Episode 381 – Summer Game Fest Things, Night Springs, and Big Swings

Fred’s back in the spooky saddle after diving into the Alan Wake II DLCs—he’s completed Night Springs and has just cracked open The Lakehouse. Meanwhile, Jake rolled credits on Expedition 33 and while the ending didn’t totally land for him, the journey was strong enough to make it one of his recent favorites. He also dipped into Doom: The Dark Ages, because of course he did.

This week, we take a deep breath and unpack Summer Game Fest 2025. From the hype around sequels like Resident Evil: Requiem and Atomic Heart 2, to the weirdly compelling ILL and Reddit darling Stranger Than Heaven, the show had a little something for everyone—or maybe too much of everything. We talk about the odd bait-and-switch with Capcom’s teaser, how ILL might be more tech demo than game, and whether Atomic Heart really needed a multiplayer spin-off called The Cube.

We also take stock of upcoming DLCs (Lies of P: Overture, 007: First Light), roster updates (Street Fighter 6), and stylish indies like Mixtape, Blighted, End of Abyss, and Scott Pilgrim EX. Some reveals had us curious—like Onimusha Way of the Sword and Jurassic World Evolution 3—while others, like Sonic Racing: Crosswinds and the Marvel DLC, barely got a shrug.

Then it’s on to the PS5 flood that came from the Xbox Showcase of all places—Persona 4 Remake, The Outer Worlds 2, Gears of War Reloaded, Ninja Gaiden 4, Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster, Metal Gear Solid Delta, and 007 First Light all made strong showings. Sprinkle in Astro Bot, Thief VR, and a few curveballs like PAC-MAN in Hot Shots Golf and you’ve got a showcase that left us wondering if Xbox accidentally threw a better PS event than Sony’s recent State of Play (Which we also discuss)

We wrap things up with the latest releases, including the Alien Hominid double drop, MindsEye finally hitting shelves, and newcomers like The Alters, Wizard of Legend 2, and Zombie Army VR shaking things up. Whether you’re into body horror, magical roguelites, or cloning alternate versions of yourself to survive, it’s a packed week.

Let’s get into it.

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Episode 380 – “Gandalf, Game Fest, and Getting to the End”

Fred finally put a bow on Octopath Traveler II, clocking in at a hefty 76 hours. He’s now stuck in that post-game limbo, unsure what to dive into next—and somewhere along the way, he saw Gandalf, which we’ll unpack. Jake, meanwhile, is still going strong in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, now 31 hours deep and not letting up.

Listener feedback this week was short but sweet. Big Box gave us props for our thumbnail game, and 1blktalon chimed in with a time-stamped shoutout for Jake’s "Amen" moment from Episode 378, also weighing in on Jade Raymond. Appreciate the love—and the laughs.

As for the news, Summer Game Fest 2025 is right around the corner. Geoff Keighley will host on June 6th, and PlayStation is officially on board as a partner. Expect big reveals, including WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, and a post-show indie showcase from Day of the Devs. Meanwhile, IO Interactive is gearing up to unveil 007 First Light during their own showcase the same day, teasing Bond’s origin story with the tagline "Earn the number."

CD Projekt Red is offering a first look at the tech behind The Witcher 4 at the State of Unreal on June 3rd, showing off what Unreal Engine 5 will bring to the franchise. Tango Gameworks is back in action too—thanks to KRAFTON—and already hiring for a new action project following their reboot.

Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will get the spotlight during a June 8th live event hosted by Keighley, with a gameplay demo and surprise guests promised. In less celebratory news, Borderlands 4 found itself in hot water after Randy Pitchford suggested that “real fans” would pay $80 for the game. After backlash, he walked the statement back with a public apology.

Also this week, we learned that The Order 1886 was originally meant to be a trilogy—plans for The Order 1891 and 1899 were scrapped after poor reviews and the eventual closure of Ready at Dawn. A small nod lives on in Astro Bot, where Sir Galahad appears as a collectible.

And finally, MindsEye continues to stir controversy. Developer Mark Gerhard blames targeted attacks and bots for the game’s rocky reception. Whether that’s true or not, the game launches June 10th, so we’ll see for ourselves soon enough.

Let’s get into it.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.

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***AUDIO ISSUES IN THIS EPISODE***

We apologize in advance. Our recording software messed up. Listen to our other episodes to hear the quality we typically bring. This is not a representative episode. Apologies to our listener.

Episode 379 – “Final Boss Breakdown”

Fred’s well over 70 hours into Octopath Traveler II and stuck on the true final boss—his patience is wearing thin, and if this boss doesn’t go down soon, he’s threatening to leap off a cliff. Meanwhile, Jake’s still deep in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and holding off on DOOM: The Dark Ages until he wraps up that beautifully strange ride.

We did get some listener feedback this week, mostly someone roasting us for using AI. (Fair enough—we're still humans with mics, we promise.)

In the news, the June PS Plus titles were announced and it’s a stacked lineup: NBA 2K25, Alone in the Dark, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, and Destiny 2: The Final Shape (dropping May 28). Also this week, the FTC officially dropped its long-standing challenge against Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft is calling it a win for players and, in a timely coincidence, Hellblade 2 has been confirmed for a PS5 release.

There’s talk of a State of Play hitting in June, though insiders say it’ll be smaller in scale and likely follow Summer Game Fest. Sony also announced it’s shutting down the PlayStation Stars rewards program, which honestly never really took off. New signups are done, and it’ll fully close in November 2026.

Elsewhere, Cyberpunk 2077’s sequel—codenamed Orion—will return to Night City and introduce a gritty new setting described as “Chicago gone wrong.” And in weird news, Clair Obscur has somehow sold 3.3 million copies in 33 days. Is this real life?

Lastly, if you’re hardware shopping, Sony is dropping $50 off the PS5 Pro through June 11th via PlayStation Direct.

Good time to jump in.

By joining our Patreon community for ONLY $1.00 per month, you'll also enjoy these exclusive benefits:

Early Access: Be the first to listen to our episodes as soon as they're ready. Get ahead of the game and dive into the latest news, reviews, and discussions.

Personalized Shoutout: As a token of our gratitude for your support, we'll give you a special shout out during one of our podcast episodes, acknowledging your contribution and dedication to our show.

Custom Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker: Receive an exclusive custom die-cut vinyl sticker featuring our podcast's unique design. Showcase your support with this limited-edition collectible.

Your support goes a long way in helping us continue to create the content you love. It's a simple and direct way to show your appreciation for our podcast.

To become a patron and unlock these exciting benefits, visit www.patreon.com/psthisisawesome today. Your support keeps us going and ensures that we can keep delivering top-notch PlayStation content.

Please, if you enjoyed the content or even if you didn’t quite enjoy this one, we encourage you to come back. We try to offer something for everybody. Please share with your friends and help us spread the show as we try to build a bigger community here!

As always you can support our show at our Patreon Page. Thanks for listening.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.