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Listen if Nicki Minaj is the Queen of Rap than Hideo Kojima is the king of cra.... no, even though it's a childish rhyme and fits the low-brow vibes of this show, it's not fair or representative of the efforts captured in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.

While we capture our reactions to having now finished Death Stranding 2 in this episode, it is spoiler free. So, cool those piggies in some tar and join us in our meditations on Norman Reedus UPS delivery simulator part 2.

We also briefly touch on the utter shame that is the massive Microsoft layoffs that have hit the videogame vertical hard. Let's be clear, we don't feel bad for the corporate entity that is Microsoft, who claim to be having a great year (yes, even in terms of videogame figures), but rather for all the team members who are suddenly looking for work and won't see their efforts on multi-year projects come to fruition. Shameful.

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Okay, admittedly I was a little behind schedule this week, partly due to needing to install an updated PSU in the PC I use to edit these episodes, but at least I didn't have to date the PSU. Like in that popular new game Date Everything from Sassy Chap Games and published by Team17. Topical! (We do actually cover it in this episode, I am not just referencing newly released games blithely).

I mean, yes, this episode is also actually already "dated" in the temporal sense because we were talking about Death Stranding 2 the night before it releases and, well, it's out now (we had some spot on predictions I might add).

Beyond all that, Porter shares his thoughts on revisiting Relic Entertainment's Warhammer 40k: Space Marine, the Anniversary Edition, and Buzz does some rambling about computer parts. But the real offender is Remedy Entertainment's FBC: Firebreak (Two R. Entertainment developers...coincidence or something greater looming in the distance?). For two people who really like the Control universe and Alan Wake, we couldn't find many nice things to say about this one unfortunately.

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Releases are falling on my head
And just like the guy whose backlog's too big for his bed
Nothing seems to fit
Those releases are falling on my head, they keep falling

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As the dust finally settles on the vacuous retail Hellscape, some emerge clutching furtively to their Nintendo Switch 2 consoles. They wonder, as they careen around the open world of Mario Kart World Tour, was it worth it? Was any of it worth it?

I mean kinda...sorta depends on how much you like Mario Kart and if you plan on playing a lot of the first party exclusives I guess? But either way you personally slice it, we are talking about the Nintendo Switch 2's launch.

We ponder the reasoning behind Mario Kart World Tour being the game that kicks off the 80 dollar price point, Porter weighs in with some Cyberpunk 2077 thoughts, and Buzz shares his experiences with the Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster (He unlocked the JP Up ability for abilink and none of his friends have even started their files...ingrates!).

We also take a trip down retail memory lane as we recall and then imagine some of the zanier encounters we have had at our favorite hobby stores. People get weird when they spend money, and that's a fact.

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Bobby: Mr. Gribble, who is your number one favorite hero?

Dale: You are if you get me a Switch 2.

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If you're lucky enough to have gotten a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order, you might share in the fan-base's anxiety as big box stores in the US and abroad continue to send cancellation notices for pre-orders (and accidental cancellation notices) just days in advance of the console's big launch. And so, we take a moment to reflect on the more chaotic moments that have brought us to this console release and where we think it might be heading in the coming months.

From there, we pivot to a game that's been helping us pass the time, although "helping" is kind of an odd word in this case, as we've been shackled to less than helpful randoms in FromSoftware's Elden Ring Nightreign. For the love of Marika, please let us play as duos FromSoft.

And yeah, so we're going to go check our shipping status again. Surely, there's a tracking number by now. Right? RIGHT!?

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Jonathan Joss, whose talents helped shaped one of the greatest American animated series to grace television, and whose memory will be honored by the survivors of the violence that unjustly took him from this world.

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That's right, we played a bunch of spooky junk this week, but not before we stop and give Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 its flowers. That game was good all the way through, and is a real contender for game of the year at the almost halfway point of 2025.

After clapping up what is clearly GotY, Porter shares his exploits with Id's latest foray into the Doom franchise with Doom: The Dark Ages. Sort of the Summer Beach Read of games from what I understand.

From there, we turn the dial on the GrimDark air fryer from fantastical to fully Sci-Fi as Buzz shares his experiences on the frontier of known Imperium space in Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader (spoiler alert, everyone is mad when you try not to be a total arsehole).

Anyway, here's a typical conversation in Rogue Trader:

Protag: So, how do we feel about NOT nuking that orphanage from space that one person claimed might be heretical with no proof?

Seneschal: My Lord, I beg of you to reconsider!

Fish-Wife: They aren't nobles, what does it matter if they die?

Bible Girl: By the Emperor's light! Any stain of heresy must be removed!

Robot Wizard/Cleric: Beep-boop, don't ask me.

Protag: Okay, fine, fire the missiles...

Pretty good game, like an 8/10, but could use more Hillbilly Goblin.

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You guessed it, what with your highly perceptive ability to read and be aware of current releases, that we are talking about the quite excellent Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from Sandfall Interactive.

But not before we come down from the adrenaline rush that was the Nintendo Switch 2 midnight online preorder blitz that occurred stateside just the other week. It was, in fact, a bit messy (no one would shut up and take our money (yes, that's a timely and not played out reference to a visual meme done poorly in text)).

We also ponder the future of Xbox consoles and the potential for MS to become more of a digital service provider, especially considering the recent price increase this late into the current console's lifecycle. Perhaps everything else literally will have to be your Xbox going forward?

But finally, we get to Clair Obscur, which is honestly a serious contender for Game of the Year (and not even retailing at the standard price for AAA games - looking at you Mario Kart...). We avoid spoilers for anything past the early to mid-game.

Also, we have since finished the title, so some comments we make wondering at the why and how of the setting have been made less....obscure since recording.

We also don't make a joke about expedition 69.

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We've got a very special episode for our dear listeners, because we are answering YOUR questions. You asked, we answered (to the best of our limited abilities).

We also discuss seeing some of the leads of Dungeons & Dragons, that being Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins, departing from the franchise after years of contributions and fan interaction.

And we round out this episode with a victory lap for Will as he recounts some of the best DnD playing that I have seen in literal years as a DM. I mean, to use the Horn of Silent Alarm like that, well, it's Nobel Prize level stuff.

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And the last page reads, "And a very special thanks to..."

And you turn the page and it's a little mirror super glued to the inside of the back cover that shows your reflection.

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Much like the spice, we played a melange of games this past week as we continue to nervously refresh our browsers waiting for the pre-order floodgates to open this week.

We kick things off with Schedule 1 (TVGS), a management sim that is taking Steam by storm, even in its early access state, by offering an oddly charming and goofy spin on the Walter White experience (eyebrows, eyebrows, wink, wink, need we say more?).

From there, Buzz reflects on his time as Robocop (Teyon). He got to say "Freeze slimebag!" and write some parking tickets. It's on the PSN if that's up your alley.

He also played through the PSP port of Ape Escape: On the Loose, which is the PSP port of the original Ape Escape for the PSX. And that's all there really is to that.

But best of all, Buzz played Omori (OMOCAT) developed by the web artist Omocat, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's like Earthbound, but if you were encouraged to do some light crying even before the end of the game.

Meanwhile, while all of that was going on, Porter was blasting his way through Devil May Cry 1-4 (Capcom) like his soul depended on it. For a beloved series, it's a bit wild how the quality of the games varies so greatly from title to title, but you won't hear us crying about it.

Anyways, if you want a Switch 2, here's hoping that you secure a pre-order, you know, assuming that the economic reality of our times doesn't shift wildly again in the next 72 hours. I mean, it's not like that could happen...again...and again...and again...

"Robo wants a Switch 2."

And I looked at him and I go, "No. It's just you and I Peter. Robo doesn't get a Switch 2. If Peter wants a Switch 2, Peter can have a Switch 2."

Then he clip-clops in the suit over to the edge of the railing, and Peter starts bellowing, "ROBO WANTS A SWITCH 2!"