Happy July, folks! As the summer blazes on, what better way to avoid the heat than by cranking the A/C, kicking your feet up, and listening to some Weekend at Dave’s? We’ve got a stellar episode prepared for you. Following our 2023 Gaming Preview episode, our editorial team here at The Punished Backlog is back with a mid-year check-in. What games have we enjoyed? What are our thoughts on 2023 thus far? Perhaps most importantly, we’ll be recapping our Fantasy Gaming results up till now—and making some “waiver wire” selections based on the next six months. Just like the weather outside, our competition is heating up! Catch the full episode here: MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts Note: This episode was recorded on 6/26/23, before the releases of Oxenfree II: Lost Signals and Exoprimal. Another note: Despite his comments to the contrary at 51:45, Sam too saw a score increase post-waiver wire (by dropping Fire Emblem: Engage). He and Amanda share the number-one Fantasy spot with 92.5 apiece. Exciting! Show Notes (0:00) — Intro(2:14) — 2023 Mid-Year Check-In(16:41) — Reflecting on Our Fantasy Teams So Far(28:26) — Explaining the Fantasy Waiver Wire(31:50) — Time for Waivers!(53:31) — Getting Sidetracked and Talking About Movies(55:57) — Outro Song Credit:Intro: “Let’s Do The Fooka-Fooka!” from Super Mario RPG (2023) (Yoko Shimomura)Outro: “[Sector 4] – Ravaged Rustworks” from Hey! Pikmin (Masato Kouda, Kento Hasegawa) Episode Guide Looking for some helpful visuals as you listen to the podcast? Check out our episode guide below:

Howdy, and Happy (almost) New Year, folks! As we bid adieu to 2022 in gaming, it’s time to look forward to the future. On this episode of Weekend at Dave’s, I’m joined by fellow editors Sam Martinelli and Amanda Tien for a very special 2023 gaming preview. To make things interesting, we even conducted our own fantasy gaming draft! Catch it all in the full podcast episode below. Or, if you’d prefer to read along, we’ve also provided a transcript and show notes. Nifty! MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts Show Notes (0:00) — Intro(2:58) — Reflecting on 2022(7:38) — 2023 Gaming Preview(21:44) — Fantasy Draft Time!(1:08:36) — New Year’s Resolutions(1:12:45) — Outro Song Credit:Intro: Theme from Final Fantasy XVI (Masayoshi Soken)Outro: Theme from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, Hajime Wakai) Episode Transcript Want to hop to a specific portion of the transcript? We’ve got you covered:

What to Expect from Xbox & Bethesda at E3 2021 E3 is nearly upon us! As people gear up for a weekend of exciting reveals and sizzle trailers, we’re wrapping our pre-E3 2021 coverage with the hottest couple in town: Xbox and Bethesda. Join me and fellow Punished Backlog writer Sam Martinelli as we share our hopes, predictions, and dreams for Microsoft’s 90-minute showcase. Enjoy! MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts (6/11 update: We haven’t even gotten to Sunday’s Xbox & Bethesda Showcase, and we’ve already struck out on one of our predictions! Elden Ring , From Software’s long fabled open-world game, finally resurfaced thanks to Geoff Keighley’s little pre-E3 shindig. It’ll arrive January 21, 2022… if it isn’t assassinated by Jason Schreier.) Show Notes (0:00) — Intro(0:57) — Sam Sets the Record Straight(11:52) — Grading Xbox Games Studios’ Last 12 Months(17:45) — Grading Xbox Game Pass’s Last 12 Month(29:40) — Xbox & Bethesda E3 2021 Predictions(33:35) — What Third-Party Publishers Might Show Up?(40:00) — The Difference Between Sony and Microsoft’s Strategies(46:14) — Lightning Round!(47:35) — Will We See Perfect Dark?(48:49) — What About Fable?(51:03) — What’s the Status of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II?(53:50) — Is The Outer Worlds 2 Legit?(55:00) — Which Releases First: The Elder Scrolls VI or Avowed?(56:22) — How Much Starfield Should We Expect?(59:21) — Indiana Jones?(1:01:32) — Which Breaks the Mold First: 343, The Coalition, or Mojang?(1:06:05) — Outro Song Credit:“Reverie” from Halo Infinite (Curtis Schweitzer) What Are Your Xbox & Bethesda E3 2021 Hopes and Predictions? Thanks for listening! What are your hopes for Microsoft at E3? Will Halo Infinite shape up? Could Phil Spencer announce yet another studio acquisition? As always, let us know in the comments. Here are Microsoft’s major upcoming releases: * Age of Empires 4 (fall 2021) * Deathloop (fall 2021; timed PS5 exclusive) * Ghostwire: Tokyo (fall 2021; timed PS5 exclusive) * Halo Infinite (fall 2021) * Psychonauts 2 (fall 2021) Known but still TBD releases: * Avowed * The Elder Scrolls VI * Everwild * Fable * Forza (untitled) * Gears 6 * Indiana Jones (untitled) * Perfect Dark * Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II * Starfield * State of Decay 3 And, for reference, all 23 Xbox Games Studios:

From Final Fantasy to Marvel, We Talk Square Enix at E3 2021 Our E3 2021 pre-coverage continues! The next publisher on our E3 2021 press tour happens to be a personal favorite of mine: Square Enix. Together with fellow Punished Backlog writer Kei Isobe, we dive into the RPG giant’s upcoming E3 showcase. From rumblings of a Final Fantasy Souls-like, to an apparent Guardians of the Galaxy title, what can we look forward to at this year’s show? We’ve got you covered. Tune in to an action-packed hour of Square Enix goodness: MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts Show Notes (0:00) — Intro(2:48) — Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary Special reaction(11:22) — Should fans temper expectations for NEO: The World Ends With You?(16:08) — Is the next Kingdom Hearts game still far out?(19:13) — Grading the last 12 months for Square Enix(23:00) — What to expect from Final Fantasy at E3 2021(37:49) — Tomb Raider, Marvel, Life Is Strange, and more(49:18) — Outlandish predictions for Square Enix’s showcase(52:00) — Lightning round!(58:32) — Outro Song Credit:“Over the Hill” from Final Fantasy IX (Nobuo Uematsu) What Are Your Square Enix E3 2021 Hopes and Predictions? As always, thanks for listening! Have your own megatons you’d like to see Square Enix announce at this year’s show? Share your thoughts in the comments! Here are some upcoming Square Enix titles that could be at the show: * Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (June 10) * NEO: The World Ends With You (July 27) * Life Is Strange: True Colors (September 10) * Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (Fall 2021) * Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier (2021) * Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis (2022) * Forspoken (2022) * Project Triangle Strategy (working title) (2022) Here are some games that are unannounced or without a release window: * Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake * Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate * Final Fantasy Origins * Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 * Final Fantasy XVI * Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Want more E3 2021 coverage? Check out our Nintendo E3 2021 preview, and stay tuned to Weekend at Dave’s for future episodes in the coming days!

Hopes, Dreams, and Predictions for Nintendo at E3 2021 It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not that time (though I do love me a good Andy Williams bop). E3 2021 is right around the corner, and we’re kicking off our coverage with a series of publisher previews. First up: Nintendo. Join me and fellow Punished Backlog writer Sam Martinelli, as we give our hopes and predictions for Nintendo at E3 2021. How much Zelda will we see? Are the 2D Metroid rumors truth, or smoke? Catch our full thoughts in this historic Weekend at Dave’s! MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts Show Notes (0:00) — Intro(3:25) — Grading Nintendo’s past 12 months(11:52) — Looking at Nintendo’s fall 2021 & 2022 lineup(17:09) — Will Zelda get some love for its 35th anniversary?(18:57) — Why EarthBound deserves better(24:11) — Switch “Pro” timeline and expectations(28:12) — Should Animal Crossing fans get excited?(30:01) — Breath of the Wild 2 release date and title(32:39) — Ultimate DLC and the future of Smash Bros.(36:30) — Discussing that Metroid gossip(41:00) — Longshot Hopes for Nintendo at E3 2021(46:13) — Outro Song Credit:“Boy Meets Girl” from EarthBound (Keiichi Suzuki) Articles Referenced During the Show * Weekend at Dave’s – Episode 2: Deltarune, Castlevania S2, and that Smash Direct * Punished Hall of Fame: Titanfall 2 * Punished Hall of Fame: Donkey Kong Country 2 * We’re Celebrating EarthBound’s 25th Anniversary With a Punished Playthrough! * Happy 25th Anniversary, EarthBound! Our Thoughts on One of the SNES’s Most Imaginative JRPGs What Do You Expect From Nintendo at E3 2021? Share your own thoughts in the comments below! For reference, here’s a list of recent Nintendo releases, as well as notable upcoming titles: Major Nintendo releases since June 2020: * Clubhouse Games (June 5, 2020) * Paper Mario: The Origami King (July 17, 2020) * Super Mario 3D All-Stars (Sept 18, 2020) * Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Oct 30, 2020) * Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Nov 20,

Video Games and Mental Health: Name a More Iconic Duo A year and change into the pandemic, and things are starting to look up. The weather is warming, restrictions are lifting, and vaccines are slowly becoming a reality. We’re certainly far from normal, though, and won’t be for some time. Now more than ever, it’s important to take care of yourself, your family, and your community. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, this episode of Weekend at Dave’s focuses on soothing, wholesome video games. These are games you kick back with after a long day of work. Games that help you process difficult emotions. Games that give meaning to their pixels, and leave you with a sense of fulfillment and purpose. It’s a heavier subject than most Weekend at Dave’s entries, but I highly encourage you to tune in! We’ve got great vibes, great tunes (courtesy of LiQWYD), and, of course, great games. Give a listen below: MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts Full transcript below! 5 Great Video Games for Mental Health (00:25) Hi everyone! My name’s David Silbert, and you’re listening to Weekend at Dave’s, a podcast about video game trends, hidden gems… and the occasional hot take. (00:35) For this episode, we’re diving headfirst into some positive vibes. As some of you may know, this month is Mental Health Awareness Month. And while I’m a big supporter of the idea that games of any sort are good for your mental well-being, there are certain games that really stand out among their peers. (00:51) So! For today’s episode, we’re delving into five games—some short, others pretty long—that you can play after a long day at work, or school. All of the games here are suitable pretty much for people of all ages, and provide rather safe spaces to process emotions like joy, grief, and everything in between. (01:09) But enough set up. Without further ado, here are five great video games for mental health. Cue the music! 1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (01:37) We start off this list with one of our more obvious choices. If you had a Nintendo Switch during the past year, odds are you played Animal Crossing: New Horizons to survive pandemic life and all the gloominess that came along with it. (01:50) If you’re by some chance unfamiliar, New Horizons tasks the player with essentially building a town. You’re a new resident on an island, and as part of your living arrangement, you’re to pay off your home loan to Tom Nook, a devious racoon who extorts the locals and feeds off the land like a leech—uh… OK, maybe I’m getting carried away. (02:09) Jokes aside, Animal Crossing is an extremely chill game for you to enjoy. You can decorate and expand your house, plant orchards, sell fruit, interact with townspeople, and so much more. In its heyday back in spring 2020, New Horizons made a lot of people’s days, and weeks, and months. (02:27) A year removed, it’s still a great game to kick back with, tea or coffee in hand, and just lose yourself in. Nintendo’s post-release support has been a little lacking, but even still, you’re good for several scores of hours with Animal Crossing: New Horizons. (It’s also a great game to play with your mom for Mother’s Day! My mom can attest.) 2. Journey (02:59) Next up, we have an older title,

Will Consolidation Hurt the Video Game Industry? A new week, a new Weekend at Dave’s! This episode brings us some juicy subject matter, as we delve into Gearbox, stonks, and video game industry consolidation. Catch the full episode here: Download MP3 | Spotify | Apple Podcasts (Note: Despite the acquisition, 2K shared that it will continue to publish the Borderlands games.) Episode Transcript (00:29) Hi everyone! My name’s David Silbert, and you’re listening to Weekend at Dave’s. Each week, we dig deep into a topic in the entertainment industry—usually to do with games.  (00:39) This week’s discussion is particularly spicy, and comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Gearbox Entertainment—the makers of Borderlands—will be acquired by Embracer Group in a deal worth 1.3 billion dollars. (00:51) If you’re unfamiliar with Embracer Group, they’re a Swedish holding company, meaning they hold majority stakes in a bunch of other companies. Their subsidiaries include THQ Nordic, Koch Media, Saber Interactive… and now Gearbox. (Side note: There are some bizarro policies that come along with holding these subsidiaries—case in point.) (01:04)  The finer details of the deal are pretty complex, but the long and short of it is that a major game company just got bigger. And when you consider this is just the latest in a string of industry M&As—Microsoft buying Bethesda, EA buying Codemasters, etc.—it begs the question: (01:19) Should consolidation in the video game industry concern us? (01:23) There’s a case to be made that it certainly should. In a piece for GamesIndustry.biz, Simon Carless of GameDiscoverCo related these consolidation moves to the ongoing stock market bubble. As institutional and retail investors fixate on deep value stocks—to the moon!—the speculative value of these game companies is getting further and further removed from reality. (01:44) Carless used the examples of Unity (NYSE: U), which launched an initial public offering (IPO) in August 2020, and Roblox (NYSE: RBLX), which is gearing up for an IPO of its own. Based on current valuations, Roblox would be worth more than Unity, despite the fact that it’s less established and currently operating at a loss. (02:00) I encourage you to read the full article, as it raises some great points. That said, given I’m certainly not a financial expert, I’d like to focus on a different piece of this discussion entirely. And that’s the impact of consolidation on game makers and players. (02:13) Consolidation has always been a part of this industry. Think back to 2007, when Activision and Vivendi (the owner of Blizzard) announced they’d be joining forces. If you’re an RPG lover, think even further back to the days of Squaresoft, Enix, and the subsequent merger.  (02:29) No matter where you look, publishers and studios are always changing hands,

Don’t Miss These 2021 Indie Games 2021 is already shaping up to be an exciting year for gaming. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S are in their infancy. Halo: Infinite and Horizon: Forbidden West are on the—erm, horizon. And there are a smattering of indie games in 2021 (where my Hollow Knight: Silksong fans at?) to break out the Switch for. But those games are old news: What other indie surprises can you expect in the New Year? To kick off 2021, the Weekend at Dave’s podcast is back, and we’re asking the important questions. New format, new insights, same charming host! Catch the latest episode of Weekend at Dave’s here: Download MP3 | Spotify | Apple Podcasts Episode Timestamps (0:00 – 2:49) — Intro (2:50 – 5:14) — UFO 50 (5:15 – 7:09) — Chicory: A Colorful Tale (7:10 – 8:29) — The Wild at Heart (8:30 – 9:13) — Outro Intro Hi everyone! My name’s David Silbert, and I’m the host of Weekend at Dave’s, a chill, solo podcast where I ramble about games and other hot topics in the entertainment industry. 2021 marks a new year, and I don’t know if you noticed, but Weekend at Dave’s was virtually MIA for the entirety of 2020. To be fair… It was a bad year! But to those who’ve enjoyed the show, I apologize, and let this be an olive branch I’m offering to show that, A) I’m back, and B) I want 2021 to be the strongest year for Weekend at Dave’s yet! So, what’s new about the podcast this year that’ll help us get there! For one, more bite-sized topics! I’ve always tried to keep things brief, given how many podcasts are out there, but this year I want to drill that down even more. Expect more frequent episodes, but ones that are only 10 to 15 minutes in length, tops. Secondly, more in-depth thoughts! I’ll be working harder to script out a lot of what I talk about during the show. I’ll have my notes handy, so hopefully that means better lines of thought, deeper insights, and more enjoyable content on the whole. Lastly, I want to branch out! I want to bring guests on the show, maybe get a couple of developers to interview. And, for the very first time, I want to take Weekend at Dave’s to YouTube, where I’ll be experimenting with b-roll, video editing, and all. that. Jazz. So! *clap* It should be a lot of fun! Let’s dive right into things, with our first topic of the year…  Indie sleepers! Now, we’re at a time where there are so many games, and so many ways to play them. We’ve got next gen consoles that just launched, a plethora of subscription-based game services, other reward systems that dole out games like candy… It’s a bit of a madhouse. So! With so much out there, and so much existing coverage of popular games, I wanted to dive deep into a couple of indies that seem to be off a lot of folx’s radars. I’m talking real deep sleepers here, the type to hit snooze at noon and roll out of bed at 2 p.m. sleepers. Ya feel me? Basically, the following three games are three indies I’m super excited to see more of in 2021—and I think you’ll be excited to see more, too. Sound good? Let’s get to it: UFO 50 Starting off, we’ve got one that’s near and dear to me: UFO 50. Developed by Mossmouth, aka Derek Yu, aka the maker of Spelunky 1 & 2, UFO 50 is a collection of not one, not two, but fifty retro-inspired games, spanning a mix of styles and genres.

Surviving PAX East and Living to Tell the Tale PAX East 2020 has come and gone. While many will remember it for some killer games, most will remember it for the killer virus it narrowly avoided. As of publication, COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus) has shut down everything from E3 to Disney World. The NBA and NHL are on hiatus. Supermarkets look like a scene ripped straight from Fallout. Looking back just two weeks, it’s a miracle PAX East went off without a hitch. Even the grievances fans aired before the show seem superfluous, now. Many fans (me included) chastised Sony for pulling out of the show. The thinking was two-fold: A) Sony’s causing unnecessary panic with its decision. B) It’s hiding from the public on account of PlayStation 5 cost issues. Neither turned out true. If anything, Sony showed extreme foresight in forgoing the event. With the severity of the pandemic, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the next PlayStation slip to 2021. That’s how serious this thing has become. But I digress. After all, PAX survived the Coronavirus. And that means I have a smattering of awesome games to talk about. On this very special Weekend at Dave’s, I recap the top 10 games I played at PAX East 2020. Check it out here: Download MP3 Timestamps 0:00 – 3:27 — Intro 3:27 – 10:05 — 10) Dunk Lords 10:06 – 14:20 — 9) Carrion 14:21 – 18:59 — 8) The Artful Escape 19:00 – 23:32 — 7) Cyber Shadow 23:33 – 29:04 — 6) Panzer Paladin 29:05 – 33:42 — 5) Spiritfarer 33:43 – 38:58 — 4) Final Fantasy VII Remake 38:59 – 44:31 — 3) Streets of Rage 4 44:32 – 50:16 — 2) Knuckle Sandwich 50:17 – 57:22 — 1) The Wild at Heart 57:23 — Outro That’s a rap on my top 10 games of PAX East 2020! As always, thanks for listening to Weekend at Dave’s. I have plenty more episodes where this came from. Stay tuned, and stay safe! (Episode music credit: “Welcome” by RoccoW)

Is Xbox Game Pass The Best Deal in Gaming? Welcome to another Weekend at Dave’s! In this packed episode (recorded Saturday, August 17, 2019), I start by discussing the value of Xbox Game Pass and how it fits into Microsoft’s “Play Anywhere” mission. Things then get a bit more introspective, as I share my personal backlog “keys” to preparing for fall 2019’s biggest releases. To end, I talk about my experiences playing a particular Game Pass title I recently checked off the to-do list: Remedy Games’ Quantum Break. Tune in below! Weekend at Dave’s – Episode 5 (Download Link) (Correction #1: During the episode, I accidentally refer to Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon as Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Side of the Moon. I didn’t listen to Pink Floyd while writing this, I swear, and apologize for the error.) (Correction #2: Ironically, while I correctly identify the upcoming The Outer Worlds as an Xbox Game Pass title, I somehow overlook the fact that Gears 5 — aka Microsoft’s biggest exclusive of the year — is also being included as part of the service. Duh. Needless to say, I’ll be picking this one up on day one, because it’ll be “free”!) Timestamps 0:00 – 2:24 — Intro 2:25 – 18:22 — Is Xbox Game Pass the Best Value in Gaming? 18:23 – 43:42 — My Backlog “Keys” to Fall 2019 43:43 – 53:01 — An Overlooked Gem and Game Pass Standout: Quantum Break 53:02 — Outro The Skinny on Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft’s Play Anywhere Strategy While I dive into my full thoughts on the state of Xbox Game Pass in the podcast, I thought I’d share four supplementary headlines that — for one reason or another — were not touched upon in today’s episode: Xbox Game Pass is helping to lead Microsoft’s software-first charge. While far from breaking news, Microsoft reported that its gaming division saw an 8% increase in revenue during its fiscal year Q2 (the three months ended Dec 2018), despite a 19% decrease in hardware sales, via GamesIndustry.biz. In addition to increased third-party software sales and Xbox Live users, Microsoft also cited increased Game Pass subscribers as a key driver of the sales growth. Though annual Xbox revenue would end up declining by month-end FYQ4 (down 3% and 48% year-over-year for software and hardware, respectively, via GamesIndustry.biz), the stark difference in performance between Xbox hardware and Xbox games and services is hard to overlook. Might we already be seeing the beginning of Microsoft’s stratagem to move away from the box and towards a software-only future? Developers are also benefiting from the success of Xbox Game Pass. Citing a recent panel that it hosted during Gamelab Barcelona 2019, GamesIndustry.biz reports that certain third-party developers are praising how Microsoft approaches compensation when striking deals for Game Pass. Though the specific terms Microsoft has with its third-party partners remain unknown, it appears as if the publisher tends to push for paying in Netflix-style lump sums as opposed to inking Spotify-esque per-play agreements. While developers on the panel debated the fairness of Game Pass deals — as of now, agreements tend to be better suited for developers of shorter,