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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 126 | The Yakuza Games Report ft. Jason Polansky (Video)

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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 126 | The Yakuza Games Report ft. Jason Polansky

As I (Matty) prepare myself for the Yakuza pilgrimage, I needed to know what to expect in such a long, storied franchise. Due to its popularity on Game Pass and the upcoming "Infinite Wealth" entry, now is the best time to inform yourself on burning questions with the biggest one being: Do I have to play all of these games to understand the newest one? Joining me today is Jason Polansky, Producer at Atari, to serve as the ambassador for the Yakuza series! As this was his pitch for the episode...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 356 | Dustin's Holiday Mailbag

Hello! Welcome to the beginning of Last Stand's holiday content! First up is me, Dustin! A few weeks ago, I took your questions here on Patreon and put them together for this mailbag. Am I interested in getting a Steam Deck OLED? What are my 2024 plans professionally and personally? What is one of my most embarrassing moments?  After going to Japan, where do I want to travel next? Please enjoy. 

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 356 | Dustin's Holiday Mailbag (Video)

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Happy Holidays From Last Stand Media

Hello!

It’s me, Colin. I wanted to write to you today, first and foremost, to wish you and yours an excellent holiday season, and a very happy new year. Whether you celebrate Christmas, celebrated Hanukkah, or perhaps live the life of a pagan worshipper or an atheist heathen, I hope you will soon get the opportunity for some quality time with family and friends, myriad gaming sessions, and the general downtime we all chase this exceedingly late time of year.

Speaking of downtime...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 285 | Deader Than Dead (Video)

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Sacred Symbols, Episode 285 | Deader Than Dead

We recorded a full episode of the show -- originally called Deader Than Dead because of the demise of E3 -- but we had no idea how apt that title would actually become. In the hours after we hit stop, word broke of Naughty Dog's cancellation of The Last of Us' standalone Factions mode, which they call The Last of Us Online (as first reported right here on Sacred Symbols). Naturally, we had to record a lengthy pickup to discuss the unfortunate news. And yes: E3 is dead, as mentioned above...

Defining Duke, Episode 154 | What’s Going On With Blade’s Xbox Exclusivity?! (Video)

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0:00:38

0:27:59

Defining Duke, Episode 154 | What’s Going On With Blade’s Xbox Exclusivity?!

The Dukes have gathered one final time in 2023 during the aftermath of The Game Awards. Following a successful showing by Xbox, many question marks linger around Blade. Well, we have a direct answer from Disney, and that result lies with Bethesda. So, what gives? Plus, we get into the possibility of a free Game Pass tier fueled by ads as Xbox seeks to create value even at the lowest level of entry to help expand their subscription service. Is this a wise move or something that will inevitably...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 355 | Grand Theft Auto: A Deeper Analysis (Video)

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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 355 | Grand Theft Auto: A Deeper Analysis

Please welcome Ian of 616Entertainment back to Sacred+, his fourth appearance. You may recall that I (Colin) last had Ian on the show to discuss Grand Theft Auto III, which I had freshly replayed for the first time in two decades and was thus eager to discuss it. That chat planted a seed in my mind that there was more to say on the matter, though, and indeed there is: Grand Theft Auto VI's serendipitous reveal has only exacerbated by orders-of-magnitude interest in the future of a franch...

Punching Up, Episode 16 | Please Wrap It Up (Video)

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Punching Up, Episode 16 | Please Wrap It Up

Another year has come and gone, and the Game Awards once again proved to be a bit of a mixed bag. Nintendo won three different awards, only to have awkward acceptance speeches that felt rushed to the point of being disrespectful. Additionally, Fortnite is on top with millions of players and a slew of crossover IPs, but where's Nintendo? Thanks to a recent interview, it's clear that Epic has tried. So, is Nintendo being stingy, or do they have a right to be protective and not want to see Mario...

Constellation, Episode 49 | Internet Friends, Medical Issues, Q-Star AGI, Shoes (Video)

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Constellation, Episode 49 | Internet Friends, Medical Issues, Q-Star AGI, Shoes

Greetings! Welcome back to Constellation, Last Stand Media's conversational podcast. This week, the Brothers Moriarty are joined by LSM associate producer Ben Smith and Lockmort of Lockmort's Edits on our YouTube channel. We start today's podcast off with a basic topic that spawns a substantial back-and-forth: Shoes. Are they important to us, style and/or function? What are our favorite brands? And so on. We then veer into more serious territory, as Lockmort gives us the rundown on a gallblad...

Knockback, Episode 275 | Final Fantasy IV (Redux) (Video)

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Knockback, Episode 275 | Final Fantasy IV (Redux)

For the Brothers Moriarty, Final Fantasy IV -- or Final Fantasy II, as we once knew it on SNES way back when -- is a uniquely nostalgic product. Upon its release in the west, we played the game together, often with me (Colin) sneaking into Dagan's room after I was 'put to bed' so I could watch him conquer the tale. Thus, we eagerly revisit this all-time JRPG classic in KnockBack style, but it's not the first time we've done so. Long-time listeners will recall that one of the very first KB off...

Defining Duke, Episode 153 | Well, That Happened... - Our Reactions To The Game Awards 2023 (Video)

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0:00:40

0:26:30

Defining Duke, Episode 153 | Well, That Happened... - Our Reactions To The Game Awards 2023

It was a much different story for Xbox coming out of The Game Awards this year compared to the last. In 2022, Xbox had yet again skipped the show with any meaningful announcements and even had their acquisition of Activision blocked by the FTC. This time around, there weren't any regulators to stop their fun! They showed up with Hellblade II gameplay alongside announcements of Arkane's Blade and even Hideo Kojima's frequently leaked "OD." Yet, as per usual, not all answers are certain. Is Bla...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 284 | Say Anything (Video)

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0:01:43

0:31:58

0:54:51

Sacred Symbols, Episode 284 | Say Anything

After a long wait, PlayStation utilized Geoff Keighley's Game Awards to reveal new information about its upcoming slate of first party games. Psych! While TGA's three-hour runtime was ample -- and while a litany of quality games were announced and explored -- PlayStation's complete lack of first party presence (outside of free God of War: Ragnarok DLC) is notable. Will the company ever talk again? Or will we continue to be stuck in this pincer, with promising second and third party games...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 354 | Alan Wake 2 Spoilercast and Review Discussion

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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 354 | Alan Wake 2 Spoilercast and Review Discussion

Note: Defining Duke will be coming out Saturday instead of today so Matty and Cog can cover the Game Awards. Enjoy Saturday's SS+ today!

Thirteen years ago, Remedy Entertainment released Alan Wake and left players on a major cliffhanger. Now, in 2023, we finally have a follow-up to answer many of our questions and, without a doubt, ask many new ones. For this spoilercast, I (Dustin) knew I needed a crew of Alan Wake fans who were just as excited as I was for the sequel:...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 353 | An Examination of the Gaming Industry's Antisemitism Problem (Video)

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 353 | An Examination of the Gaming Industry's Antisemitism Problem

Please welcome game developer Luc Bernard back to Sacred Symbols+. It's his third visit to our show; you may recall that I (Colin) last had him on to talk about his emotional free-to-play game The Light in the Darkness, which examines a seldom-revisited portion of the Holocaust in France. Today, he returns to discuss antisemitism in the gaming sphere more broadly, and I was actually spurred on to have this conversation by a senior-ranking producer of a well-known publisher, who said Luc and I...

Constellation, Episode 48 | Ozempic, Aging Out, Early 2024 Election Thoughts, Our Names (Video)

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Constellation, Episode 48 | Ozempic, Aging Out, Early 2024 Election Thoughts, Our Names

It's time for Constellation, Last Stand Media's conversational podcast. This week, the Brothers Moriarty are joined by Punching Up co-host Gene Park and legendary games designer David Jaffe. Our topics are many-varied on this lengthy episode, and we begin with Jaffe, who has recently started taking the mega-popular medicine Ozempic. Like many others on the drug, he likes what he's seeing so far and wants to tell the tale. From there, we go to the idea of aging out of interests, spurred o...

Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 125 | Xbox's Ubiquitous Future? (Video)

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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 125 | Xbox's Ubiquitous Future?

Xbox leadership has recently made multiple statements regarding the future of the platform. Both Tim Stuart and Phil Spencer interviews have garnered a ton of conversation regarding Xbox going Third Party and where Game Pass will reside. Cog brings in Ainsley Bowden from Seasoned Gaming and Rand Al Thor of The Xbox Two to discuss hardware, corporate messaging, and the potential future of the platform Xbox. Enjoy!

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 352 | The 2023 Horror Games Renaissance (Video)

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