Active Quest Episode 127: Assassin’s Creed’s Going Live Service, A Disappointing State of Play, And A New Switch (Kinda)

Joseph and Chris discuss the future of Assassin’s Creed and the new Switch OLED Model. Plus, Chris reviews Boomerang X. 

• Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden
• Josh Nichols – twitter.com/itsjerkjersh
• Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed. 

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on Apple Podcasts, and Podcast Addict so we can continue to grow. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Get our official shirt!

teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick News

Starts at 9:00

Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass: Bloodroots, Farming Simulator 19, UFC 4, and More

Megan Spurr

Coming Soon to Xbox Game Pass: Bloodroots, Farming Simulator 19, UFC 4, and More

PS Now Confirms Leaked Line-Up for July 2021, Plus More PS4 Games

 Liam Croft 

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/07/ps_now_confirms_leaked_line-up_for_july_2021_plus_more_ps4_games

The Witcher 3’s next-gen version will include DLC based on the Netflix show

Andy Robinson

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/the-witcher-3s-next-gen-version-will-include-dlc-based-on-the-netflix-show/

Death Stranding: Director’s Cut has new story missions and improved combat

Andrew Webster 

https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/8/22569182/death-stranding-directors-cut-new-features-release-date-ps5

News

Watch Again: State of Play shows off 11 upcoming PS5 and PS4 games

Chris Scullion

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/watch-again-state-of-play-shows-off-11-upcoming-ps5-and-ps4-games/

Ubisoft’s next Assassin’s Creed will be a live service game

Maddy Myers 

https://www.polygon.com/22566556/ubisoft-assassins-creed-infinity-live-service-game

Nintendo Switch OLED Model – Price, Release Date, Specs, Battery Life And Where It Leaves ‘Switch Pro’

Gavin Lane & Damien McFerran

https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/nintendo-switch-oled-model-price-release-date-specs-battery-life-and-where-it-leaves-switch-pro

Listener Questions

#1 Turner and Hooch Fan

@TurnerandDouche

Hey buds, so GTA 6… do you think we will finally be able to play as Grimace from McDongalds?

What We’ve Been Playing

Chris:

• Boomerang X (review code provided for RetroWare review)
• FIFA 21 manager mode

Josh: 

Joseph:

• Warzone
• Metro Exodus

Active XP: Resident Evil Village Review (+ Spoilers)

Joseph, Josh, and Chris dissect Resident Evil Village’s story, gameplay, and world in this spoiler-filled review.

Review code provided by Capcom

Spoilers start at 10:10

Direct Download Link

• Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden
• Josh Nichols – twitter.com/itsjerkjersh
• Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed. 

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on Apple Podcasts, and Podcast Addict so we can continue to grow. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Get our official shirt!

teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Overview

Story

With this being a continuation of RE7, we’ll touch on how Village connects to it and how these two games fit into the overall series as a whole. We’ll also touch on how we feel about the game’s narrative, which story beats stood out to us and what we thought about the wacky ending.

Based on previous discussions, it seems like we have different views on how we enjoyed the game’s ending, so we’ll dive into this during the review. 

Gameplay

Let’s start off with discussing Resident Evil Village’s gameplay, which has mostly remained the same from RE7. Here is a great time to talk about The Duke merchant and upgrade system, the new weapons, and any standout sections of the game in terms of gameplay.

We’ll cover the boss battles, creature design, level design, and its scare factor. Does it feel like an action game? Does it feel more like survival horror? We discuss our favorite and least favorite sections of the game here.

The Village

With it being called Village, how do the Village sections actually pan out? Does the Village feel like a “character?” Does it warrant being the game’s subtitle? How are these sections handled gameplay-wise and narratively? 

Any other notable points

During this section, we discuss any other talking points such as gripe or criticisms we haven’t yet covered, or how we feel about the Mercenaries mode. We’ll use this time to mention anything that didn’t fit in the previous sections.

Main takeaways

Here, we’ll wrap up our overall thoughts on Resident Evil Village, and whether we’d recommend it. We’ll also mention who this game is for and who should skip it.

Active Quest Episode 119: Resident Evil Village Is A Delight, Epic vs. Apple Drama, PlayStation Forms Partnership

Josh, Chris, and special guest game developer Eldar Basic discuss the wonderfully gruesome Resident Evil Village, the Epic vs. Apple drama in court, and PlayStation’s latest deal with Discord. 

• Josh Nichols – twitter.com/itsjerkjersh
• Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites
• Eldar – twitter.com/EldarBasically

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed. 

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on Apple Podcasts, and Podcast Addict so we can continue to grow. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Get our official shirt!

teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick News

Announcing PlayStation’s new Partnership with Discord

Jim Ryan

Announcing PlayStation’s new Partnership with Discord

Nintendo’s next big Switch title is aimed at budding game designers

Andrew Webster

https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/5/22419556/game-builder-garage-nintendo-switch-trailer-release-date

Upcoming Releases/Announcements

News

Epic Games vs. Apple Court Hearing Day One: Screaming Fortnite Kids, Tim Sweeney Takes The Stand

Liana Ruppert

https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/05/03/epic-games-vs-apple-court-hearing-day-one-screaming-fortnite-kids-tim-sweeney-takes-the

Listener Questions

Andrew McMahon (@McMahon_Bearpig)

Do you think a Resident Evil game will ever come close to the Resident Evil 2 Remake?

Jake Free (@JakeFreeDieHard)

Can Chris just explain how to make tea? What’s the process? Why am I putting milk in it? Sugar? What aisle is it in? What kind am I getting? Does it have to be hot? Do I have to invest in a kettle? What’s its purpose!?!?

What We’ve Been Playing

Joseph:

Chris:

• Crash Bandicoot 2
• Resident Evil Village (review code provided) 

Josh:

• New Pokemon Snap
• Resident Evil Village (review code provided)

Eldar:

• Resident Evil: Village
• Final Fantasy VII (PSone)
• Magic the Gathering: Arena

Active Quest Episode 113: It Takes Two And Monster Hunter Rise Are Amazing And Why Won’t Sony Keep Their Legacy Online?

In this episode, Chris, Josh, and Joseph discuss Monster Hunter Rise, a new Pikmin AR mobile game, It Takes Two, and Sony pulling its online stores for PSP, PS Vita, and PS3.

• Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden
• Josh Nichols – twitter.com/itsjerkjersh
• Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed. 

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on Apple Podcasts, and Podcast Addict so we can continue to grow. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Get our official shirt!

teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick News

Epileptic PSA: Balan Wonderworld (Update)

Liana Ruppert

gameinformer.com/2021/03/25/epileptic-psa-balan-wonderworld-update

Report: Call Of Duty Returns To A WWII Setting This Year

Daniel Tack

gameinformer.com/2021/03/26/report-call-of-duty-returns-to-a-wwii-setting-this-year

Halo Infinite actor says game is launching in November 2021

Hirun Cryer

gamesradar.com/uk/halo-infinite-actor-says-game-is-launching-in-november-2021/

Back 4 Blood delayed until October

Austen Goslin

polygon.com/22350419/back-4-blood-delay-beta-release-date-turtle-rock

Upcoming Releases

A Pikmin AR mobile game is coming from Nintendo and the Pokémon Go team

Jeffrey Grubbz

venturebeat.com/2021/03/22/a-pikmin-ar-mobile-game-is-coming-from-nintendo-and-pokemon-go-dev-team/

News

‘Resident Evil’ Director Johannes Roberts Reveals Title and Details of Upcoming Film

Ellise Shafer

variety.com/2021/film/news/resident-evil-film-title-johannes-roberts-1234935345/#

New STALKER 2 video, 15 new Game Pass titles, and everything else from the ID@Xbox showcase

Connor Sheridan

gamesradar.com/new-stalker-2-video-15-new-game-pass-titles-and-everything-else-from-the-idxbox-showcase/

Report: PS3, PS Vita stores will close for good this summer

Owen S. Good

polygon.com/22345099/ps3-ps-vita-psp-playstation-store-shutting-down-closes

Listener Questions

#1 Turner and Hooch Fan

@TurnerandDouche

Hey my gaggle of goofy gigglin gamers, my question is do you think that my copies of Turner and Hooch on VHS I ordered are stuck on the big boat in the suez canal? I ordered 51000 copies.

Zion Grassl

@ZionDood

What are your hopes for the new Resident Evil movie? I’m personally hoping it’s more focused on the horror of surviving the Raccoon City outbreak than the overall action of killing zombies.

#1 50 Cent Blood on the Sand fan

@curtiscent2

Kratos, Master Chief, Lara Croft, and Baby G-Unit (G is for Grogu. Always has been baby !) were all added to Fortnite in the last few months. 

When do you think 50 Cent is getting added?

Otto Kratky

@Otto_Kratky

Any PS3/Vita games are y’all scrambling to get? I’m trying to nab a PS3 now so I can get the R&C collection. Can’t beat the originals!

Alejandro Pizaña

@alekspizana

Is there any info on what’s gonna happen once the Stores close?. Will we be able to download our games afterwards?. Do you think it’s a good idea to get anything quickly before it closes?. What are you guys going to do with your own PS3’s – if you have any?

What We’ve Been Playing

Joseph:

• Monster Hunter Rise (review code provided) 
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon 
• It Takes Two (review code provided)

Chris:

• Monster Hunter Rise (review code provided)
• It Takes Two (friend pass access through review code)

I’ll be covering Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins and Lost Words: Beyond The Page

Josh:

• NeoGeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 (review code provided)

Active Quest Episode 81: Is Mortal Shell A Great Souls-Like Game? Fortnite vs. Apple and Google, Halo Infinite Delayed To 2021

Joseph, Chris, and Josh are joined by IGN freelancer Wesley LeBlanc to talk about the crazy Fortnite drama between Epic and Apple/Google. Joseph also gives us his first impressions of Mortal Shell.

 

Hosts:

Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden

Josh Nichols – twitter.com/Mrjoshnichols

Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed.

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on iTunes so we can continue to reach people, go to E3, get more review codes to provide coverage to you all and more. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Twitter: @ActiveQuestShow

Get our official shirt!

https://teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. https://soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick Notes

The Last of Us Part II update adds Grounded difficulty, Permadeath mode, and more

Matthew Gallant

blog.playstation.com/2020/08/11/the-last-of-us-part-ii-update-adds-grounded-difficulty-permadeath-mode-and-more/

Scott Pilgrim Writer Says Ubisoft Has Contacted Him Amid Growing Campaign To Bring Game Back

James O’Connor

gamespot.com/articles/scott-pilgrim-writer-says-ubisoft-has-contacted-hi/1100-6480948/

Quick Releases

Splinter Cell’s Sam Fisher Enters Rainbow Six Siege As New Operator

Chris Pereira

gamespot.com/articles/splinter-cells-sam-fisher-gears-up-for-rainbow-six/1100-6480833/

Mortal Shell is Getting a Physical Release

Daniel Tack

gameinformer.com/2020/08/13/mortal-shell-is-getting-a-physical-release

Rockstar & GTA Producer Lazlow Jones Part Ways After Almost 20 Years Together

Chris Penwell

thegamer.com/lazlow-jones-gta-producer-leaves/

Kena: Bridge of Spirits Will Have a Free Upgrade For PS5

Chris Penwell

thegamer.com/kena-bridge-of-spirits-free-ps4-ps5-upgrade/

News

Fortnite for Android has also been kicked off the Google Play Store and App Store

Dieter Bohn

theverge.com/2020/8/13/21368079/fortnite-epic-android-banned-google-play-app-store-rule-violation

July 2020 NPD: Paper Mario and Ghost of Tsushima have strong debuts

Jeff Grubb

venturebeat.com/2020/08/14/july-2020-npd-paper-mario-and-ghost-of-tsushima-have-strong-debuts/

Microsoft delays Halo Infinite to 2021

Tom Warren

theverge.com/2020/8/11/21363769/halo-infinite-delay-launch-2021-release-date-xbox-series-x

Listener Questions

Are boneless wings, wings?

Which is the best non-buffalo flavor wing sauce?

• Wesley

Hey gamers, what movie would you insert @Reggie into from the 90s and which actor would he replace? My pick is replacing Tim Allen in Jungle2Jungle. Okay, that’s all the time I’ve got. I got to get back to playing Animal Crossing New Leaf on my Nintendo 3DS.

• #1 Turner and Hooch fan

What We’ve Been Playing

Joseph:

• Mortal Shell (review code provided by the publisher)

Chris

• Ghost of Tsushima
• Trivia Royale

Josh

• EarthBound
• Rayman Legends*
• Fall Guys*
• Moving Out (Xbox Game Pass)*

Wesley

• Ghost of Tsushima
• Necrobarista
• Avengers Beta

Active Quest Episode 69: Virtuaverse, Paper Mario: The Origami King, and Gears Tactics Impressions with Luis Alamilla

We have Luis Alamilla on the podcast as we talk about Paper Mario: The Origami King, a new cyberpunk indie title Virtuaverse, and Gears Tactics! Plus, we freak out about Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 HD

Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden

Josh Nichols – twitter.com/Mrjoshnichols

Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

Guest: Luis Alamilla: https://twitter.com/Luis_GVN

Luis’ Virtuaverse review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0LO_-faO8o&t=103s

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed.

Follow us on Twitter:  @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Please use our Amazon link if you’re buying anything on there. It costs no extra to you and we get a kickback! This will go towards new games and event coverage, so we can give you the best podcast possible. Some games will have Amazon Affiliate links attached to them. You can use those too!

Rate us on iTunes so we can continue to reach people, go to E3, get more review codes to provide coverage to you all and more. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Twitter: @ActiveQuestShow

Get our official shirt!

https://teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. He did an awesome job, so here’s a shoutout! https://soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick Notes

AniMay Sale eShop

https://www.nintendo.com/deals/

EVO Online details 

Wesley Yin-Poole

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-05-14-evo-fighting-game-tournament-moves-online-without-super-smash-bros-ultimate

Ubisoft games reaching 10+ million sales

https://twitter.com/shinobi602/status/1260976881035247617?s=21

GameStop has Switches in Stock (for now)

https://twitter.com/GameSpot/status/1261049946234634249?s=20

Quick Upcoming Releases

GTAV is Free on Epic Games Store 

Nicole Carpenter

https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/14/21258501/grand-theft-auto-5-gta5-free-epic-games-store

Iron-Man VR Launching on July 3rd

Kris Holt

https://www.engadget.com/iron-man-vr-psvr-release-date-ps4-185049705.html

Mafia Trilogy Remaster On The Way

Igor Bonifanic

https://www.engadget.com/2k-games-mafia-trilogy-teaser-151432847.html

News

Unreal Engine 5 Revealed

Nick Statt

https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/13/21256079/epic-unreal-engine-5-playstation-5-demo-next-gen-graphics-release-date

PS4 Hardware Sales Reach 110 Million

Mike Minotti

https://venturebeat.com/2020/05/12/playstation-4-sales-reach-110-4-million/

Paper Mario: The Origami King Announced

Michael McWhertor

https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/14/21258519/paper-mario-origami-king-nintendo-switch-release-date-trailer

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 Remaster Is Dropping in September

Activision

https://blog.activision.com/tony-hawk/2020-05/Get-Ready-to-Grind-into-Tony-Hawks-Pro-Skater-1-and-2

Ghost of Tsushima Rundown

Zack Zwiezen

https://kotaku.com/new-ghost-of-tsushima-gameplay-shows-off-open-world-exp-1843465362

Listener Questions

https://twitter.com/EpiraNet/status/1260794020625817600

What We’ve Been Playing

Joseph

• Assassin’s Creed Origins
• The Walking Dead: Season One
• Elder Scrolls: Blades

Chris

• Final Fantasy VII Remake (Game #10 of 2020 finished)
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Relic Hunters: Legend (Preview Alpha)

Josh

• Gears Tactics

Luis 

• Virtuaverse
• inFamous Second Son (Again)
• Call of Duty Warzone

Featured Image: Paper Mario: The Origami King, Nintendo

Active Quest Episode 68: Diablo 2 Remaster Rumors and Inside Xbox Next Gen Game Reveals

Josh and Chris talk about the slew of upcoming releases and unpack the new game announcements from Inside Xbox.

Joseph Yaden – twitter.com/josephyaden

Josh Nichols – twitter.com/Mrjoshnichols

Chris Penwell – twitter.com/PenwellWrites

You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Play. You can also subscribe through our RSS feed.

Follow us on Twitter @ActiveQuestShow

Email us @ ActiveQuestPodcast@gmail.com

Rate us on iTunes so we can continue to reach people, go to E3, get more review codes to provide coverage to you all and more. Reviews are so helpful for discovery and opening doors in the industry for us!

Twitter: @ActiveQuestShow

Get our official shirt!

https://teespring.com/active-quest-shirt#pid=2&cid=566&sid=front

We are proud to be a part of the HP Video Game Podcast Network!: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtistSeeAll?cc=us&dkId=4&section=0&ids=1482427275

Music

Theme Song made by Novila. He did an awesome job, so here’s a shoutout! https://soundcloud.com/novila-edm

Quick Notes

Tokyo Game Show 2020 Canceled, Digital Event Planned

Nicole Carpenter

https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/8/21251831/tokyo-game-show-canceled-2020-coronoavirus-pandemic

Diablo 2 Remastered Rumored To Be Worked On By Vicarious Visions

Rory Young

https://gamerant.com/diablo-2-remaster-vicarious-visions/

Quick Upcoming Releases

Mortal Kombat 11 Expansion Coming

Brian Shea

https://www.gameinformer.com/preview/2020/05/06/aftermath-is-a-mortal-kombat-11-expansion-that-adds-a-new-story-and-more

Disintegration Comes out in June

Brian Shea

https://www.gameinformer.com/2020/05/07/disintegration-new-shooter-from-co-creator-of-halo-gets-june-release-date

Vader Immortal Comes to PSVR This Summer

Mark S. Miller

https://blog.us.playstation.com/2020/05/04/vader-immortal-a-star-wars-vr-series-is-coming-to-ps-vr-this-summer/

News

Inside Xbox – Next Gen Games Revealed

Jeremy Winslow

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-2020-games-event-recap-assassins-creed-madden/1100-6476929/

April 2020 Top Downloads, Final Fantasy VII Remake On Top

Jason Massongill

https://blog.us.playstation.com/2020/05/07/playstation-store-aprils-top-downloads-4/

Animal Crossing Hits 13.4 million sales in six weeks

Matthew Handrahan

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-07-animal-crossing-new-horizons-hits-13-4m-sales

Switch Crosses 55 Million Sold 

Matthew Handrahan

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-05-07-switch-passes-55m-lifetime-sales-in-a-strong-year-for-nintendo

Listener Questions

Greysun Morales – Favorite game shown during the Inside Xbox? Mine was Scarlet Nexus because it looks like a mix of Astral Chain and Devil May Cry mixed with plant monsters and I’m fucking here for it.

Alex Derickson – Between Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk, why are genitals a benchmark?

Josh from Indie Pod: So I think the most important question is of course, “How big is your cyberpunk virtual dong going to be?” The people need to know.

What We’ve Been Playing

Chris

• Tales of Crestoria
• Dread Nautical (review code provided for SwitchWatch)
• Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Far Cry: New Dawn (Game #9 of 2020)

Josh

• Gears Tactics

Featured Image from Diablo 2, Activision