

Beyond
IGN & Geek Media
For decades, PlayStation consoles have brought incredible games and unforgettable stories to millions of gamers— and Beyond has been there every step of the way. Join passionate PlayStation experts Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Akeem Lawanson for witty, insightful analysis of the latest PlayStation news, must-play games, and everything coming to PlayStation 5. Whether you're a die-hard fan or new to the world of PlayStation, Beyond is your ultimate PlayStation podcast.Beyond! is a part of Geek Media Podcast Network, an IGN Entertainment Brand.Visit Geek.com for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 27, 2022 • 1h 23min
More of PlayStation's Biggest Games Are Becoming Movies, TV Shows - Beyond 751
On this week's episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to check in on Mark's perilous journey atop Splash Mountain, and also discuss the biggest PlayStation news of the week. The crew digs into PlayStation confirming it is adapting God of War, Horizon, and Gran Turismo into TV shows or movies (note: we recorded before reports suggested GT will be a movie, not a show!), our hopes and expectations for what Netflix's Horizon show may be, how God of War on Amazon could shake out, and if the classic Need for Speed film is a good blueprint for Gran Turismo. We also discuss some of PlayStation's future ambitions for not just PlayStation's biggest games becoming movies and TV shows, but also their plans to expand their PC experiences, as well as their mobile games output. We look into their plans for the next few years, what they likely mean for PlayStation's focuses, and while we think the great PlayStation games we love aren't going anywhere. We also dig into the leaks of a Death Stranding 2, some PS Plus updates, Jada's impressions of Multiversus, and more! Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:55 - PlayStation Bets On Big TV Shows 00:33:33 PlayStation Investments Report 00:48:36 - Death Stranding 2 Speculation 01:09:51 - News Roundup 01:11:40 - What We’ve Been Playing 01:17:20 - Outro Follow us all on Twitter: twitter.com/jmdornbush twitter.com/mark_medina twitter.com/jada_rina
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May 19, 2022 • 1h 19min
New PS Plus’ Games Lineup (Partially) Revealed - Beyond Episode 750
On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin, Brain Altano, and Max Scoville to cover all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation. And this week, they’re jumping into the newly revealed new PlayStation Plus games lineup, or at least, the partial PS Plus games lineup Sony revealed ahead of the subscription service’s revamped launch in the coming weeks. The panel digs into what games have been confirmed so far from the PS5, PS4, PS3, PS2, and PS1 games library, discuss some of the surprisingly good choices, the games we hope are still planned to be included, and some of the good and odd choices for remasters and remakes versus original releases across the PlayStation generations. We also dig into some of PS Plus’ surprising benefits, like these older generations allowing for original purchases of old PlayStation and PSP games to be downloaded even if you don’t subscribe to the new PS Plus. Plus more discussion on Game Trials, our general new PS Plus expectations and games lineup hopes, and much more. Will we have time for more PlayStation news of the week? Who knows! But we attempt to cover more, including the potential return of Silent Hill, and we also have Brian and Max offer some of their predictions for what’s to come from any potential PlayStation summer showcase, a Trophy Test, and much more.
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May 11, 2022 • 1h 14min
PS5’s May Be Easier to Buy in 2022 - Beyond 749
On this week’s episode of IGN’s PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin to dive into all the latest and greatest in the world of PlayStation news and games. The duo dive into a breakdown of big takeaway from Sony’s earnings report, and what they mean for potential and current PS5 owners. We discuss Sony’s forecast for selling PS5’s in the next fiscal year, and how it would nearly double the number of PlayStation 5’s out there, meaning a lot more players could jump onto PlayStation’s latest console. We discuss our hopes and realistic expectations for when we might see these millions of more PS5s make it into the hands of players, what it may mean for this generation as a whole, and much more. Plus, we dig into PlayStation’s commitment to invest $300 million more into its first-party studios (not referring to PlayStation acquisitions), and what that might mean for the cadence and ambition of PS5 games being released. We discuss whether the cross-gen release plan is dwindling and if PlayStation and third-parties are primarily moving on to the latest console generation, what that means for players, and how we’re already seeing that go into effect with games like Gotham Knights. Speaking of that upcoming Batman game, we dig into the Gotham Knights gameplay demo that WB Games recently revealed, offered our impressions on the gameplay and WB’s decision to abandon the last-gen PS4 and Xbox One versions in favor of just releasing Gotham Knights on PS5 and Xbox Series. Could we see more companies doing this? Do we expect God of War Ragnarok to be the last cross-gen first-party game? All this and more in our discussion! Plus, we offer a Trophy Test answer for last week’s question, introduce a new one for next week, offer some gameplay impressions on Apex Legends’ new season, Unpacking, and more, Jada suggests some PSP games she hopes to see on the new PS Plus, and we read a nostalgia-fueled Memory Card story about trips to Blockbuster. 00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:03:10 - Trophy Test! 00:08:00 - Will More PS5s Be Available Soon? 00:22:00 - PlayStation Putting More Emphasis on 1st Party Studios 00:36:06 - Gotham Knights Gameplay Impressions 00:47:06 - What We’re Playing 00:58:02 - Our Favorite PSP Games 01:02:29 - Memory Card & Outro
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May 4, 2022 • 1h 45min
Hopes for PlayStation's Next Big Showcase... Whenever It Is - Beyond 748
The summer gaming events season is starting to come into focus, but we still don't know what PlayStation is up to! That's why on this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to speculate about what our hopes are for PlayStation's next big showcase, whenever it is. Knowing we haven't gotten a PlayStation showcase since last year, and only a few States of Play in 2022, the trio dives into what our hopes would be for a potential PlayStation summer showcase, including guesses we hope you'll hold us to when they turn out wrong about when a summer showcase might air, what games would be included, and more. We break down the likelihood of seeing a showcase in the coming months, what possibilities of God of War Ragnarok, PSVR 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and other first-party games may be there, as well as our third-party picks ranging from Stray to Resident Evil Village DLC to much more. Be sure to tell us your hopes for PlayStation's next showcase in the comments or write into beyond@ign.com, and we'll read some on the show! After that, we also dig into some news for the week, primarily focused on Square Enix selling some of its studios to Embracer, as well as big franchises like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and more. Then, Jonathon speaks with some of the developers of the new indie game Trek to Yomi about their take on samurai action, and we wrap up the show with a Memory Card story, a new Trophy Test, and more! 00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:09:18 - What’s PlayStation’s Summer Plan? 00:56:29 - Square Enix Sells Some of its Studios 01:12:28 - Trek to Yomi Dev Interview 01:34:56 - Memory Card & Outro
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Apr 27, 2022 • 1h 20min
What's the Deal With PS Plus' New Game Trials? - Beyond 747
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina to dig into the various bits of PlayStation news this week, including new updates for PS5, PlayStation Plus, and PlayStation's PC and preservation plans. After a brief Beyond Movies and TV podcast interlude about Everything Everywhere All at Once (no spoilers but you can skip ahead with timecodes below!), the gang dives into all the new reports surrounding PS Plus' new game trials. We break down what the deal is with these new game trials, how they affect PS Plus' offerings, what exactly they are as compared to traditional demos, and much more. We break down what it might mean for players, how it could raise questions for developers, and whether the practice might change the expectations for playing on PlayStation with its revamped subscription service Next, the group discusses Variable Refresh Rate coming to PS5, and also gets sidetracked discussing Ghostwire Tokyo...which does not have confirmed VRR support! But we do discuss the new feature a bit, what games are receiving the update, and Sony's general approach to the feature for PS5 games. Plus, we discuss the release date for the new PS Plus, what games are coming for PS Plus in May, and a lot more news in the world of PlayStation 4, PS5, and more. Topics include PlayStation's reported new preservation team, patches for Elden Ring and Sifu, Mark's marriage, and more. We also read a beautiful Memory Card story from a Beyond! listener, Jonathon offers a Trophy Test for the panel, and more! (Headline meant to be read in a Jerry Seinfeld voice) 00:00:10 - Intro & EEAAO Chat! 00:05:28 - PS Plus Announces Game Trial Initiative 00:33:25 - VRR Comes to PS5 00:48:38 - PS+ Games for May 00:56:55 - More News 01:07:36 - Memory Card & Outro
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Apr 20, 2022 • 1h 19min
PS2 Games That Deserve a Spot on the New PS Plus - Beyond 746
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond 746, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Jada Griffin and Mark Medina for another trip down PlayStation nostalgia lane, as we discuss the PS2 games we want on the new PS Plus lineup later this year. The trio throws the show order all out of whack when they open the show discussing the games they've been playing this week (and shockingly not Severance)! We discuss a bit of A Plague Tale, Jada's love for Slay the Spire, and how Jonathon accidentally made Mark fall in love with Fortnite. Then, the cast breaks down the PS2 games we'd like to see added to PS Plus, alongside the problems that come with so many having received remasters or remakes, what original versions we would still want to see, and if having a PS2 original to download is a better option than a PS3 remaster to stream. (Jonathon has a semi-breakdown in real-time about it, even!) We dig into some of the biggest games we loved from the PS2 era, from PlayStation first-party games on the PlayStation 2 like Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank, to third-party hits like SSX Tricky, X-Men Legends, the GTA Trilogy and more, along with big franchises like Dynasty Warriors, Persona, and so much more, including even PS2 licensed games and favorites of the era, like the PlayStation 2's 007: Nightfire and the Lord of the Rings games like Two Towers and Return of the King on PS2. We also discuss some of your picks for your favorite PS2 games, and discuss the ups and downs of the PS2 generation overall. Then, the crew takes a breather from our PS2 nostalgia to look at some of the latest news of the week, including Amy Hennig's new Star Wars game, the latest Portal 3 hopes, Kojima Productions not joining PlayStation and more, before wrapping things up with an appropriately themed PS2 Memory Card!
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Apr 13, 2022 • 1h 53min
Do Not Underestimate the Power of These PS1 Games for PS Plus - Beyond 745
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation podcast, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to travel back in time to the days of the PS1, and reminisce about the PS1 games we loved and want to see added to the new PS Plus lineup. While we know plenty of games from the era have received remasters and remakes, we dip into franchises like Ape Escape, Brave Fencer Musashi, Mega Man X, Tomba, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy, Digimon, Crash Bandicoot, and more for what we'd like to see added to the lineup. We discuss why we loved the games we did, what games we missed out on that we also want added so we can complete our historical knowledge of PlayStation's original console, and call out a number of picks from the Podcast Beyond community. Then, Jonathon speaks with Ian Campbell and Graham Smith from Drinkbox Studios to discuss Drinkbox's Nobody Saves the World making the jump to PS4 and PS5 this week, what players can expect, and Drnikbox's PlayStation lineage. After that, Jonathon, Jada and Mark discuss some of the news of the week, including Kingdom Hearts 4's reveal, The Witcher 3's PS5 delay, and more, plus a Memory Card story of a particularly enterprising PlayStation player. If you'd like to write in with Memory Card stories, PS Plus wishlists, questions for the show, or something else, write into beyond@ign.com 00:00:10 - Intro & Rogue Jam 00:03:17 - Our PS1 Wishlist for PS Plus 00:59:16 - Drinkbox Studios Dev Interview for Nobody Saves the World 01:25:38 - More Gaming News! 01:45:07 - Memory Card & Outro
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Apr 6, 2022 • 1h 25min
New Tomb Raider: Hopes and Expectations - Beyond 744
On this episode of IGN's weekly PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Mark Medina and Jada Griffin to talk about PlayStation... and Severance. But mostly PlayStation, we promise, Mark's just really happy Severance got renewed. But after that, we dig into the biggest news of the week, including confirmation that a new Tomb Raider game is confirmed, as well as our hopes and expectations for a new Lara Croft adventure from Crystal Dynamics. We dig into what we did and didn't like about the reboot trilogy, what we hope a new game would carry forward, and if it's even something we want set in that same universe or a new timeline entirely. Then, we discuss a bit about E3 2022 not happening, what we expect from PlayStation's event plans in the coming months, and more about how busy this summer is likely going to be for gaming events. We also discuss Jim Ryan's recent comments about Sony's plans for more acquisitions, and the discussions PlayStation is having with other major and indie devs and publishes to support the upcoming PlayStation Plus library. Then, we dig into what we're playing, including Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, LEGO Star Wars, Maquette, Fortnite's Zero Build mode, and more.
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Mar 30, 2022 • 1h 19min
The New PlayStation Plus Finally Revealed: Is It Worth It? - Beyond 743
On this week's episode of IGN's PlayStation show, Podcast Beyond!, host Jonathon Dornbush is joined by Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Mark Medina to dig into the latest PlayStation news of the week. And of course, the biggest topic on our minds is the new PlayStation Plus subscription tiers, how Sony is altering PS Plus, and whether we have enough details yet to know if it's worth subscribing to the higher tiers. The panel breaks down their initial reactions to the new PS Plus three-tiered system, how it integrates PlayStation Now, and where it stands as an offering for PlayStation fans. We dig into the pricing structure, the availability of older libraries, the lack of PS3 downloads and PlayStation Vita as a whole, and whether different tiers appeal to new PS5 players, longstanding PlayStation fans, or both. We of course touch on the biggest question - what the library will actually look like, and knowing that PlayStation won't release its first-party games day one on the service, we discuss what they could do to make the game libraries worth subscribing to. We also discuss whether a metaphorical sandwich can help explain the different PS Plus tiers. We also hear from the audience on some of your thoughts on the PlayStation Plus changes! Then, we dig into some other news for the week, like April's PlayStation Plus games, the renewal of a trademark and tthe hopeful return of our one true PlayStation hero Knack, Gran Turismo 7's recent apology and economy changes, GTA+ if you wanted info on another subscription service, and a bit of Brian's Elden Ring Experience.
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Mar 23, 2022 • 1h 27min
PlayStation's Latest Acquisition Is a Bet on a Big Future - Beyond 742
It's been zero days since PlayStation has acquired a studio! That's right folks, just when you think every studio in the world has been bought up by either PlayStation or Xbox, Sony once again surprises us with another PlayStation Studios announcement. So watch along with Jonathon Dornbush, Mark Medina, and Jada Griffin as they give their best guess as to why Haven Studios could be a smart bet for the upcoming PlayStation Live Service lineup. Also, they dive into the recent Gran Turismo 7 controversies, and give even more thoughts on the newest PlayStation console exclusive: Ghostwire: Tokyo. And don't forget, Apple TV+'s Severance is a really good show, so if you're not playing a video game this weekend, do yourself a favor and watch Severance. This isn't an ad, it's just a really good show. Just watch the podcast, you'll get it. Ok bye! 00:00:10 - Intro & Housekeeping 00:02:23 - PlayStation acquires Jade Raymond's Haven Studios 00:30:06 - Gran Turismo 7 Under Fire 00:47:22 - PS4 & PS5 Updates Now Live 00:53:39 - New Witcher Saga Announced! 00:59:38 - Ghostbusters Spirits Unleashed Announced 01:04:02 - What's Up with Project Spartacus? 01:11:23 - What We're Playing & Outro
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