x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

Last Stand Media & Studio71

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast is the internet"s premiere weekly PlayStation show dedicated to coverage of PS5, PS4, PSVR2, and Sony"s deep gaming legacy stretching back to the mid-"90s. Join 20+ year gaming industry veteran and PlayStation brand expert Colin Moriarty -- along with his co-hosts comedian Chris Ray Gun and producer Dustin Furman -- as they go through the news of the week, highlight the best recent games, and interact with their incredibly loyal audience, all without taking

leisure video games

All Episodes

279:17

#313 | I Ain't No Mathematician, But I Can Count

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/07/01

Good news emanates from South Korea, where developer Shift Up announced that PS5-exclusive release Stellar Blade has surpassed a million copies sold. To the rational thinking person, this is obviously a great accomplishment for a niche and provocative release on a single platform, and yet there are know-nothings debating its success. Thus, we correct the incorrect while also talking about Stellar Blade's future, including DLC, a PC port, and -- ultimately! -- a sequel. Other news this week includes

en

283:53

#312 | Draggin' Quest

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/06/24

Nintendo and Microsoft both had rock-solid presentations during this faux-E3 time of year, and it has some PlayStation fans on their back foot. Why does it seem like Sony is dragging its feet when its competitors are going full steam ahead? Isn't there anything to say? And while many (including some of us on this show) make the argument that its lack of communication doesn't particularly matter in the long run -- PlayStation 5 is doing great as-is -- the consternation is nonetheless growing in the

en

332:03

#311 | You Can't Stop Entropy, So Why Even Try?

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/06/17

t's getting crazy out there. Fresh off of E3 Lite comes a slew of new game announcements, more than we could possibly cover, nonetheless play. And this brings up a good point, one we burrow down on: Who's gonna be able to buy and play all of this stuff in an ecosystem dominated by vacuum-like powerhouses that leave little room for competition? Are we nearing a breaking point, where there are simply too many games seeking too few players spending too few dollars, even as the industry grows? Well,

en

228:14

#310 | The Waves Keep on Crashing on Me For Some Reason

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/06/10

fter a flurry of activity, we find ourselves in a bit of a lull. And frankly, that's good. We could all use a little bit of a rest. Doing so allows us to catch up, refresh, and anticipate what lies behind the next undoubtedly-busy corner. With E3's multi-pronged replacement readying a barrage of announcements and other newsworthy bits, let's clear what's on our plate at present. Firewalk's divisive Concord has been given a (compelling?) price, PSVR2 is receiving its long-rumored PC adapter, WB loses

en

331:57

#309 | No One's Dying Dishonorably

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/06/03

During Sony's fiscal recent reporting, the company promised that it would further outline its respective situations and plans with each of its internal silos. When it comes to PlayStation, the result was an informative, information-rich PDF and an earnings call-like presentation that gives us a lot of extra insight into the brand. Here's what's clear: PlayStation is economically vibrant, growing, and reaching more than a hundred million people each month. Its generational revenue and profits are at

en

283:15

#308 | Second Party Puzzles

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/05/27

We talk about 'first parties' and 'third parties' all the time, and we all fundamentally understand the terms. But what about the mysterious 'second party' game? Where do those fit in? Well, PS5 has recently been the recipient of two key second party exclusives -- Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 and Shift Up's Stellar Blade -- and both have been wildly successful, surpassing the respective expectations surrounding each product. In years past with different studios (think Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Sucker

en

302:43

#307 | Two Princes

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/05/20

Jim Ryan's tenure leading PlayStation is officially over (as is Hiroki Totoki's stewardship), and he'll be replaced by a co-CEO format moving forward. Sony veterans Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nashino hope to divide and conquer, turning an ever-growing brand -- and Sony's flagship -- into an efficient gaming powerhouse. But can they deliver? Good question. We discuss. Other news this week revolves around Sony's jam-packed fiscal year financials, Square Enix's abandonment of their by-platform strategy,

en

256:35

#306 | To Hell and Back

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/05/13

What a week! It seemed like we were just done recording last week when Helldivers 2-related drama broke out, and yet by the time we were ready to record this time around, the situation had mostly settled. How serendipitous for us and our analysis. Now, we're left to reflect and ask some questions, starting with why Sony had to push the first domino in this scenario over at all. Couldn't they just leave well enough alone? And how does this portend the reception of future PC releases from the

en

295:05

#305 | Man the Floodgates

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/05/06

Times, they are a-changin'. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is rightfully pleased with Xbox's performance on the PlayStation Store, bragging about being the biggest publisher on PSN while presenting Microsoft's recent financial report. His company has seven games in the top 25, more than even Sony itself. So, uh, batten down the hatches, because you're inevitably about to get way more Xbox on PS5. Plus: Fresh leaks show us how Sony's digital games have sold in recent years, Square Enix writes-down $140

en

226:10

#304 | Too Big to Succeed

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/04/29

Embracer Group's downfall will be long-studied as an example of capitalistic hubris you rarely see, even in our ruthlessly capitalist society. Following mass layoffs, spin-offs, and studio closures, Embracer will ultimately split into three smaller, more manageable entities, instead of acting as a lone unit with more employees than the entire PlayStation brand, including all of its studios combined (seriously). It's just another example of people in positions of power somehow knowing less about

en

256:05

#303 | The Unified Field Theory

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/04/22

For better or for worse, modern console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft -- and even Nintendo -- are slowly learning that sustained success in the mid-to-long-term will require a wider view. Whether via mobile, or PC, or even your competitors' own machines, a certain message is getting through to the powers-that-be, and when it comes to Sony, the Japanese giant seems committed to opening a second front on home computers in particular. Thus comes word of a new PlayStation overlay that will

en

296:42

#302 | SOCOMeback

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/04/15

We've long-wondered what Sony's plans were with its dormant SOCOM franchise (or if it even had plans at all). After all, we can't just ignore the success the likes of Ubisoft have found with titles like Rainbow Six: Siege, and even in a post-Zipper Interactive world, it always felt like PlayStation's tactical shooter never really got a fair shake at success after its PS2 heyday. So color us both pleased and surprised when information from the resumé of a deceased actor pointed towards a SOCOM game

en

288:17

#301 | It's Never Too Late to Reinvent the Bicycle

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/04/08

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were discussing the newest PlayStation 5 Pro rumors, and now we have fresh scuttlebutt to parse through, particularly concerning our precious framerates and the potential of the still-unannounced console. But we can't help but also wonder what PS5's market potential will be. Will it spread the field or, as it's recently been suggested, merely sell to existing PS5 players? Heck, is there any saving console gaming at all in the long-term? Let's take some time

en

214:37

#300 | We're Nothing If Not Consistent

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/04/01

Somehow, some way, we've made it to our 300th episode, and we did so without missing a single, solitary week between the first show in 2018 and today. We celebrated our milestone this past weekend with 500 listeners at a sold-out live show in New York City, and we're eager to reflect on what the experience meant to us. But the news marches on, too, albeit somewhat softly, and we'd be loath to ignore it. So let's delve in. The once-leaked Stellar Blade demo is set to be properly released on PSN by

en

261:31

#299 | None of These Things Happen For Free

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/03/25

Various leaks (and our own sources) have long-indicated the arrival of a so-called PlayStation 5 Pro console this calendar year, and now new reports have given us a great idea of what this yet-unannounced machine can do. Similar to 2016's PlayStation 4 Pro, PS5's Pro model largely keeps its CPU functionality in place, instead focusing on GPU-centric graphical boosts that promise to please the discerning eye. Combined with mysterious proprietary upscaling technologies and AI-related features, it

en

231:36

#298 | I Know the Pieces Fit, 'Cause I Watched Them...

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/03/18

From this show's perspective, there simply aren't that many rational targets of acquisition in PlayStation's sphere, especially with a tightening economy all around us. But there are two teams in particular -- Helldivers' Arrowhead and Stellar Blade's Shift Up -- that seemed like obvious potential marks based on Sony's historical activity. But with Shift Up about to go public in South Korea and Arrowhead's CEO publicly stating they aren't being courted, are we overestimating these teams' want to

en

211:32

#297 | There's No Magic When the Tricks Get Old

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/03/11

The last week in gaming has been a bit of a downer, no doubt. But we don't dodge the news; we lean into it. And frankly, it's not all bad. Quite the contrary: Ghost of Tsushima is coming to PC, Spider-Man 2 has finally received a major update, and the STALKER Trilogy is migrating to console for the first time ever. But then there's drama surrounding a random DEI-slanted consultancy called Sweet Baby Inc., the closure of the storied media brand Rooster Teeth after more than a decade of running in the

en

263:31

#296 | A Smooth Operator, Operating Correctly

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/03/04

There's no doubt that the console games space at large is predicated on some shaky economics, and recent layoffs are just the beginning of what will likely be a substantial purging of talent from the ranks of teams around the world. Late last year, we caught wind (via the Insomniac leaks) that Sony was planning layoffs, and would close one of its teams, too. This turned out to be true: 8% of PlayStation's workforce has been released, London Studio is no more, and multiple games have been cancelled,

en

297:21

#295 | The Love That You Need Will Never Be Found at...

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/02/26

The dam has broken. After paving the way just last week, Microsoft has confirmed its four games that are coming to PlayStation platforms, and they're arriving a lot sooner than any of us thought. One of them -- Pentiment -- is available on PS4 and PS5 alike right now, while Hi-Fi Rush isn't far behind. Multiplayer titles Grounded and Sea of Thieves will round things out, but certainly, this is just the beginning of the migration, right? Other news this week includes the release date for Elden Ring's

en

298:28

#294 | Sorry For Helldiving

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast ·

2024/02/19

It's been an unusual week in the PlayStation ecosystem, especially in recent years, where the exclusives and heavy-hitters from Sony primarily resided in the single-player sphere. But then a game like Helldivers 2 drops out of orbit, and suddenly we're brought back to the days of SOCOM, Killzone, and others, when PlayStation had an actual online identity, albeit a fledgling one. Could this be the beginning of a great new trend? Or does pessimism reign supreme? Other news this week includes the most

en

393 results

Similar Podcasts

Expres Ráno

Expres FM

詭哭郎嚎

郎祖筠 & FMTaiwan製作團隊

Ron en Erik Podcast

Ron en Erik

Poor Man"s Pinball Podcast

Poor Men Ian and Drew

WeAreChange on Odysee

WeAreChange