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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 56: Sea Of Ben

Long has it been requested that we host a special on Sea Of Thieves and, today, we are finally doing just that. Joining me (Matty) is our associate producer Ben Smith who among many other things he is amazing at is an expert on one of Xbox's most successful service games to date. Since the announcement of Xbox Game Pass, Sea Of Thieves has only gained steam where five years after launch in 2022 it is in its best state yet. Why is that and should you dive deep? Let's turn to Ben and find out.<...

Sacred Symbols 200 Live: TICKETS ON SALE FOR ALL!

Hey Everyone,

I know you get a lot of posts on our Patreon, and I apologize to add to the traffic. However, I wanted to let everyone know that tickets to Sacred Symbols 200 Live at The National in Richmond, VA are now available for everyone to buy, Last Stand Media Patrons and all of you normies, scallywaygs, and freeloaders out there alike.

You can buy tickets by clicking 2022-02-23 16:22:31 +0000 UTC View Post

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 166: The Character Assassination of Troy Leavitt (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 166: The Character Assassination of Troy Leavitt

In early 2021, a hack journalist deployed a transparent political attack on a relatively anonymous game dev. The dev's name is Troy Leavitt, a veteran designer of the Utah studio scene with experience at defunct teams like SingleTrac, and more recently at the Disney-owned and then WB-owned Avalanche Studios. There, he quietly toiled away on high-quality licensed games until, like a meteor, his world was blown apart. Why? Because, years prior, he dared question the political orthodoxy of the i...

Dustin's Bizarre Adventure - Lockmort's Edits

It was me, Dustin!

Defining Duke, Episode 60: The Thread

Hey All!  It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 60 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, February 23rd at 1p ET to make your submission.

KnockBack, Episode 211: Sixteen Candles (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

KnockBack, Episode 211: Sixteen Candles

We love John Hughes here on KnockBack. The (sadly deceased) American filmmaker and writer is perhaps best-known for his work on the likes of Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, and Home Alone. But before he got to any of those films -- and the rest of his legion of '80s masterpieces -- he undertook Sixteen Candles, which also happens to be his directorial debut after a series of writing gigs, including with National Lampoons. Starring Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall, two staples of his ac...

KnockBack, The Thread: Uncharted (Drake's Fortune)

Hello!

Soon, we'll be recording an episode of KnockBack dedicated to Naughty Dog's smash-hit PlayStation 3 game, 2007's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

As always, submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas to our show concerning the topic. Pithy and well-written inquiries only! Walls-of-text and poorly-written submissions are politely ignored.

You have until Wednesday, February 23rd at noon ET to submit.

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 165: Souls Retrospective (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 165: Souls Retrospective

We are merely days away from the next anticipated FromSoftware release, Elden Ring. With the insane levels of hype surrounding the launch, I (Dustin) thought it would be a fantastic time to look back at FromSoftware's "Souls" games and what makes them great. Filled with iconic locations, characters, weapons, and boss fights, FromSoftware and their creative mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki have completely changed the video game landscape over the past 13 years or so. Join Matty and me, as we discu...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 190: The Bright Side (Video)

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Timestamps to skip ads:

0:31:18

1:00:43

Sacred Symbols, Episode 190: The Bright Side

It seems like PlayStation has taken some body blows recently, but stark reality paints a different picture. Sales data shows PlayStation 5 is steadily outselling Xbox Series X|S, while games like the original Horizon and Miles Morales are doing Nintendo first party-level numbers, something its primary competition could only dream of. Heck, with Cyberpunk 2077 sneakily arriving on PlayStation 5 in the shadow of Horizon: Forbidden West's launch, there's much to be excited about. Of course, it i...

Defining Duke, Episode 59: PlatinumGames Wants Xbox To Acquire Them + PlayStation Censorship (Video)

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Timestamps to skip ads:
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0:28:03

Defining Duke, Episode 59: PlatinumGames Wants Xbox To Acquire Them + PlayStation Censorship

It's a jumbled mess of news this week. Xbox's messaging continues to puzzle the Dukes as Phil Spencer has claimed he wants games like Starfield to be the most played Todd Howard game yet it has the most walls surrounding it. We see "popular Activision Blizzard titles" are remaining multi-platform, so the situation for Bethesda is different. Will this energy be maintained in future deals? That will be most telling and it's possible that Microsoft has a potential candidate. PlatinumGames can't ...

KnockBack: February 2022 Primary Election

Hello!

As usual, we're giving you -- our beloved audience -- the opportunity to help select an upcoming episode of our retro and nostalgia podcast, KnockBack.

Here's what you do: Submit a single topic idea in the thread below, and then use Patreon's "like" system (which is a heart) to show support for others' submissions that you like. Near the end of the month, we'll round-up your answers and distill everything to the five most-popular choices, which you can then vote on.
2022-02-16 20:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 55: The True Competition (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 55: The True Competition

For generations, the "war" has always and forever been waged between Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo. That competition will remain forever, but there are invaders arriving shortly which will almost certainly disrupt what we're using to in gaming. Amazon, Apple, and Google. All major corporations with plenty of cash to blow and an interest in gaming. The Dukes gather to unite the brands and dissect who is the real competition for gaming's favorite trifecta of brands.

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 164: The China Syndrome (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 164: The China Syndrome

Communist-controlled China is a threat to free expression and peaceful commerce, but we here in the west are nonetheless more-than-happy to do business with them anyway. And that complicity comes at a cost, whether we want to admit it or not. To get into the nitty-gritty of just what it means to do business with, in, and for China, I (Colin!) invited Sale Lilly to the show. Sale is a Senior Policy Analyst at the world-famous RAND Corporation. A Mandarin-speaking ex-US Naval officer, educated ...

Sacred Symbols+, The Thread: Souls Retrospective

Hey everyone!

We're recording a Souls Retrospective for an upcoming episode of Sacred Symbols+ featuring Dustin and Matty! This episode is all about looking back at FromSoftware's "Souls" games, including Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1-3, Bloodborne, and Sekiro.

You know the drill: Submit your topical question, comment, concern, thought, or idea, and keep it well-written and pithy. We'll try to incorporate what we can into the show.

Submissions should be mad...

Defining Duke, Episode 59: The Thread

Hey All!  It's time to submit your questions, comments, concerns, thoughts, and ideas for Episode 59 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, February 16th at 1p ET to make your submission.

KnockBack, Episode 210: Thriller (Michael Jackson album) (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

KnockBack, Episode 210: Thriller (Michael Jackson album)

This episode of KnockBack is for all you pretty young things out there. In late-1982, Michael Jackson -- already world-renowned both with his family band The Jackson 5 and via his solo vehicles -- released his most seminal work, the three-times Diamond certified record Thriller. While its title track may be what's most remembered these days, it's interesting to look back to the early-'80s, when Thriller (the song) was released sixth (!) when it comes to singles. From Billie Jean and Wanna Be ...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 163: Mama Micah Mailbag (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 163: Mama Micah Mailbag

Micah gets back behind the microphone to answer your inquiries about Star Wars, wet socks, life in the south, her favorite Switch games, and her opinions on PlayStation vs Xbox. Boil up some Pepsi and microwave a steak: it’s the Mama Micah power hour!

Sacred Symbols, Episode 189: Safehaven (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

Timestamps to skip ads:

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Sacred Symbols, Episode 189: Safehaven

Microsoft's pending purchase of Activision has turned the industry upside down for weeks, but now we're not so sure it deserves too much worry, at least not for the PlayStation fanbase. In anticipation of regulatory concerns, Microsoft has explicitly and repeatedly ensured that PlayStation (and Nintendo?!) will receive plenty of Activision-Blizzard games well after already-inked deals have lapsed. In other words: Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, and the like will be on PlayStation forevermore...

Defining Duke, Episode 58: The Activision Exclusives Situation Gets Perplexing (Video)

For your viewing pleasure.

Timestamps to skip ads:

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Defining Duke, Episode 58: The Activision Exclusives Situation Gets Perplexing

The Dukes have spoken on multiple accounts about Xbox progress as a brand, but their communication leaves much to be desired. There has been no better public example than the back-and-forth statements on how Xbox plans to handle the games from their newly acquired publisher, Activision. From uncertainty, to delays of when the team will speak on such subjects, an "intent" to honor agreements, and now the latest statement which says that Call Of Duty will remain multiplatform. It leaves the Duk...