PlayStation 3's Uncharted trilogy is inarguably a vital stepping stone in the history of Sony. These three titles helped breathe life into a once-struggling console, and gave the brand amazing momentum running into the following generation. But Naughty Dog's series about a globetrotting adventurer hit a bit of a snag when PS3 turned to PS4. Partially through development, Uncharted 4 would lose its creative force and writer, Amy Hennig, leaving the half-finished projects in the hands of the tw...
2023-02-06 17:00:06 +0000 UTC
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2023-02-03 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
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In only about 10 weeks on the market, God of War: Ragnarok has grossed (give or take) around $750 million. At 11 million units sold and counting, it's a stark reminder that -- yes indeed! -- people will buy games, buy them at a high price point, and buy them in great quantities. All that's necessary is for that product to be special. Having already made back Ragnarok's development and marketing costs several times, what's next for Santa Monica Studio? Behold yet another Sony money p...
2023-02-03 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
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2023-02-02 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
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With E3's return to an in-person event, you wouldn't be foolish to assume Xbox would have a presence given the endless vocal support the brand has for the convention. Following financial complications and maybe even Developer_Direct's success, it appears Xbox is heading in a different direction. IGN reports the all of the "Big 3" including Xbox will not have a presence at E3. While Xbox will have a showcase as they confirmed last week, this opens up a slew of possibilities for what Xbox could...
2023-02-02 17:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Hi!
Submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for this week's episode of Sacred Symbols in this thread.
As always, please keep your inquiries well-written and pithy. Novels, poorly-written posts, etc. are politely ignored.
You have until Thursday, February 2nd at noon ET to submit.
Talk to you soon!
2023-02-01 20:00:03 +0000 UTC
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2023-02-01 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
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For this week's all-new episode of Constellation, The Brothers Moriarty are pleased to draft The Washington Post's Gene Park into their ranks, as well as Sacred Symbols' very own Chris Ray Gun. Gene wants to delve into so-called 'real-life side quests,' the things we keep ourselves busy with on the side for one reason or another. Chris reflects on generational jumps in gaming, particularly the leap from PS2 to PS3 and Xbox to Xbox 360, which he identifies as the greatest shift we've yet exper...
2023-02-01 17:00:14 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-31 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
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Now we're cooking. Literally, actually, as Nick Offerman's rendition of Bill happens to be quite the gastronomist. Episode 3 of HBO's The Last of Us shows just how deep the game's world can mine the depths of human emotion. Scarcely featuring Joel and Ellie over its lengthy runtime, viewers are instead immersed in something we never see in the game itself, but bear witness to in great quantity here: The lives of Bill and his lover Frank. By taking serious (albeit welcome) liberties with ...
2023-01-31 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Hey All!
It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 109 of Defining Duke.
Great ways to get your write-up used: Be pithy, be topical, and be insightful. Walls-of-text, posts littered with poor grammar and punctuation, etc., are promptly (though respectfully) ignored.
As this is an Xbox podcast, be sure your submission makes sense within that realm. You have until Wednesday, 2/1 at 3 PM ET to ma...
2023-01-30 17:29:49 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-30 17:01:03 +0000 UTC
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Game Pass is at the center of Xbox's ecosystem and thanks to that, it is changing the way we consume games. Not only in the way they can be shadow dropped or make previously unimaginable titles possible, but also in the way Xbox sells them. Following the release of Forza Horizon 5, many patrons wrote in to the Dukes about how its early access program could impact the future exclusive titles. With first party games announced and marketing beginning in earnest, we can finally begin to process w...
2023-01-30 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-28 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
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It's time yet again for another episode of Sacred Symbols x Defining Duke! The entire gang from both shows convene -- Colin, Chris, Dustin, Matty, and Cog -- for a lengthy discussion about three topics in particular. First, we visit Microsoft's recent layoffs, contextualize them in the greater scheme of the larger economy and tech sector, and then get into the meat: What in the hell is going on at 343? Second, we segue to Starfield. Is it truly possible, in a world with Horizon and God of War...
2023-01-28 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-27 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
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Think back a ways, to the lead-up to The Last of Us' launch on PlayStation 3. There wasn't one name -- but two! -- oft-invoked in media: Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. The duo's work was well-established in the Uncharted series, and they would later rescue Uncharted 4 from development tribulations as a team. But the team split apart, and these days, Druckmann is the focal point of PlayStation's internal development efforts while Straley is a ghost of times past. A recent LA Times piece all...
2023-01-27 17:00:06 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-26 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
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Note: Due to the Xbox Showcase yesterday, this episode is free for all at release.
With the first ever Developer_Direct in the rear view for us, it's time to pick apart all the games (and surprises) shown off! We saw Redfall, Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, Elder Scrolls Online, and even a surprise drop from Tokyo Gameworks with Hi-Fi Rush. With these games, Xbox has a healthy and full first half of 2023 - a strange sight for fans of the ecosystem. Is this the format for the future...
2023-01-26 17:00:07 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-25 21:04:40 +0000 UTC
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Please welcome Kara Lynne to the show. For just north of two years, Kara was the community manager for Limited Run Games, the popular (if perhaps sometimes controversial) physical games outfit run out of North Carolina. Then, the founder of BronyCon (seriously) found out she was excited about Hogwarts Legacy, and aimed to destroy her reputation. That person succeeded, at least partially -- Kara lost her job because of baseless character assassination -- but what happened to her didn't br...
2023-01-25 21:04:26 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-25 17:01:01 +0000 UTC
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This week's episode of Constellation is a doozy. Micah joins us to ask about our so-called "old man moments," and if we're evolving into our parents. Dustin waxes poetic about anime, and how it has slowly-but-surely taken over the world. Dagan wonders if he should be more curious and open to new experiences, rather than falling back on the same old guilty pleasure pieces of entertainment and fiction. And finally, Colin inquires about the trials and tribulations of home ownership, and how it's...
2023-01-25 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-24 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
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With The Last of Us' wonderful pilot episode behind us, it's time to start tackling the game's award-winning story through HBO's lens anew. Thus, Joel, Ellie, and Tess begin winding their way to the Massachusetts State House, where the two mercenaries hope to drop off their merchandise with the Fireflies. But, as players know, the situation almost immediately falls apart, and the TV show does a wonderful job of capturing these moments -- in particular the museum -- all while maintaining ...
2023-01-24 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Hey All!
Note: This week is Developer_Direct, so do consider circling back around here after the show to write in again as this will be the focal point of our show.
It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 108 of Defining Duke.
Great ways to get your write-up used: Be pithy, be topical, and be insightful. Walls-of-text, posts littered with poor grammar and punctuation, etc., are pro...
2023-01-23 18:36:01 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-23 17:01:03 +0000 UTC
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Over the five years we've been recording KnockBack, we've intentionally gone out of our way not to talk about A New Hope. It's an especially peculiar decision, considering the first-ever episode of KnockBack is about The Empire Strikes Back, the film that would follow it. But we wanted to get 2023 into gear with something positive and fun, a topic we can bring a lot of energy to, and we've finally succumbed: It's time to chat about 1977's original Star Wars film. But we do things a littl...
2023-01-23 17:00:05 +0000 UTC
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2023-01-21 17:01:02 +0000 UTC
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The invitational is just about over. After three months learning the ropes of our brand-new metagame here on Sacred Symbols+, we're ready to begin our first season in earnest. Our first season of what, exactly? Why, the Sacred Sales Saga, of course! It's our monthly guessing game where we use our knowledge, daring, and moxy to try and determine the most-downloaded PSN games of each month. You can play along at home, check out statistics, and more at
2023-01-21 17:00:06 +0000 UTC
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