years of silence, fans of Elden Ring finally have some answers. Unfortunately for Namco Bandai, none of this was planned. The new IP by From Software has suffered a major leak boasting an internal gameplay trailer and, worse yet, the potential showcase for this re-reveal has been outed as well. What do we make of this? Will it be a situation similar to Hogwart's Legacy where the leak comes and then the game d...

Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 5: BioWare’s Uncertain Future & What They Need to Bounce Back (Video)

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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 5: BioWare’s Uncertain Future & What They Need to Bounce Back

BioWare has been heading down a bumpy road for years. Despite all that, the industry still pays close attention to everything they do, holding their breath that one day they bounce back. So, will they? What of the future of their IP? Do we even need BioWare anymore?

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 83: Holding 'Em To Account (with LegacyKillaHD)

Please welcome popular YouTuber LegacyKillaHD to +! I (Colin) wanted to have him on the show for a big reason: He holds publishers and developers to account just like we do, and that's truly rare in our games industry. So, we cover four major topics that are currently bouncing around: Cyberpunk 2077 and the CD Projekt fiasco, Bethesda's sale to Microsoft and the future of its games, BioWare's cancellation of Anthem Next and what it means for EA, and Hogwarts Legacy's preemptive cancellat...

KnockBack, Episode 160 | Blade Runner (1982 film) (Video)

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KnockBack, Episode 160 | Blade Runner (1982 film)

In the early '80s, Harrison Ford was completely and undeniably in his element. Over a five year period, he appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, and The Temple of Doom. That's one hell of a run. But squished right in between those four movies is 1982's Blade Runner, where we see Ford lose the roguishness (kind of) for something decidedly deeper, darker, and more philosophical. Ridley Scott's classic sci-fi film tells the story of maverick androids t...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 139: Salvo (Video)

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0:33:47

1:04:34

Sacred Symbols, Episode 139: Salvo

The PlayStation world is in absolute overdrive right now, at least on the news front (not so much on the games front). Such is typically the case when a new State of Play stream occurs. The new one gave us some interesting items to consider -- fresh looks at Returnal and Deathloop, for instance -- but learning about Final Fantasy VII Remake's PlayStation 5-exclusive DLC definitely takes the cake. Yet, we have to ask: Are States of Play all-too-transparent marketing gimmicks dressed up as...

Defining Duke, Episode 8: Xbox Is Planning A Bethesda Event For March (Video)

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Defining Duke, Episode 8: Xbox Is Planning A Bethesda Event For March

Week by week, we inch closer to the conclusion of the Bethesda-Xbox merging and, more importantly, answers to pressing questions. What of exclusivity? When is Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield arriving? It looks like in the middle of March we will be learning what this means for the future of both companies becoming one. On the other side of the spectrum, PlayStation has moved another one of their exclusives to PC and this is a good sign for those of the 'master race.' Both sides are embracing...

Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 4: Is Xbox Mismanaging Their Studios? (Video)

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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 4: Is Xbox Mismanaging Their Studios?

It's a bite-size Defining Duke Ultimate episode this week (yes, we need more write-ins), but the conversation is as delicious as ever! From taco trucks to Halo being "niche," we discuss! More importantly, is whether or not Xbox is mismanaging the talent they have acquired. Taking a look at games like Quantum Break, Scalebound, Crackdown 3, and certain trends they lined up with creates a compelling argument. But, is that the case? Let's find out.