The Easy Allies Podcast

This week was filled with uncertainty. Is Mario Kart 9 happening soon? Will Babylon’s fall and a new leader hurt Platinum Games? Can FF XIV’s director make people nicer? Should LEGO ever trust Blizzard again? Am I playing the right Wordle? Where’s my PS5 and Xbox Series X?! 00:00:00 - Opening 00:01:19 - Corrections 00:06:53 - Who-Gamed-It? 00:10:58 - Mario Kart 9 rumors 00:25:17 - Platinum Games in 2022 00:32:47 - FFXIV and toxicity 00:41:11 - LEGO and Blizzard 00:44:58 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:49:17 - Wordle copycats 00:55:31 - Console scarcity in 2022 01:02:17 - Also This Week 01:06:54 - Game: Cool Subtitles 01:11:49 - L&R - 70 PS2 games on a shelf 01:14:07 - L&R - Best Online Non-PVP Co-Op? 01:15:10 - L&R - I can’t see 30/60 FPS 01:20:46 - Or Wars 01:26:14 - Closing Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies16 and use code allies16 for up to 16 free meals and 3 free gifts. Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 months free on a 1-year package. Go to http://mintmobile.com/allies to cut your wireless bill to $15 a month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s episode 300! Raise a glass! Our wonderful patrons give us lots of memories and conversation starters to mark the milestone. All while feeling the intensity of Q1’s release schedule, the cheap-high-tech possibilities of PSVR2, and the long and lonely road of Days Gone. 00:01:05 - Corrections 00:03:07 - Madden Facts 00:05:49 - Q1 2022 Preview January 00:21:25 - Q1 2022 Preview February 00:50:38 - Q1 2022 Preview March 01:07:00 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:10:55 - PlayStation VR2 01:26:29 - Days Gone sales 01:36:04 - Podcast #300 Memories 01:40:18 - Upside That Frown 01:42:58 - Also This Week 01:45:34 - Game: Above or Below 300! 01:49:34 - L&R - Favourite celebration editions? 01:51:59 - L&R - Reviewing super long games 01:53:58 - L&R - What lived up to expectations? 01:55:13 - Or Wars 02:01:44 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Go to http://chime.com/allies to sign up today! Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we honor and educate ourselves on the legacy of the great John Madden, then wonder what’s going on with Ubisoft’s attrition rate and G.R.R.M.'s blog. Also, Nintendo and Valve list some of their highest-performing games, and the CEO of Roblox has some hilariously sneaky taxes. 00:01:26 - Corrections 00:03:18 - John Madden’s legacy 00:16:02 - Ubisoft’s “Great Exodus” 00:29:20 - G.R.R.M.’s Elden Ring blog post 00:39:21 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:43:26 - Switch’s top indie games of 2021 00:55:52 - Steam’s top games of 2021 01:00:38 - Roblox CEO’s sneaky taxes 01:03:48 - Also This Week 01:09:32 - Game: Stark Raving Madden 01:13:16 - L&R - More pseudo-sequels? 01:16:36 - L&R - FF VII Remake vs FF XIII 01:19:27 - L&R - Digital vs physical problems? 01:24:14 - Or Wars 01:29:28 - Closing 01:31:30 - December Producer Credits Go to http://babbel.com and use promo code ALLIES to get 3 extra months! Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tis the season to share a little love and respect. We celebrate the NPDs, award our Starring Roles, and take an episode’s worth of community questions. 00:01:34 - The Starring Role Awards 00:11:24 - November 2021 NPDs 00:20:54 - L&R - Personal convention traditions 00:24:28 - L&R - Taking game appreciation further 00:28:37 - L&R - Let’s celebrate the LOTR trilogy 00:34:17 - L&R - Excellent minor details 00:36:20 - L&R - Regrettable gaming purchases 00:39:06 - L&R - What about open-linear games? 00:41:59 - L&R - If you're going to play only one 00:44:51 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:50:39 - L&R - What’s with Game Pass and Japan? 00:54:07 - L&R - Too down to enjoy a good game? 00:56:11 - L&R - Schedule-pivoting announcements 00:58:36 - L&R - Character-based PvP morality? 01:02:23 - L&R - Stuck with EZA games? 01:10:47 - Or Wars 01:14:09 - Closing Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals AND 3 free gifts. Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://getquip.com/allies to get your first refill free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a special late-night extended episode with special guest Kyle Bosman, we get loopy talking about the ups and downs of The Game Awards. Also, it’s never too late for GTA Online story DLC, PlayStation’s going to try and copy Game Pass, and Raven Software gets the Activision axe. 00:02:10 - Corrections 00:04:00 - Starring Role 00:11:09 - Alan Wake II 00:16:36 - Star Wars Eclipse 00:23:35 - Hellblade II 00:25:46 - Wonder Woman 00:31:24 - Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League 00:37:00 - The Death Stranding PS4 is not gross 00:39:37 - Warhammer 40K Space Marine II 00:42:57 - Other Game Awards announcements 01:14:07 - Game Awards winners and losers 01:25:00 - A Word From Our Sponsors 01:31:15 - GTA Online The Contract 01:38:24 - PlayStation’s Game Pass 01:48:38 - Raven Software layoffs 01:54:34 - Also This Week 02:07:58 - L&R - We get gaming gifts! 02:10:55 - L&R - Perfect pronunciations 02:15:05 - L&R - I play video games wrong  02:19:33 - Time For Bets 02:26:42 - Closing Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies to get 10% off and free shipping. Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Go to http://imperfectfoods.com and use code ALLIES to get 20% off your first 4 orders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FFXIV Endwalker, a new Marvel MMO, and a re-connected Battlefield 2042 universe take online gaming to the forefront of this week’s headlines. Also, we say congrats to Cyberpunk 2077 after a sale and thousands of positive user reviews, and farewell to the original Titanfall. 00:01:00 - Corrections 00:04:02 - Starring Role 00:08:09 - Battlefield’s big changes 00:24:36 - Marvel MMO 00:34:38 - FFXIV Endwalker launch 00:49:05 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:53:44 - Cyberpunk’s redemption 01:06:48 - Titanfall delisted 01:16:08 - Also This Week 01:26:51 - Game: What got the most GOTYs? 01:34:20 - L&R - Our gaming “cilantros” 01:43:29 - L&R - Game Awards expectations? 01:46:20 - L&R - Rudeness, aka Teabagging 01:51:31 - Time For Bets 01:57:45 - Closing 02:00:08 - November Producer Credits Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get an extra 3 months FREE! Go to http://truebill.com/ALLIES to start cancelling today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In an early episode before our Thanksgiving break, we gobble up the biggest turkeys and their biggest mistakes from 2021. Also, Kojima gives an LA studio another shot, Sony prefers selling retail PS5 games and not making plates, Forza 5 gets first place on Game Pass, and woe are the ads for the Amico. 00:01:10 - Corrections 00:03:38 - Starring Role 00:06:47 - Biggest Turkeys of 2021 00:24:51 - Kojima’s new L.A. studio 00:33:31 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:38:32 - Sony’s PlayStation patents 00:43:27 - PlayStation Retail vs Digital 00:45:55 - Forza Horizon 5 records 00:53:13 - Intellivision Amico woes 00:55:26 - Also This Week 01:02:48 - Game: Top 3 of Top 5s from Top 10s 01:10:34 - L&R - Mechanics worth revisiting? 01:12:31 - L&R - How many console icons can you list? 01:14:21 - L&R - A new solution for color blindness 01:16:43 - Time For Bets 01:19:52 - Closing Go to http://upstart.com/easyallies to find out how Upstart can lower your monthly rate! Go to http://getquip.com/allies to get your first refill free. Get 50% off your first 5 orders of $50 or more when you download the Postmates app and use code “EASYALLIES.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Game Awards nominations have landed and it’s our job to have opinions about them. Also, Rockstar Games and rock star CEO Bobby Kotick are under fire after some questionable business decisions, Xbox celebrates its 20th with online Halo, and we measure our hype for the surprise Dragon Ball: The Breakers and the often-leaked MultiVersus. 00:00:41 - Corrections 00:02:25 - Starring Role 00:05:27 - Game Awards Nominations 00:19:44 - Dragon Ball: The Breakers 00:26:23 - MultiVersus 00:38:12 - Halo Infinite Multiplayer Beta 00:51:31 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:55:27 - GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition 01:13:07 - Bobby Kotick under fire 01:23:18 - Xbox 20th Anniversary 01:34:58 - Also This Week 01:41:15 - Game: Mario vs Zelda 01:46:06 - L&R - Overwhelmed by new content 01:48:18 - L&R - Good product placement? 01:53:08 - L&R - A game host for the Game Awards 01:55:51 - Time For Bets 01:59:36 - Closing Go to http://hellotushy.com/easyallies to get 10% off and free shipping. Go to http://expressvpn.com/allies to get 3 months free on a 1-year package. Visit http://joinhoney.com/allies to get Honey for free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A lot of projects pulled for big wins this week. SteamWorld is going third-person, League of Legends starts another colorful media blitz, Spider-man tries to save the Avengers, and the Tomorrow Children march on to their own beat. 00:01:05 - Corrections 00:02:56 - Starring Role 00:05:19 - SteamWorld Headhunter 00:14:44 - League of Legends updates 00:31:23 - Spider-man and Avengers 00:38:13 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:43:30 - Genshin Impact merch rules 00:57:19 - Tomorrow Children is back 01:04:54 - Also This Week 01:12:49 - Game: Sales are better now than ever! 01:20:55 - L&R - When games break immersion 01:25:23 - L&R - Are NFTs and the Metaverse fads? 01:34:57 - L&R - Why call it “Shin Megami Tensei?” 01:41:50 - Time For Bets 01:45:06 - Closing 01:46:24 - Forza Horizon 5 Bloodworth Race Bet Go to http://hellofresh.com/allies14 and use code allies14 for up to 14 free meals AND 3 free gifts! Go to http://betterhelp.com/allies to get 10% off your first month of BetterHelp. Go to http://imperfectfoods.com and use code ALLIES to get 20% off your first 4 orders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices