A strong contrast of light and dark.

Move over Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button, we have a guest with a request! For this episode, our duo is joined by the one, the only, Stormageddon! Just to be clear, we are talking about the person, not the poorly-rated 2015 disaster movie. Moving along, our illustrious guest has chosen the turn-based RPG developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive as the subject of this episode. Tom was completely unfamiliar with it, but apparently it was already on the radar for Chris, so it was an easy thing to accommodate. With the game chosen, our trio has embarked on an expedition of their own. Their mission: spend an hour to learn if this anticipated title is worthy of your time! With three judges, at least you know a split vote isn't possible... or is it?

Matt's website: https://www.certainpov.com
The link to Matt's links: https://linktr.ee/dj_stormagedddon

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How many aliens fit in a wristwatch?

The purpose of using the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button in game selection is to ensure that our hosts play games that they would never normally experience. The third person action adventure title developed by PHL Collective and published by Outright Games that was chosen for this episode is a perfect presentation of that purpose. Chris and Tom were too old to be the target audience for the original show when it debuted in 2005 and they've only gotten older since! Chris has some kids now, so perhaps he has some tangential knowledge, but otherwise our hosts are going in completely blind. Will this brand-blindness be a blessing? Will this second game based on the 2016 reboot of the franchise prove compelling enough to keep them playing after the mandated hour is complete? Let's discover if this trip really has any power!

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It only took 25 years to get it localized!

Developed by Xeen and published by Square Enix, this third-person action RPG remake of the third entry in the Mana series is the first time that story is officially available for Western audiences. Despite his well-established love of nineties RPGs, Tom never got around to playing the famous SNES installment of the franchise. Three decades later, he will discover if he should have given this lauded franchise a fair shake way back when... or at least at some point during the intervening years! Will Mana live up to the hype? What about Chris? How will he rank this title against the hundreds he has played for this show? With six different heroes to chose from, which one did each of our hosts select? Join Tom and Chris as they sit down to discuss the first hour of this game and learn if it's worth your time!

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Made with real British nuclear radiation!

While it may be common to see games based on historical events, those events are usually surrounding some manner of military conflict. Not so for this alternate history action-survival game developed and published by Rebellion Developments which follows the fallout of the 1957 Windscale fire. When the government moves in and quarantines the facility and the surrounding area, eyebrows start getting raised. Five years after the fire, our amnesia-afflicted protagonist enters the fray and must discover what is going down behind those walls. Will our hosts learn some things about British history in the process of playing? Indubitably! Will the mystery make for a compelling story and keep them playing after the hour? Sorry, no spoilers in this blurb, you'll need to press play and listen to their experiences to find out for yourself!

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Up in the sky! Look! It's a bird!

No planes or supermen here, just your character riding a bird on a journey to discover and document lots of strange fantastical creatures in this third person adventure title developed by Hollow Ponds and published by Annapurna Interactive. The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button must want our hosts to see the forests and the trees in this game that places exploration and discovery at the forefront of the experience. Will finding weird critters and solving multiple choice quizzes amount to a fun and compelling game loop? Tom and Chris have approached this with open minds and ask you to do the same as you give this episode a listen and learn about their hour with this artsy affair. Time to find out if it was worth their precious time... and yours!

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These wars advanced to groovy!
The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has taken a turn toward strategy with its selection for this episode. Developed and published by Chucklefish, this sequel to the turn-based tactics title seems set for success. Will the developers leverage what they learned working on the original to deliver a refined experience or will they take bold risks instead? Tom seemed nervous that controls would be an issue on the console, but Chris countered that there's a whole turn-based tactical franchise on Nintendo handhelds with far fewer buttons, so perhaps that fear is unwarranted. Our hosts have now played for an hour, so let's find out if this sequel sizes up to those classics and (more importantly) if it's worth your time!
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These yokai better watch out!

After a brief sojourn, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is back in control of game selection. For this episode, it has chosen the first-person action title developed by Tango Gameworks and published by Bethesda Softworks. Following in the wake of their Evil Within franchise, the developers have hung on to some elements of horror, but also diverged from their usual mechanics to craft a more action-heavy experience. Will these elements find the right balance, or will they be locked in a struggle for control just like the game's dual protagonists? Join our hosts as they discuss the first hour of game time and decide if they will continue this twisted tale of Tokyo.

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It was nearly called Joker Poker.

Chris wants to play a roguelike? For you longtime listeners, I'm sure that sounds borderline inconceivable, but here we are with his thumb on the scale, pushing our duo to investigate the deck-builder developed by LocalThunk and published by Playstack. Available everywhere and now included with Xbox Game Pass, this indie title was crafted by a single anonymous developer and has been nominated for spades of awards. Critics and players alike are saying it's a modern classic and that has set expectations high for our hosts. Will Chris be proven right to cash in on the hype or will this be a major bust? The hour had been invested, let's learn if his gamble pays off!

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