Good Gains, Well Played

More Layoffs, Tomb Raider IV Remastered, And New World Has A Year Left

We've got more layoffs at Ubisoft impacting The Division team, who also lost their franchise boss who went to DICE. Amazon also announced they're shutting down New World in a year, and Games Workshop bans AI. Then in the back end Isli gives updated thoughts on his return to The Lost Crown, Xya returns to Animal Crossing after a long break, and I give my thoughts on the Tomb Raider IV remaster. Here are the timestamps: Intro  News Bits - 00:27 PS Plus Games For January - 01:43 More Ubisoft Layoffs - 03:21 The Franchise Boss For The Division Departs Ubisoft - 04:07 Amazon To Shutter New World In A Year - 07:25 Games Workshop Bans AI Use - 09:04 Misc. News Bits What We're Playing - 11:56 Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown  - 17:14 Chaos Rings 2 And Animal Crossing - 26:27 Tomb Raider IV Remastered

Xbox News, Sony's AI Assistant Patent, And Dead Letter Dept.

We've got the January Game Pass lineup, an Xbox developer direct announced, an AI assist patent, and more.  Then in the back half Isli gives his thoughts on Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Xya plays more Chaos Rings, and I talk about the spooky Dead Letter Dept. with some heavy spoilers.  Here are the timestamps: Intro  News Bits - 00:45 Game Pass For January - 03:22 Xbox Developer Direct This Month - 04:45 Former Zenimax Studio Head Confirms Why He Left - 06:17 PlayStation Patents AI Assist Feature - 11:55 Embark Confirms Matchmaking Theory And Cheaters - 15:02 Ubisoft Closes Studios Weeks After They Unionize What We're Playing - 19:58 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze  - 27:14 Chaos Rings - 36:35 Dead Letter Dept.

2026 Releases We're Interested In And Curious About

In this episode we go over every game that currently has a release date in 2026 that we're interested in.  Here are the timestamps: Intro  News Bits - 00:44 2026 Releases We're Excited About What We're Playing - 25:40 FF14 And Chaos Rings - 27:58 Cyberpunk 2077 And Icarus - 33:43 Warhammer Painting

Pricing Mistakes, Delays, And The Loss Of An Industry Icon

It's unfortunate that during the holidays the big news is the tragic passing of Vince Zampella. Vince was of course a co-creator for Call of Duty, having co-founded both Infinity Ward and later Respawn Entertainment.  Here are the timestamps: Intro  News Bits - 00:28 Cyberpunk's eShop Pricing Mistake - 02:12 007 First Light Delayed - 02:32 Vince Zampella's Passing What We're Playing - 13:19 Clair Obscur DLC, Escape Plan, And Chaos Rings - 33:30 Cyberpunk 2077  - 34:48 Warhammer And Stranger Things

Departures, Delays, AI, Overtime, And My Thoughts On Routine

In this episode we discuss a co-founder leaving Sucker Punch, if the original Tomb Raider is actually hard by today's standards, Larian's comments on AI, and how sometimes you need to do overtime. Then in the back end I have some gripes with Routine, even though I enjoyed it overall.  Here are the timestamps: Intro  News Bits - 01:06 Sucker Punch Co-Founder Stepping Down After 30 Years - 04:41 Warhammer 40,000 Mechanicus 2 Delayed - 05:34 The Original Tomb Raider Is Hard? - 11:36 Fallout Show Will Be Referenced In Fallout 5 - 12:51 Larian Studios And AI - 29:20 Naughty Dog's Overtime Not A Big Deal? What We're Playing - 40:25 Necesse And FF14 - 47:55 Routine