AOTF Podcast

‘I’ll never have a better cigarette’: How a surreal encounter with David Lynch prompted Dylan Sprouse to quit smoking

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:30:00 +0000

For Dylan Sprouse, a cigarette break at the Chateau Marmont turned into a surreal David Lynch encounter that he still remembers years later. The actor recently opened up about the moment and explained why it became one of his most meaningful celebrity experiences.

During an August 4 appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Sprouse recalled having dinner in Los Angeles with Barbara Palvin and friends. He suddenly recognized Lynch’s voice coming from a nearby table and realized the filmmaker he admired was sitting close by.

Palvin encouraged Sprouse to introduce himself. The actor decided against interrupting Lynch while he was eating and instead stepped outside for a cigarette. Moments later, Lynch walked into the smoking area and unexpectedly asked Sprouse for a cigarette and a light.

Sprouse handed Lynch both items. The encounter became even stranger when Laura Dern joined the filmmaker. Lynch then pulled a fresh pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his own pocket for Dern. That left Sprouse wondering whether Lynch had actually needed to borrow anything from him.

Before leaving, Lynch thanked Sprouse and called him “very polite.” Sprouse believes Lynch may have noticed how starstruck he was. He thinks the director deliberately created a memorable interaction without forcing him to approach.

The experience ultimately changed Sprouse’s relationship with smoking. He said, “I’ll never have a better cigarette than that in my entire life.” For him, the encounter gave him a story that meant more than getting a photograph or autograph with Lynch. It’s a change Paris Jackson describes too when she reflected on life after six years of sobriety.

Sprouse later clarified that quitting cigarettes did not mean immediately giving up nicotine. He joked that he turned to Geek Bars afterward. That doesn’t make breaking an addiction simple, something that Ben Affleck has openly spoken about.

Palvin also witnessed the unusual encounter years before she and Sprouse entered their current chapter. According to Reality Tea, the couple married in July 2023 and are expecting their first child. They are expecting a daughter.

Lynch died in January 2025 at 78. Yet for Sprouse, that brief cigarette encounter remains an unforgettable piece of his Hollywood memories.

Jim Parsons reveals the dark side of ‘ boasting he could ‘Jonah Hill’’ fame he never expected’’

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:45:00 +0000

People on social media are giving Jonah Hill plenty of second-hand embarrassment after an old podcast clip suddenly exploded online. What began as a casual conversation about Brazilian jiu-jitsu has turned into a viral debate about confidence, ego, and how celebrities present themselves in public, Buzzfeed reported.

The moment came from Jonah Hill’s live appearance on the SmartLess podcast in May. Months later, the clip resurfaced on X, where viewers quickly began sharing reactions and comparing his comments with those of another Hollywood actor who also practices the martial art.

The discussion has now shifted beyond the podcast itself. Many users believe Hill’s remarks revealed deeper insecurities rather than confidence. Others simply found the exchange unintentionally funny.

This went in a very different direction than he probably expected

During the live recording of SmartLess, Jonah Hill explained that he loves Brazilian jiu-jitsu even though his body is starting to feel the effects at 42. He recalled his wife joking that he was “not going to become a professional fighter” because he is a comedian.

That lighthearted conversation changed when host Jason Bateman asked what would happen if they got into a fight.

Hill immediately responded, “I would fk all three of you up.”** He continued by saying people still see him as “the fat guy from Superbad,” before insisting he would “annihilate” anyone who challenged him. He added that people should “try it” unless they were bigger than him.

The clip quickly spread across X, where thousands of users mocked the comments instead of admiring them. One viral response said, “Smallest anyone has ever sounded.” Another wrote that Hill was a middle-aged man who no longer needed to prove himself that way.

Hill’s comments are also the latest example of a celebrity finding themselves at the center of an unexpected online backlash. In another story, Tom Brady apologized after an embarrassing mistake in his newsletter drew widespread attention from fans.

Others argued his confidence came across as insecurity. One person joked that Will Arnett could probably defeat him anyway. Another claimed it was surprising Hill still had that mindset despite reportedly training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu since 2018.

The discussion also comes as other celebrity interviews and podcast appearances continue generating headlines. Recently, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe explained his mindset during Netflix’s Kevin Hart roast after his remarks and exchanges with Chelsea Handler sparked widespread discussion online.

One of the most-liked quote posts on X joked that Hill still reminded them of “the fat guy from Superbad.” Another user suggested he still sees himself that way deep down despite years passing since the film.

Several people also compared Hill’s comments with actor Tom Hardy’s approach to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2024, Hardy described enjoying the community and admitted he “always get beaten.” He said improvement comes from showing up consistently rather than trying to be the best. Hardy also explained he has “no competitive spirit” and believes everyone can improve by continuing to train.

Jim Parsons reveals the dark side of ‘ boasting he could ‘Jonah Hill’’ fame he never expected’’ fame he never expected his podcast hosts

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Jim Parsons spent 12 seasons making millions laugh as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, but behind the scenes, the experience was far less joyful than fans may have imagined. At the peak of the show’s success, the Emmy-winning actor says he was battling constant stress, overwhelming pressure, and a mindset that left him feeling deeply unhappy despite achieving everything he had worked for.

During a rare appearance on the All Out with Jon Dean podcast, Parsons reflected on that chapter of his life with surprising honesty. While the sitcom transformed him into one of television’s biggest stars, he admitted the personal cost of maintaining that success was much higher than anyone realized.

His candid confession offers a different perspective on fame, showing that awards, financial success, and public recognition don’t always translate into happiness. Parsons now says he wouldn’t choose to live that way again, regardless of the reward.

Even all that success couldn’t quiet what was going on in his head

Parsons said,”I look back now and realise that there were many ways, at some of the best moments of my life, I was miserable”. “I was not happy. I was stressed. I felt that there was so many plates I was supposed to be keeping in the air and that the success and the good things of life that were happening were only due to this overworking, discipline and whatever. And maybe to a degree that was true. I don’t know.”

Parsons acknowledged that the intense pressure he placed on himself may have contributed to his success, but said it ultimately wasn’t worth the emotional toll it took. “I can’t say, because that’s how I was,” he continued. “But I wouldn’t do that again and for any amount of money, just because it was stressful and miserable at times. I made myself miserable.”

His reflections are another reminder that success in stardom doesn’t always come with personal fulfillment. Ian Somerhalder recently shared a very different experience with the industry, explaining that the cancellation of his Netflix series V Wars ultimately convinced him to leave acting behind altogether.

Jim said his habits during that period were “OCD in nature,” and revealed he had also been sober for nine years during his time on the show, a decision he described as a deliberate one made so he could stay focused on his work. He explained that he kept a running mental list of tasks he believed he needed to complete before feeling comfortable and confident in his performance. Looking back, he no longer believes that level of self-imposed pressure was necessary.

The actor admitted those obsessive routines came at the expense of other parts of his life, though he remains unsure whether a healthier balance would have led him to the same place. “I don’t honestly know,” he said. “In the same way, I can’t go back. I don’t know that I would be where I, well, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I hadn’t had that time of life. And the somewhat self-tortured nature of it was part of it. So, I don’t know what to tell people. Like, I don’t know how much of that is necessary.”

His story also highlights how actors often make career decisions for deeply personal reasons, much like Liev Schreiber, who explained why he chose not to return for Deadpool & Wolverine despite the franchise’s massive success.

Ian Somerhalder says one Netflix decision changed everything and ended his Hollywood career

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 23:45:00 +0000

Ian Somerhalder has revealed that the cancellation of his Netflix series V Wars was the moment that convinced him to leave Hollywood for good. During a recent appearance on the Haley on the Go podcast, the 47-year-old actor shared what he described as the “honest, kind of controversial” reason behind stepping away from acting after 2019.

The Vampire Diaries star explained that he invested everything into the sci-fi horror series. He even relocated his family to Ontario, Canada, for the production, believing the project had huge potential. But when he saw the finished version, he felt it no longer reflected the show he had worked so hard to create.

Somerhalder claimed he was so disappointed with the final product that he offered the studio millions of dollars to remove his name from it. The request was rejected, setting off a desperate effort to salvage the series before its release.

It sounds like this project changed everything for him

Netflix also rejected Somerhalder’s request for creative control over the series. Instead, he and producing partner James Gibb raised more than $6 million to film additional scenes in just six days.

The demanding schedule took a toll on his health. Somerhalder said his body “shut down,” and he was hospitalized during the process.

Even with the extra work, V Wars reportedly reached No. 1 in more than 100 countries after its release. Despite that success, the series was canceled. Somerhalder said he was told the decision stemmed from internal disagreements and that it could not be reversed.

The experience changed how he viewed the industry. He said he no longer wanted his career to depend on studio decisions he believed were influenced by politics instead of creativity, so he chose to step away from acting. His comments echo broader concerns from other Hollywood figures, including James Cameron, who recently criticized the industry’s growing reliance on AI and explained why he believes it can never replace the human creativity behind filmmaking.

Since leaving Hollywood, Somerhalder has focused on business ventures with his wife, Nikki Reed. The couple now lives on a farm in Southern California, where they run a supplement company and a bourbon brand that he co-founded with former The Vampire Diaries co-star Paul Wesley.

Somerhalder has also revealed that he and Reed recovered from major financial losses by selling homes, cars, and other assets. Despite those challenges, he says he has no plans to return to acting, describing that chapter of his life as over.

Hollywood continues to evoke very different experiences and opinions from those who work in it. While Somerhalder chose to leave the industry behind, Christopher Nolan recently praised Gen Z filmmakers for rejecting AI and embracing authentic, human-driven storytelling instead.

Trump’s own biographer reveals what really happened in the Iran Situation Room meeting, and it’s the opposite of what Trump posted on Truth Social

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:15:00 +0000

President Trump’s longtime biographer, Michael Wolff, has shared details about what happened in a White House Situation Room meeting about Iran. His account is very different from what Trump posted on social media. According to Wolff, the president asked for advice, got frustrated with the answers, and then told a different story online.

Last week, Trump gathered top administration officials in the White House Situation Room to discuss options amid tensions with Tehran. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan “Raizin” Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles were all present.

According to The Daily Beast, Trump had been considering launching an initial strike on Iran, with the possibility of a broader military assault later in the year if Tehran did not give up its nuclear program. Reports had also surfaced that Gen. Caine urged caution, highlighting risks such as potential casualties, depleted air defenses, and an overstretched military.

Trump’s public posts about the meeting contradict what his own biographer says actually happened inside the room

According to Wolff, who hosts the Inside Trump’s Head podcast with Joanna Coles, the meeting left Trump frustrated. Relaying a report from someone close to the situation, Wolff described it as a “very typical Trump meeting,” saying Trump “asked for analysis and then didn’t listen.”

Wolff added that Trump “asked for solutions and then was irritated that no one could provide a clear path,” and “demanded assurances of success and got mad at the generals and the experts who flatly couldn’t give him those assurances.”

Those reports about Gen. Caine’s cautious stance apparently prompted Trump to post a rebuttal on social media. Trump wrote, “General Caine, like all of us, would like not to see War but, if a decision is made on going against Iran at a Military level, it is his opinion that it will be something easily won.”

Trump also insisted that Caine “has not spoken of not doing Iran, or even the fake limited strikes that I have been reading about, he only knows one thing, how to WIN.” This is not the first time Trump has faced pushback over his handling of sensitive situations, he recently made headlines after joking about being impeached over a White House invite.

( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post )
( Donald J. Trump – Feb 23 2026, 4:11 PM ET )

Numerous stories from the Fake News Media have been circulating stating that General Daniel Caine, sometimes referred to as Razin, is against us going to War with Ira… pic.twitter.com/Z2wR6kHF8e
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) February 23, 2026

But Wolff’s account contradicts this. “General Caine apparently outlined that there were very problematic tactical and strategic issues here,” Wolff revealed. He added that Trump “translated that into saying, basically, ‘We can do it. Everything is gonna go great. It will be a success.'”

Wolff also said Trump spent time in the meeting pushing for an approach similar to what the U.S. did in Venezuela, where forces seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Experts in the room reportedly pushed back, saying, “Well, this situation is nothing like Venezuela.”

Wolff also noted that Trump has been telling people at the White House, “I have to look strong, not weak,” and “Don’t let them f— me over.” These tensions come amid a broader pattern of Trump’s shifting policies drawing sharp criticism, including from his own Supreme Court picks.White House spokesperson Anna Kelly offered the official position, stating, “President Trump listens to feedback from all members of his national security team, and he is always the final decision maker.”

Before Trump’s State of the Union address, Rubio and Ratcliffe also gave an Iran briefing to the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” group of top lawmakers. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters afterward, “Look, this is serious, and the administration has to make its case to the American people.”

Attack of the Fanboy Podcast #68 – Outriders Broken but still good?

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 16:19:46 +0000

The Attack of the Fanboy podcast returns for episode #68. Kyle, Brandon and Will sit down for a chat about the big stories in gaming this week as well as our impressions on everything we’ve been playing. For the timeline of topics in this week’s show, head to the list below for a full breakdown of the discussion.

Episode #68 News Topics

In this week’s episode we’re talking E3 2021 and the cancellation of a physical show. Is Cliff Bleszinski coming out of retirement to make another game? Xbox Game Pass secures Sony first party game in MLB The Show, is it a sign of things to come? Mass Effect Changes in Legendary Edition and the jaw-dropping delay of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. 5:00 – E3 2021 16:10 – Cliff B’s next game 26:00 – MLB The Show 21 40:00 – Mass Effect Legendary Changes 48:00 – Outriders 1:12:00 – Astroneer 1:19:00 – Pokemon Go 1:27:00 – Genshin Impact 1:40:00 – Disco Elysium

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AOTF Podcast #67

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 05:05:38 +0000

The Attack of the Fanboy Podcast (AOTF) returns for episode #67. Kyle, Brandon, and Will sit down to chat about the latest games we’ve been playing and the most important video game news of the week. Below you’ll find a timeline for the latest podcast. In this week’s episode of the podcast we talk CD Projekt and the seemingly cancelled multiplayer mode for Cyberpunk 2077. Will video game conventions return in 2021? Apparently PAX organizers think that conventions will return later this year but not in time for PAX East 2021. Sony has closed the stores for popular and fairly recent consoles and it sparks the discussion on what Sony is doing to preserve their massive library of games. Finally, rumors suggest that Microsoft is buying Discord. Is it a match made in heaven or will the tech giant kill another service. This week we’ve been playing Monster Hunter Rise, Evil Genius 2, Outriders, and Disco Elysium’s latest update and will give our impressions on each of these new releases.

Episode #67 Timeline

02:55 – Cyberpunk 2077 Multiplayer Cancelled 14:39 – Pax Announces EAST 2021 will be Digital 28:00 – Sony Closes Digital Stores for popular hardware 37:37 – Discord and Microsoft Rumors 45:00 – Monster Hunter Impressions 1:05:28 – Evil Genius 2 Review 1:14:00 – Outriders Impressions 1:36:00 – Disco Elysium Impressions

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AOTF Podcast #67 Video Podcast

https://youtu.be/ztnrUfQXWQY

Attack of the Fanboy Podcast – Episode 62 – Video Game Slow News Week

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 18:21:18 +0000

This week on the Attack of the Fanboy Podcast, Brandon, Kyle, Dean and Will sit down to discuss all the latest news in video games for the week of October 5th, 2020. Admittedly, it wasn’t much. As for new releases and reviews on the site, this wasn’t much either, but we’re looking at it as a “calm before the storm” which in the coming weeks will bring us new consoles, and a slew of “new” games to play on the Xbox Series X/S and the PlayStation 5.

Attack of the Fanboy Podcast Episode 62 Timeline

Minecraft’s Steve and Co. come to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – (2:00) WoW Shadowlands Delayed – Is it important? (13:00) Genshin Impact is apparently popular (20:00) The curious case of the gigantic PlayStation 5 (24:50) PS Trophies, Xbox Achievements Who Needs Them (36:00) Black Ops Cold War Beta Codes (40:00) Super Mario Bros 35 Impressions (43:45) Fall Guys Season 1 Final Impressions (54:45) Crash Bandicoot 4 Does it Have Legs (1:00:00) Brandon’s Final Verdict on Genshin Impact (1:05:00) Star Wars Squadrons Impressions (1:22:00) Closing Thoughts and the Week Ahead (1:34:00)

Attack of the Fanboy Video Podcast – Episode 62

https://youtu.be/hR0BK8V0HUE

Where to Watch and Listen

You can find the Attack of the Fanboy Podcast on Apple iTunes, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Sound Cloud, and YouTube. https://soundcloud.com/user-606051905/attack-of-the-fanboy-podcast-62

AOTF Podcast #52: Microtransactions, Loot Boxes, and the Future of Gaming

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 17:54:56 +0000

In episode 51 of the AOTF Podcast we talked briefly about the microtransactions in NBA 2K18 and how they’d grown so intrusive that they detracted from the overall enjoyment of the game. Now, for AOTF Podcast #52 we’re diving into the topic which has become a firestorm in the gaming industry. NBA 2K18 was just the start, and now we have more games riddled with microtransactions and loot boxes releasing around the same time. Do Forza Motorsport 7 and Middle-earth: Shadow of War deserve the same hate, and could they spark the end of microtransactions as we know them? It’s an odd thing to say right now as we see microtransactions only getting bigger and more significant in the games we play, but this could be the beginning of the end if this trend gets worse. Players are already enraged at how microtransactions and loot boxes have invaded almost every aspect of the gaming experience, including single player campaigns like Shadow of War. It’s one thing if developers want to toss some fun cosmetic items into these boxes and use the funds generated to support the studio and game. That’s not what we’re seeing lately though, with Will pointing out that Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is essentially pay-to-win in its current state. Getting a huge advantage over your online opponents, especially one that they can’t possibly know you have, throws the entire game’s balance out of whack. Looking at it from the other side, you can also see what is driving so many companies to include these things in their games. The money is huge, and until gamers, especially the casual crowd, stop spending so much money on these things, they’ll keep spreading. But all of this attention is only getting more intense, and it could reach the level where it gets shut down. We also played some games these last couple of weeks, such as Forza Motorsport 7, Hob, Raw Data, and Cuphead. https://soundcloud.com/user-606051905/attack-of-the-fanboy-podcast-52

AOTF Podcast #51: Xbox’s Trajectory, PUBG is Broken, and NBA 2K18 Microtransactions

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 20:28:13 +0000

Hey guys, welcome back for AOTF Podcast #51. You might be surprised to see me here since last episode I talked about how Hurricane Irma wasn’t coming my way, right before it turned straight toward me, but I survived! Sure, I went a few days without power, thus delaying this podcast for a week, but I’m here with Will and we’re ready to talk about the gaming news that I have barely been able to pay attention to while I cleaned up debris from my yard. This includes our usual favorite topic of Phil Spencer and his crazy ideas for how Xbox One should work. Congratulations are in order as Phil has been promoted recently, marking gaming as a major focus for Microsoft ans showing that the company has faith in the vision that he is presenting. We’re a bit more skeptical though, even though we love our Xbox One’s and even have Xbox One X’s on preorder. The lack of exclusives is a huge problem, and there’s still a lot of lingering questions about the future of the platform without them. We’ll wait and see what is in store though. Of course, Xbox One does have a big (timed) console exclusive heading its way with PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, otherwise known as PUBG by the gaming world, and Brokengrounds by Will. The game just set yet another record on Steam, and the Xbox One release will only make it bigger. We both enjoy the game, but Will has turned pretty sour on the whole thing. He plays competitively and the glitches that some people find charming are game breaking for him. What do you think? Other stuff we cover includes Battleborn shutting down, Nintendo making everyone cry with their tribute to Satoru Iwata that’s bundled with every Switch. and your weekly Pokemon Go news update. We also talk about what we played, which includes NBA 2K18 (and its microtransactions), Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider, Pokken Tournament DX, and more. Check out AOTF Podcast #51 below for all these stories, and more. https://soundcloud.com/user-606051905/attack-of-the-fanboy-podcast-51

AOTF Podcast #50: The Arguments are Back! (Destiny 2, Pokemon, and Xbox’s Exclusives Drought)

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 04:18:38 +0000

We’re back (again)! After an extended absence that was only broken by the massiveness of E3 2017, Will and I are back at it, giving you the latest video game news, reviews, impressions, and opinions. Sometimes we argue, like if we talk about Nintendo, Pokemon, or Destiny, or about a dozen other topics. And that’s exactly what we do this week! The last week, hell, the last month or two have kind of been dull in the world of video games. Not much news has happened, despite PAX West 2017 taking place in Seattle. Still, we dug around and found a few stories to discuss, such as PlayerUnknwon’s Battlegrounds crossing the ridiculously huge 10 million sales mark. The game has grown amazingly fast in the last few months, despite it being “broken” according to Will. My time has mostly been spent playing Pokemon Go though, which Will doesn’t even want to hear about. Sure, the game is horribly broken, and yes it has lost a huge amount of players. Still, anyone that thinks it’s dead or not fun will get an argument from me, especially now that Mewtwo raids have arrived…which are also horribly broken. Finally, on the news front, we discuss the unfortunate launch of Lawbreakers. The game was meant to be another massive, AAA style shooter experience, but has already hit bottom of the barrel player numbers. Find out what we think of the situation and what might have went wrong in the podcast below. And, of course, we still talk about the games we played, which for me was Metroid: Samus Returns. Read my thoughts here. Will was busy with Knack 2, which he enjoyed, XCOM: War of the Chosen, which he loved, and Destiny 2, which he is still thinking about. Of course, if you’ve listened to our previous podcasts, you know that this is where we really start talking.

E3 2017: Are You Sure You Want to Play Skyrim Again?

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 16 Jun 2017 03:07:44 +0000

E3 2017 comes to a close and we make a mad dash to see and play all of things that we didn’t get to in days one and two. Our third day at the show brought us to Warner Bros. to go hands-on with the impressive Shadow of War, over to Bethesda to check out a rather unimpressive hands-on, crashing demo on Wolfenstein 2. At Square Enix we got a chance to see the unnecessary prequel to Life is Strange. Crytek surprised with an interesting game that’s coming sometime in the future with Hunt: Showdown. A mix between Evolve and Day-Z, Hunt: Showdown is still in early form but it sounds and looks like it could bring Crytek back from the brink if this multiplayer shooter that has players tracking monsters and fighting each other for loot ever sees the light of day. Kyle’s sidewalk purchases of food did not give him food poisioning surprisingly, and god willing his airplane will have him home safely within the next 12 hours or so. Check back with AOTF for the thrilling conclusion to E3 2017 as Kyle and I give our final impressions of the show, our favorite games, and “winners” of the convention. Listen in the player below, or hit the links to download. Available on iTunes & Google Play

E3 2017: Call of Duty WW2 is Really Effing Good

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 04:44:27 +0000

Day two of E3 2017 is in the books and we got a chance to get hands-on with some of the biggest games of the show today. Kyle thinks Call of Duty: WW2 is really effing good. Well, his real thoughts were far more vulgar, but you get the point. He goes hands-on with the new war mode, divisions, and team deathmatch in this year’s shooter. Kyle also takes a new Guardian for a spin in Destiny. Bandai Namco had a suprisingly good lineup this year that did not contain anything Dark Souls related. Kyle got a chance to play Ni No Kuni 2 and DragonBall FighterZ, both of which he walked away impressed by. The Project Cars 2 team was apparently throwing shade at all other racing games when it comes to who has the most realistic racer on the market. Kyle finished his day up by putting his hands on Assassin’s Creed, getting palsy with a dog companion in Far Cry 5, sailing the high seas in Skull and Bones, and trying to avoid playing the Crew 2 at all costs. This is our day to wrap-up for Attack of the Fanboy at E3 2017. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/e3-2017-day2.mp3 You can also listen and subscribe via the links below: Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

E3 Day One Wrap-Up Podcast: Nintendo Wins E3 2017

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 14 Jun 2017 05:21:53 +0000

Day One of E3 2017 is in the books and we can say that Nintendo seems to be continuing their hot streak with both a solid press conference stream ahead of the show and games for the Nintendo Switch on the floor of E3 that impressed. Showstoppers for Nintendo’s Press Conference included the announement of a new Metroid Prime Game, and the reveal that a completely new Pokemon title would be arriving on the console. Kyle soldiered through the massive E3 wasteland to get hands-on with Mario Odyssey and Mario+Rabbids to come away impressed with both games that will continue to bolster the Nintendo Switch library. Heading over to the Sony booth, he got a closer look at Days Gone getting to see alternative settings, dynamic weather and time changes for the game and came away impressed by Sony Bend’s upcoming zombie title. That plus impressions on Gran Turismo Sport, Gran Turismo Sport in PSVR, Detroit Become Human and a handful of other PlayStation games can be found in our discussion of Day One for E3 2017 Podcast. Keep following Attack of the Fanboy for more news and impressions throughout the show as well talk Call of Duty, Destiny, Bethesda, and other games as the week goes on. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/e3-2017-day1.mp3 You can also listen and subscribe via the links below: Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

E3 2017 Day 0.5 Wrap-Up: Skyrim Dominating E3

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 05:53:51 +0000

E3 2017’s press conferences are mostly over and we’re in agreement that this isn’t the best showing that we’ve seen in recent years. So far we’ve seen an abundance of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In fact, it’s turning into the story of the show with yet another version of the game popping up in Sony’s E3 Press Conference despite launching all the way back in 2011. Today Kyle and I talk about the second day of big press conferences with Sony and Ubisoft set to dominate the conversation on Monday. Ubisoft had a couple of surprises up their sleeve with a Mario/Rabbids mash-up, the reveal of Beyond Good and Evil 2, and Skull and Bones as a brand new pirate game. Sony on the other hand didn’t reveal many things that weren’t already known quantities with the a remake of Shadow of the Colossus, a multiplatform Monster Hunter game, and of course, more Skyrim with the RPG coming to PSVR. At the end of the day we saw a bunch of trailers at Sony’s show and we’re both in agreement that it was their weakest showing in recent years. With Nintendo still to go, E3 2017 is anyone’s race to win. Join us as we wrap up all the press conferences in our day something podcast below. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/e3-2017-day0point5.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

E3 Day Zero Wrap-Up Podcast: Microsoft, EA, and Bethesda

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 04:42:06 +0000

Technically E3 doesn’t start until June 11th, but with companies jockying for position in getting their message out in a non-crowded environment things have started earlier and earlier each year. This year, EA decided to go completely off the reservation taking their EA Play event far outside of the normal convention area and pushing the festivities up a day. Sunday, which Kyle & I discuss in this Day Zero podcast cover Microsoft and Bethesdas announcements. We grade the two companies on their annual press events, with Microsoft having a pretty important one this year with the final reveal of the Xbox One X (Formerly known as Scorpio). We ponder the merits of Bethesda actually holding a press conference this year with both of their big titles leaking ahead of the show, leaving them with a big announcement of Paid Mods coming to Fallout 4 and Skyrim. Not exactly the best news in the world. Kyle’s not so sure about Microsoft’s Press Conference, claiming that Sony’s conference last year was better than Microsoft’s 2017 showing. Bold, bold words. Fighting words, actually in a conference that was all about games. We’ll be here all week so check back in from Sunday to Thursday for all of our thoughts and impressions from E3 2017. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/e3-2017-day0.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

What the Hell Happened at the Nintendo Switch Presentation: AOTF Podcast #49

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 16:06:03 +0000

It finally happened. After months of waiting we have actually had Nintendo do a full breakdown of the Nintendo Switch. We know the price, we know the release date, and we know the games that are coming to the portable/home console hybrid. Now it’s time to figure out what it all means. To do that Dean and I sat sat down to go over everything we’d seen and what we thought about it. It’s the AOTF Podcast #49. Dean was the person to chat with about this. As the site is called Attack of the Fanboy, we’re all well aware of our own fanboy tendencies. We all try to remain fair, but every gamer has that one game or company that they have such fond memories of that they can’t help but love them, even when they’re doing terrible things. Nintendo is that company for Dean and myself. We’re both huge fans, usually fighting over who will get to do the review for whatever big Nintendo release is coming up. With that said, you might expect us to be over the Moon about the Nintendo Switch. We’re not. As with anything Nintendo, they’ve done some stuff good, a few things bad, and then there’s a whole lot of “what the hell are you doing Nintendo?” Despite being essentially the father of modern gaming, and responsible for some of the best games of all time, Nintendo just can’t get out of their way sometimes. The Nintendo Switch is a perfect amalgamation of this. The price seems just right, the release date is a bit odd but makes sense in a long game sort of way, but aside from Breath of the Wild, the Nintendo Switch launch looks a bit ugly. Thankfully they’ve got a full year of big releases ahead, though they’re a bit dependent on Wii U remasters or sequels, but still, the first year of the Switch looks solid. The presentation though left a lot to be desired, and the overall idea of bridging Nintendo’s struggling home console with its successful handheld division is worrisome in a lot of ways. I won’t go into too much more detail, since that’s what the podcast is all about. Give it a listen and be sure to leave us a comment or rating in whatever method you listen to the podcast. We really appreciate the feedback. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-49.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Where are my Mass Effect Remasters and Why is PS4 Selling so Well? – AOTF Podcast #48

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 14:59:08 +0000

Hey, we’re back on a weekly schedule…for now. It’s the AOTF Podcast #48. This week Will and I talk about some big gaming news that has hit in the last week. The biggest was obviously the Mass Effect Andromeda release date announcement, which prompted a trip down memory lane. Yes, it’s the age old argument of just how terrible the Mass Effect 3 ending was. While I was quite upset by it, Will wasn’t. The eventual altering of the ending by Bioware was seen by many fans as a great thing, making the game feel better and giving players more closure on the adventure that they’d sunk hundreds of hours into. Will disagrees though, arguing that video games are art (which I agree with), and saying that that means we should accept the original intended ending, warts and all. This argument is a big one for video games, which are shifting toward a more fluid experience. In the old days, you bought a game and that was it; it never changed and the experience stayed the same. Now games are altered on the first day of release and this continues for months or even years. Does this hurt the artistic value of video games? In less ethereal topics of conversation, where the hell are my Mass Effect remasters? With Mass Effect Andromeda just over two months away, you know what I’d like to replay? The entire Mass Effect Trilogy. You know what I can’t do without hooking up my old Xbox 360? Play the entire Mass Effect Trilogy. Seriously. And to make it worse, the PC ports have their own issues, including the ridiculously expensive DLC, which is a requirement for these games. I respect not forcing remasters, but man, just make these ones please. Speaking of remasters, this has been a pretty terrible console generation, right? Well, it’s had some amazing games to be sure, but the glut of remasters (not all of which are bad), and the overall feeling that the PS4 and Xbox One were underpowered right out of the gate has just made for a feeling of “meh” about the whole thing. And yet, the consoles are still selling like crazy, especially the PS4. What’s going on? We’re not sure, but hear all of our thoughts in the podcast. Check out the AOTF Podcast #48 below and be sure to give us a like or rating wherever you listen to it. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-48.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

No Man’s Sky Wins a Game of the Year Award for 2016: AOTF Podcast #47

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 14:39:52 +0000

That was a long year. 2016 was equal parts amazing and awful in a number of different ways, so Will and I sat down to talk all about it. The conversation went a bit longer than usual, but for such a crazy year, it seems warranted. We mostly discuss our Best and Worst Games of 2016 awards, where all of our writers got together to decide what did and did not work in 2016. Before that though, there were some diversions. It’s the AOTF Podcast #47. Since we hadn’t talked since before Christmas, we got to go over how our holidays went. Will is a proper adult, receiving proper adult items from his friends and family. I, on the other hand, got a bunch of toys. Mostly Zelda and Pokemon related, with the current Pokemon frenzy allowing me to get such prestigious items as a Build-a-Bear Eevee and Charmander, along with some nice Link figures. Will still has a bone to pick with his wireless Astor A50 headset, which has since been returned. We received some free HyperX CloudX headsets back at E3 that he’s been trying out. I’ve loved mine, but will admit that Will has a point; the volume is garbage. If you’re looking for a post-Christmas gift, maybe steer clear of these two, though the HyperX really isn’t bad. Then it was on to the Best and Worst Games of 2016. I won’t go over everything, as it’s been discussed at length already in the podcast. We break down each award, what went into the decision, and discuss some of the honorable mentions and other ways it could have went. This was definitely an interesting year in video gaming, with some big surprises, both good and bad (*cough* No Man’s Sky *cough*). Between the two of us, Will and I played most of the big stuff, with Will picking up the slack from my off year. Check out the AOTF Podcast #47 below and be sure to give us a like or rating wherever you listen to it. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-47.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

PS4 Wins November and is the Nintendo Switch Even Real? AOTF Podcast #46

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 16:29:03 +0000

It’s been an eventful few weeks in video games, so it was time for Will and I to sit down once again and talk about all the stuff that’s going on out there. It’s the AOTF Podcast #46, and we’re as salty as ever. Not really. Actually we’ve seen a lot of great gaming news and releases over the last few weeks, but we’re still pretty cynical, which is probably how you want it. On this podcast we dive right into news, with NPD numbers releasing right before we recorded. PS4 won the month, usurping the spot that Xbox One had held for a few months solid now. This isn’t a shock of course, as Xbox One was winning mostly off the back of the Xbox One S. With Sony releasing two new consoles in the last couple of months with the PS4 Slim and the PS4 Pro, expect to see it on the top for some time. Unless, of course, Microsoft tosses out some amazing bargains again this year, that’s usually their method, and it’s earned them a couple of holiday season victories. It’s also been over a week since The Game Awards aired. Will and I were able to watch the show only by skipping over the long segments of boredom and cheesiness. Honestly, the show just doesn’t work for me on a number of levels. The awards seemed fine enough, but the whole presentation just feels wrong in a bunch of different ways. Listen to the podcast and let me know if you agree. What did work for me was seeing the Nintendo Switch on The Tonight Show. The console might not end up working out, but that presentation was solid. Will disagrees, thinking that there might have been some trickery going on. We don’t have long to wait to see who was right though. With a couple of weeks between podcasts we were actually able to play a lot of good games. After years of waiting I got to finally play and review The Last Guardian. This game is definitely contentious with myself and many other praising it as GOTY worthy, while others argue that the control and camera issues drag the whole thing down. Pokemon Sun and Moon also hit, and have occupied a ton of my time, while Will got to check out a different 3DS game in Super Mario Maker. Overall though, we’re still feeling a little lost this year. There have been good games, but none that hit us and really stuck. Are you still playing a 2016 game religiously? Let us know what it is, and maybe we’ll try to hop back on it. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-46.mp3 You can also listen and subscribe via the links below: Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Was 2016 a Bad Year for Games? AOTF Podcast #45

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 20:40:05 +0000

It has been a while since our last podcast, so Will and I sat down this week less to talk about news, and more to just catch up on some trends that we’re seeing in the gaming world. Along with discussions about consoles, games, and the state of gaming, we also delve more deeply into the behind the scenes operation of our site, and how games journalism is shifting in a lot of big ways. To hear about all of this and more, check out the AOTF Podcast #45 below. Starting off with some discussion of 2016, brought on by the upcoming The Game Awards. I’m feeling pretty down on 2016, though I have skipped a lot of what people are calling the best games of the year. It feels like I skipped them for a reason though, with 2016 not looking like a standout year, at least if you venture away from shooters and sequels. In other news, Will is stepping into the brave new world of generation-less console gaming, buying up a PS4 Pro and selling off his old, obviously worthless PS4. Actually, he’s having almost as much trouble distinguishing the benefits of the new console as I was. Sure, there are improvements, but are they worth the cost to upgrade? Well, maybe if somebody buys your PS4 for $250 it is. In our one departure into actual gaming news, I’m pretty upset that Will is the only person working at the site who will be near The Legend of Zelda: Defenders of the Triforce. These things just never come to Florida, though I’m holding out hop on more locations being announced soon. Of course, I might just crash at Will’s place if things look bad. Finally we talk about game reviews, and the culture surrounding it. Obviously Bethesda has shaken things up by shifting away from the usual early review copies. They’re still putting out good games, but with technical problems on the PC, Dishonored 2 isn’t going over as well as DOOM did before it. This also brings up a lot of discussion about game reviews, hype, and the culture surrounding it. It feels a lot like gamers view the press in a very adversarial way in a lot of ways, when it should be the opposite. I won’t go too deep into it, but check out AOTF Podcast #45 to hear more on this and a few other topics. And, of course, we go over what we’ve played lately, including Dishonored 2 and the very disappointing Mario Party: Star Rush. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-45.mp3 You can also listen and subscribe via the links below: Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Nintendo Switch Doubts and is Battlefield 1 Good? : AOTF Podcast #44

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 00:03:32 +0000

AOTF Podcast #44 actually happened last week, but computers do what computers do and now we’re doing it all over again. Luckily this week had just a bit more news for Will and I to talk about. While last week saw the launch of PlayStation VR, this week had a number of big announcements of upcoming games, and even new hardware. To hear what we though on these topics and more, check out the podcast below. The biggest story was of course the unveiling of the Nintendo NX, or the Nintendo Switch as it is officially titled. As a Nintendo fan I feel like I should be gleefully excited at this announcement, but instead I just have a very cautious view of the future for the Big N. The console seems to be combining the mega-successful handheld division with the floundering home console group. The idea seems to be to lift up the Nintendo home console, but I see how it could easily drag down the handheld, creating a future that is quite grim for Nintendo. They also seem to be repeating the mistakes of Sony, offering full quality gaming on a portable device. Of course, this is what brought down the PSP and PS Vita in a lot of ways, since gamers typically prefer to play their home console style games at home. But maybe I’m just being overly cautious. I hope it does well and we get some awesome Nintendo games on the Switch. Shortly after the Switch was announced came something that many gamers had waited years for. The announcement of Red Dead Redemption 2 was a bit underwhelming for some, but showed what many expected in its first trailer. The game looks great, and really they don’t need to give anything else away for it to sell millions of copies. Also on the AOTF Podcast #44, Xbox One continues its sales dominance, winning September in the US. and Will gets into some internet hot water with his lukewarm Battlefield 1 review. 3.5 out of 5 is good in a lot of people’s minds, but not those who like to post comments on gaming reviews, apparently. Listen on our site https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-44.mp3 You can also subscribe and listen here Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Hurricane Preparation and Xbox One Non-Competition: AOTF Podcast #43

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 09:00:01 +0000

This is Kyle Hanson, reporting live from within the eye of Hurricane Matthew…well, not yet anyway. Actually I should be well out of its path over here on the west coast of Florida, but the impending wall of water, wind, and pure hatred of mankind has impacted me in other ways, with my house becoming a temporary shelter for friends and family. Still, I can’t let a little thing like that deter me from discussing this week’s gaming news with Will, now can I? As we head toward the holiday season, things are starting to heat up in the gaming world. Big releases are set to arrive almost every week starting this month. We got to try out Paper Mario: Color Splash and Gears of War 4, two very different games, but both quite enjoyable. I am also still hooked on Pokemon Go, despite Niantic constantly trying to make me hate the game. In fact, as of this recording I was one Pokemon away from a complete US Pokedex, and since then I have gotten him. 142 down, 8 to go, whenever Niantic decides to release them, and switch up the regional exclusives. In the news we had a major backtrack on Fallout 4 PS4 mods, with Bethesda announcing that they would be coming to the console after all. This also includes the upcoming Skyrim Remastered release. Along with this was the announcement of 4K support, which was great for Will to hear, as he’s been in a 4K PC gaming hole ever since he bought an NVIDIA GTX 1080. PSVR hit the hands of some media, and while Will and I are awaiting our preorders we read the rather scathing reviews. We’ve both had good experiences with the headset, but those have always been under very controlled conditions. It appears that journalists’ homes and offices are not quite as friendly. Have you been wondering where GTA 6 is, and why it hasn’t been announced? Wonder no more, as you realize the power of GTA 5 and the hundreds of millions of dollars it generated over the last year. We also dive back into the console wars with Phil Spencer’s comments about exactly who the Xbox One is competing with, and their overall strategy. And of course, with a new month comes the monthly PS Plus vs Xbox Live Games with Gold matchup, which PlayStation won without breaking a sweat.

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Xbox One S Sales Dominating PS4 Slim and No Man’s Sky Lies – AOTF Podcast #42

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 30 Sep 2016 16:40:48 +0000

Notice: Everything that is written or said in the following article, its title, and the podcast itself are the opinions of the hosts alone. They are not firm representations of facts, and are not being said to imply that they are completely objective assessments of the base fundamentals of reality. When we say things like “the Dreamcast is a big dumb failure” it does not intrinsically make it so. So please, chill out in the comments guys. Whew, been wanting to type that out for a while. It’s the AOTF Podcast #42 here. Will and I are ready to chat about the biggest gaming news of the week, as well as a few games that we played in what little free time we have as busy adults in the modern world. We should star in our own sitcom. This week we talk about No Man’s Sky and its many slight fabrications that might have been shown and said before the game launched. By slight fabrications, I of course mean trailers full of stuff that didn’t make it into the game, and interviews that were full of promises that went unfulfilled. This has all led to an official investigation in the UK, which will probably just end up causing them to remove the infringing videos and screenshots. Still, it’s a big black eye on the game, and with its dwindling playerbase, it didn’t need more problems. The other major story was the massive success of the Xbox One S. Again from the UK, since getting official numbers in the US is a major headache. The system has led to a 1000% increase in sales, and we’ve already seen these effects here with Xbox One taking the top sales spot on NPD for two months in a row. What’s crazier is when you compare this success to the PS4 Slim, which has been essentially dominated by Microsoft’s smaller console. Will and I talk about why we think this is the case, which includes some insults aimed at the PS4 Slim and Pro. Speaking of the PS4 Pro, according to a former Driveclub developer, we may all be underestimating its power. Meanwhile in Sony’s world, Bethesda hasn’t given up on Fallout 4 and Skyrim mods on their console, despite resistance from Sony. And in “this week in Destiny” we look at the rumors surrounding Destiny 2. As far as what we played, Will hit more Destiny: Rise of Iron, which he is loving, and I played through Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 2, which I am also loving. Listen to the entirety of the AOTF Podcast #42 below, and let us know what you think in the comments…as long as it isn’t telling us that this is all our opinion. We know that already.

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Xbox One Project Scorpio Overpromises and Pokemon Go Plus Woes – AOTF Podcast #41

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 14:45:24 +0000

The AOTF Podcast heads into Episode 41 with a bit of a light week in terms of news. Sure, stuff happened, but there was little that reshaped the gaming world, like we’ve seen recently. There may have been no brand new, major announcements, but what did happen this week was still pretty surprising and important. Starting off with the death of Battle.net, being reborn into…well, no one knows what yet. The iconic Blizzard online gaming service is getting a rename, likely more inline with other Blizzard products. Dean and I, put forward our own ideas, but they’re all pretty standard and boring, which is why the loss of the awesome Battle.net will always be unfortunate. Our other big topic of discussion centered around Xbox One’s Project Scorpio. The “most powerful console of all time” got even more hyperbolic this week with the assurance that launch games from Microsoft would “natively render at 4K.” This is one of two things, either a fabrication, or somewhat crazy. Even high end PCs have trouble pushing quality visuals in 4K and at a stable, high framerate. If Project Scorpio can do it, then it will likely also be the most expensive console of all time. This isn’t necessarily bad, maybe it’s what Microsoft is going for. And after the disappointment that was the PS4 Pro, Dean and I are more open to fresh ideas from Microsoft. Still, the whole thing is shrouded in so much mystery and hyperbole that it just seems unbelievable that they’ll deliver on everything and keep it in a price that consumers will actually accept. Other news included Hideo Kojima distancing himself from Metal Gear Survive, October’s disappointing Games with Gold offerings, and the first decent look at the upcoming Bayonetta amiibo. Along with some Nintendo NX speculation and rumors, which are getting a bit old at this point, that was all the news that was worth chatting about. As far as what we played, Dean had a busy week. He gave high praise to Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, Forza Horizon 3, and FIFA 17. I played around with the Pokemon Go Plus, which went about as well as my experience has been with the game itself. To put it simply, awesome device that is completely broken. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-41.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

PS4’s No Good, Very Bad Week: AOTF Podcast #40

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 16 Sep 2016 19:09:03 +0000

After a bit of a break over the Summer, brought on by the time-sink that is Pokemon Go, and the overall lack of all that much interesting in the world of video games, we’re back! AOTF Podcast #40 is here, though this is actually the second episode 40 that we’ve recorded. That will just have to be the lost episode though. For this week’s episode we have Will, myself, Anthony (returning after a multi-month absence), and newcomer Dean. Dean’s been writing on the site for a long time, but this is his first podcast, so be sure to welcome him in the comments. As far as what we have to talk about, well the PS4 isn’t doing so well. In fact, this has been one of the worst weeks in a long time for Sony and their console. The PS4 Slim and Pro were announced to mild acclaim. After the somewhat dull and disappointing presentation the floodgates opened and the bad news flowed. Sure, the 4K and HDR visuals were reportedly impressive, but the games would have their multiplayer framerate locked, gamers without a brand new TV would miss out on a lot of stuff, and the console lacked a 4K Ultra HD Bluray player. This last one is especially confusing since Sony was one of the companies behind Bluray when it first began. Overall the feeling was that the PS4 Pro just wasn’t a big upgrade for most players and might not be worth the admittedly low $399 price tag. Also, the Xbox One took top honors for last month’s NPD sales figures. Oh, and Fallout 4 and Skyrim won’t get mods on PS4 (though that topic was lost in the sea of bad Sony news). Outside of Sony’s not so great week, there was some sad news for gamers. The Last Guardian, Final Fantasy XV, and South Park: The Fractured But Whole all saw delays. This could be good in the end, with the games fixing up some flaws that might have lingered through their long development. It still hurts having to wait longer though. Finally we chatted about what we played over the last week or so. ReCore disappointed, while Bioshock: The Collection and Dragon Quest 7 both impressed. Here about all of this on the AOTF Podcast #40. Listen to AOTF Podcast Here: https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-40.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Why Even Own an Xbox? – AOTF Podcast #39

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 17:15:38 +0000

Slightly late this week, Will and I sat down for the AOTF Podcast #39. As the post-E3 rest comes to an end this week saw some major developments in the gaming world. We discuss (read: argue) about all the big stuff right here for your listening pleasure. First up is our seemingly endless topic of just what the hell is going on over at Microsoft. We now have a console that will be almost totally devoid of exclusives, with the Xbox Play Anywhere initiative becoming the law of the land. On top of this comes rumors and discussion about the possibility of PSN and Xbox Live cross-play. Will and I both love our Xbox Ones, mine is essentially the first electronic device I turn on whenever I am home. However, this all prompts us to wonder, why even own an Xbox anymore? If I can get all of my games on PC, and play with all of my friends online using either a PC or a PS4, and all of those very nice entertainment apps also come on any smart TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast…what is the reason that Microsoft gives me to drop my $300+? It’s still pretty murky, but we has it out as best we can at the moment. And really, this isn’t a bad thing. I’d love to be able to buy fewer consoles to play all the games I want. It’s just pretty confusing right now. The other big news this week, at least for VR nuts like myself, was Oculus backpedaling on their recent Oculus Rift DRM. Revive is back, and not by using some nefarious methods. Oculus themselves even came forward to say that they would not be implementing the headset check DRM again. This is definitely great news, with VR coming closer to the open nature that fans have been waiting for. Still, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for Oculus. This was a bad call initially, though the removal is a great first step toward recovery. Still, they are trying to make VR an exclusive space, and this doesn’t totally change that. You still need a third-party mod to make things work how they should, with Oculus Home purchased games being playable on an HTC Vive. I break down the rest of my reasons why Oculus is still in the doghouse, though they’re getting closer to being allowed back in the house. Some other topics include: PS4 not impacted by Microsoft’s new strategy, and Sony saying it is reaching its peak, Bioshock: The Collection announcement, a bunch of Nintendo news, and this week’s reviews: Inside, XCOM 2 DLC, Pac-Man 256, Mighty No. 9, and The Technomancer. Finally we have a brand new giveaway, with an Xbox One code for Minecraft: Battle Mini-Game Map Pack 1. Click here to check out the details. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-39.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

E3 2016 Breakdown: Who Won? What were the Best Games? – AOTF Podcast #38

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 17:38:34 +0000

We’re back. After the endless slog that was E3 2016, Will and I have rested and processed the crazy week that was E3 2016. Now we’re gonna break the whole thing down for you in the AOTF Podcast #38. I make another push for why Sony won the whole show, while Will defends the “most powerful console of all time” and its high quality pixels. In terms of games, I’ve already given my top 3, with Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Resident Evil 7, and Agents of Mayhem impressing me the most. Will was more intrigued by Battlefield 1, Sea of Thieves, and Ripcoil. Still, there were a whole lot of good games at the show, though there may have been a lack of great ones. Civilization 6, Ace Attorney, Halo Wars 2, Far Point, Obduction, and many more were fun and interesting titles in their own ways, though maybe they weren’t our favorites overall. What really caught our eye were all the VR titles being shown at E3 2016. It was essentially the year that VR moved out of the back corner and into the spotlight, with Sony making a massive push for their PlayStation VR headset, and Oculus and Vive showing some second generation games. This means we’re beginning to move away from the more arcadey, experience style apps and into full-fledged video games. We spoke with a lot of VR devs at the show as well, and the general consensus was that VR is in a very experimental stage right now. No one knows exactly what will work best, and how certain things should be designed. Shorter experiences work well with this, so they hit first, but now that standards are being formed, we should start seeing the more robust titles hitting. Overall E3 2016 was another crazy show, though there were some differences from previous years that are worrying. We’ll have to wait for E3 2017 to see if things are actually turning bad, or this was just a slightly off year for the show. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-38.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

E3 2016 Might Not Totally Suck After All: AOTF Podcast #37

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 15:17:44 +0000

E3 2016 heads into day 2, with Will and I hitting up a bunch of great games today. If you listened to yesterday’s AOTF Podcast then you know that we’ve so far been a bit disappointed in the show and what we’d seen. Today seems to have rectified this for both of us, with each of us seeing some good stuff. Now you can hear what we thought of all of these games and gaming accessories in the AOTF Podcast #37. We were both pretty busy on E3 2016 day 2, with Will hitting up a lot of peripheral booths. Astro, Alienware, and others were on the schedule. Alienware seemed to be offering some decent pricing, though PC enthusiasts might still stick to building their own for a while. Astro showed off some more improvements for their headset line. Considering how great these already were, getting improved versions should please any fan. He also spent time in the Microsoft booth, taking a look at We Happy Few, Forza Horizon 3, and others. He even decided that Cuphead was so good that he would play it a second time. Overall it’s looking like some good games came out of E3 2016 after all, even if they weren’t all that new or surprising. While I patiently wait for my Nintendo booth appointment on Thursday I took some time to check out a few games, and chat with some developers. Dawn of War 3 was a big surprise for me, showing me that not only could I get into a Warhammer 40K game, but also an RTS title. These aren’t things I actively dislike, but I’ve just never dove into them enough to get into either. I also got to see the new Batman Telltale game, which is looking pretty good, though not quite as improved technically as I was hoping. Agents of Mayhem was also a big shock, with it being one of the best games that I played at the show so far. You can also hear Will snore at my thoughts on Attack on Titan, and me try to pitch him on a Dark Souls replacement with Nioh. All of this and more in the AOTF Podcast #37. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-37.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Nintendo Steals Day 1 of E3 2016 with Zelda: Breath of the Wild: AOTF Podcast #36

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 16:07:41 +0000

What a day. E3 2016 is in full swing, and while the games we checked out weren’t stellar, we did get a sense of what this E3 is going to be like. It is definitely the year of VR, at least in terms of lots of people getting to go hands-on with tons of fully developed games. The show floor is full of VR titles, and people are lining up for hours to try them out. We got to see a lot of this stuff, so now we’ll tell you all about it on AOTF Podcast #36. But, while people are filling the halls of Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and anything with a VR headset, the South Hall is practically a ghost town. The loss of EA and Activision from the floor is definitely felt, and that has led to some disappointment with E3 2016. It’s a good show, with some nice stuff to see, but it feels very different, and we’re not sure how it will be going forward. On the actual games though, Will got to go hands-on with some Oculus titles, one of which used the Oculus Touch controllers. If you’ve been listening to the AOTF podcast for a while, then you know that Will is a VR skeptic. He likes the tech, but isn’t sure about the games that have been pushing it so far. He tried out The Climb, Ripcoil, and Feral Right and felt like they showed some definite promise. I also tried a VR game, but this one was way different. Resident Evil 7 is one of the big games of the show. I tried out the demo that is currently available on PlayStation Plus, but I was able to use a PlayStation VR headset. This totally increased the immersion of the game, and was another great showing for the PSVR. If you saw my impressions video from PAX East 2016 then you know that the headset has already exceeded my expectations. RE7 has gone even further, and with a game that has me already really excited. That’s not all we talked about though, so give it a listen below. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-36.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Sony PS4 Wins E3 2016: AOTF Podcast #35

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Tue, 14 Jun 2016 15:02:13 +0000

It’s day 0 of E3 2016, with Microsoft, Ubisoft, AMD, and Sony holding their big press conferences the day before the convention officially opens. We’re here with the AOTF Podcast #35 to go over everything that we saw at the conferences, and what we saw afterward. Will, Dylan, and myself discuss the shows and what we thought, with some disagreement on the finer points. Microsoft kicked off the day with a very lackluster press conference, showing a lot of stuff that we’d either seen before, or was unfortunately leaked beforehand. The big announcements were there, but they were mainly hardware related. The Xbox One S was announced, offering a much smaller form factor, with some extra bells and whistles thrown in. This made sense, and was actually a pretty nice little addition to the Xbox One family. However, it was quickly overshadowed with the reveal of Project Scorpio. Project Scorpio is the totally upgraded Xbox One that we have been talking about for the last few podcasts. The announcement made some almost ridiculously bold claims, like that it would be able to deliver 4K gaming, and high fidelity VR experiences. While it probably will end up being the “most powerful console of all time”, a lot of the claims from Microsoft were pretty suspicious, especially considering what the price of this console will end up being. Furthermore, this new era of “beyond generations” calls into question a lot of the tenants of console gaming. Ease of use, standardized hardware and graphics, and a low price point could be gone very soon, at least for the Xbox One. Ubisoft and the PC Gaming Show filled in the middle of the day, and while we didn’t check out Ubisoft we did visit the PC Gaming Show. It wasn’t amazing stuff, but they actually did pull off a good presentation, with rapid fire announcements and reveals. Ending the night was Sony, and what a show they had. Opening with a God of War reboot/sequel that stars an older version of Kratos, no matter what Will says, Sony went big and just kept getting bigger. The Last Guardian got a release date, Crash Bandicoot is coming back, Resident Evil 7 is in VR and actually looks really scary, and freaking Hideo Kojima was on stage and showed off his amazing looking new game. Those who are wowed by the promises of the “most powerful console of all time” might have enjoyed Microsoft’s presentation, but for pure gaming, Sony won this E3 pretty easily in my opinion. But, check out the entire AOTF Podcast #35 to hear more, and some discussion around these topics. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-35.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

E3 2016 Day -1 EA and Bethesda Press Conference News and Impressions: AOTF Podcast #34

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 08:00:47 +0000

It’s E3 2016 time, and we’re here in Los Angeles with AOTF Podcast #34, giving you all the news that the week has to offer. This is sort of the first day of E3, but really this is just the precursor to the insanity that starts on Tuesday. So, we’re calling this E3 2016 Day -1. EA and Bethesda have shown off all that they have for the coming year, and we came away with some mixed impressions. EA started the day off with a press conference that may have been a little light on press. People from all over LA flooded into The Novo to see what the developer/publisher had to show off. If you’ve seen previous year’s EA E3 press conferences then you probably were not that surprised with what you saw. Sports were a big part of the conference, with EA dedicating tons of time to this year’s installments of Madden and FIFA. While these bring in the big bucks, they don’t really wow the crowds like some other games. The real showstoppers were Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, and Mass Effect Andromeda. Or, at least they should have been, but we saw very little that was all that surprising from these games. Titanfall 2 showed some cool new stuff, but a lot of that had been leaked previously, and BF1 was more of the same awesome stuff we’d seen before. Mass Effect Andromeda on the other hand was disappointing in that this was another year where we got a peak behind the scenes, rather than a real look at the game itself. The game has been in development and fully announced for about three years now, so why we still have no idea what the story is, or how the game will play is pretty baffling. Bethesda took the stage later in the evening and delivered another fantastic show. This one was obviously not as intense as last year, with the Fallout 4 bombshell rocking the gaming world. Still, Bethesda showed some really great things, and even had a few surprises ready for their fans. Quake Champions, more Fallout 4 DLC, and a new Prey were pretty big shocks. Bethesda VR was the really big announcement, with the company going all in with the HTC Vive, launching Fallout 4 and DOOM on VR, with the former coming in 2017. We got to go hands on with these games at the after-party and were pretty impressed with what we saw. This is just the beginning of our E3 2016 coverage, so check back tomorrow for Microsoft, Sony, and a few others. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/e3-2016-day-neg-1.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

E3 2016 Predictions, Everybody Loves Overwatch, and is VR too Expensive: AOTF Podcast #33

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 16:55:07 +0000

It’s June, which might not mean much to the rest of the world, but for gamers it is a magical time of rampant speculation, news leaks, and huge levels of anticipation. It’s E3 2016 time, and we’re here to give you our thoughts, hopes, and dreams in the AOTF Podcast Episode #33. Of course we discuss the hot topic of E3 2016, the possibility of Microsoft and Sony pushing out new consoles just a few years after the introduction of the Xbox One and PS4. At this point these things seem like horrible inevitabilities, with enough verifiable rumors to make them as close to certain as anything else heading into E3. We’re still split on exactly how to take this news, as it seem to really kill a lot of the point of consoles, while making players feel very cheated by the eighth generation systems. We also give some of our predictions and/or hopes. These include a Resident Evil 7 reveal, anything involving Final Fantasy VII Remake, Halo Wars 2 not sucking, and the possibility of a Skyrim remaster from Bethesda. Nintendo is still a topic for discussion though, which is weird to even have to justify since they’re the only company that will definitely have a new console out in the next year. However, their baffling decision to not show the Nintendo NX has certainly killed a lot of their E3 hype. Lifting it ever so slightly was the news that they’ll be showing more than just Zelda at E3 2016, even if it’s just in video form via Treehouse. In somewhat non-E3 news, XCOM 2 is heading to consoles, Destiny is unveiling its future very soon, Horizon: Zero Dawn was delayed into 2017, Pokemon Sun and Moon details were revealed, and I declared PS Plus the winner for best free games in June 2016. And, of course, we couldn’t go through an episode of the AOTF podcast without discussing VR. This time we don’t have any brand new Oculus Rift controversies to yammer on about. Instead Take-Two’s CEO weighed in on the technology, saying it was “way too expensive” and that “we don’t have something where you stand in a big open space and hold two controllers with something on your head–and not crash into the coffee table.” Will seems to agree, but I think the price is just high due to being a brand new piece of tech. It might be too much for the average consumer, but it’s working through the usual process for stuff like this. And in terms of the dedicated space, once I tried room scale VR via the HTC Vive I was sold. No house of mine will be without a large enough space for VR near my PC. In terms of what we played this week, Will was once again impressed by Hitman, with Episode 3 giving him more of the stealth action he loves. Conversely, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst was a bit of a disappointment. On my end, Fated: The Silent Oath put forth some interesting ideas, but failed overall. And Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 6 felt like the cash-in game that we were all worried it would become. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-33.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Xbox One Upgrades, Oculus Rift in Crisis, and E3 Disappointment: AOTF Podcast #32

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 26 May 2016 18:55:05 +0000

It’s time for AOTF Podcast #32, with Will and I discussing the gaming news of the week. I just wanted to go one week without having to discuss the possibility of new consoles arriving so soon after the introduction of the PS4 and Xbox One. That hope was dashed with Kotaku’s report that a slim Xbox One would be arriving this year and a totally upgraded model next. Supposedly this upgraded Xbox One would have 4K and Oculus Rift support. I’m still just not wrapping my head around this massive shift in the console market, with it seemingly destroying many of the ideas that make consoles even worth buying in the first place. Will’s comparison to phones makes sense, and is probably exactly what Microsoft and Sony were thinking when they concocted this plan, but I’m not buying it. A phone is used for multiple hours every single day, while a gaming console is a luxury item. There’s a reason that tablet sales are tanking, and it’s because once you get outside of the $200 price range, people aren’t as willing to upgrade every single year. On the PC side of things, the VR revolution continues chugging along, but its main star seems ready to explode, and not in a good way. The Oculus Rift launch was a disaster, I think few people can argue with that now, but the months that have followed have been a giant cluster. Misstep after misstep have led to the company’s most die hard customers turning completely against Oculus. The problems seem to stem from the decision to break away from Steam and produce the standalone Oculus Home store. Here gamers can purchase VR titles for their new headset. It was an unfortunate choice, but made sense from a business perspective, with Oculus looking to take home a chunk of every game purchase. However, it locked out Vive owners from buying, until the Revive mod came along. This mod has now been disabled though, with Oculus introducing new DRM to the equation. The developer worked fast and partial use is back, but only by circumventing the DRM, which actually opens up Oculus to a bigger piracy threat than if they had left well enough alone. Overall it seems like Oculus is trying desperately to set themselves up as a platform, ala PlayStation or Xbox. Gamers, however, argue that it is not a platform, but a peripheral. The idea of games being locked down to only work on certain brands of monitor, keyboard, or mouse is almost absurd, and this is how VR is looking at the moment. While these were the big stories of the week, there were many more, including Oculus being called a tech thief by a Valve employee, Halo making its way to PC in a unique way, and Naughty Dog selling a ton of Uncharted 4 while looking forward to their next game. Hear all this news and our thoughts on it in AOTF Podcast #32. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-32.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

New Consoles Everywhere, Resident Evil 7, and the CoD vs Battlefield Feud Heats Up: AOTF Podcast #31

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 18 May 2016 16:11:19 +0000

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. When the PS4 and Xbox One first launched a short two and a half years ago, we weren’t supposed to be talking about their possible successors already, but here we are. This week on AOTF Podcast #31, Will and I discuss all the rumors surrounding what some believe to be mid-generation upgrades, while others are going all the way and assuming that the PS5 and Xbox Two are right around the corner. It has become clear that these consoles were not powerful enough when they launched, and gamers are suffering the consequences of that now with lower resolutions and framerate on many titles. Could E3 bring us the solution to this problem? Hopefully not. Well, that’s my overall frustrated response, as I feel like the whole point of a console is that you buy it, and forget about upgrades for a long, long time. If we’re looking at consoles that need to be upgraded every few years then many could jump ship to the PC, where you get a lot more bang for your buck if you’re willing to upgrade every few years. Meanwhile, we at least know that Nintendo is ready to jumpstart the next generation with the Nintendo NX. However, we still have no idea what the NX is, although we do know what it is not. Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has stated that the NX is not the successor to the Wii U or 3DS. What this means is anyone’s guess, as with the console launching in less than a year, we still don’t know what innovations it will be bringing to the table. The big question over all of this discussion is, why would new consoles be the way to go. Sales have slumped when compared to last year, but overall the PS4 and Xbox One are selling quite well. The PS4 dominated the NPD charts once again, and the Xbox One had a lot of “global engagement“…whatever that is. On the software side, Dark Souls 3 topped the charts, with a surprise seventh place entry for Quantum Break. Microsoft has proclaimed the game’s launch a success, so it was weird to see it so low. However, NPD only tracks retail sales, and with the free Windows 10 copy, many likely bought the game digitally. Getting away from sales, there were some fresh rumors of an impending Resident Evil 7 announcement. Normally this would not get me excited, since I love the series but hate what it has become, but with the stipulation that this would be a “fresh start” for the series, and could take it back to its survival horror roots, I am back on the hype train. Finally, the Call of Duty vs Battlefield feud has continued to heat up, with more free DLC hitting BF4, and Black Ops finally becoming available via Xbox One Backwards Compatibility. Could EA finally topple the juggernaut that is CoD with its two punch combo of Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1? I’m not sure, but Will thinks not. Give us a listen to hear about all of this and more on AOTF Podcast #31. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-31.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

Battlefield 1 Hype, Battlefront 2 Doubts, and more: AOTF Podcast #30

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Wed, 11 May 2016 15:14:36 +0000

Will and I are back for AOTF Podcast #30, giving you another discussion of the week’s gaming news. A definite uptick in news as we head toward the specter of E3 2016. EA dominated the entire week, filling the front page with big news stories. The first, and most interesting of these has to be the official unveiling of Battlefield 1, which was formerly known as Battlefield 5. This prequel takes gamers all the way back to World War I, offering a very different take on the multiplayer shooter formula. DICE is promising some big changes along with the shift in the timeline, giving players new and much more interesting vehicles, while also keeping things period accurate, at least as much as possible. And now, with both Battlefield and Call of Duty revealing their plans for the coming year, fans are doing comparisons between the two, with a very clear message being sent. We aren’t really sure if this is a real sign of where the audience is going, or if it is just a very vocal minority (consisting of well over a million players), but the fact that the Battlefield 1 trailer is one of YouTube’s most liked, and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is its most disliked trailer ever is very ominous, especially if you’re an Activision exec. But that wasn’t all that EA and DICE announced this week, with their other news not really being received as well. Star Wars Battlefront hit the market last year, and it looks like a sequel is already well into development. DICE is planning to release Star Wars Battlefront 2 next year, and with the first game selling over 14 million copies they should be in for some huge sales. However, Will and I were both pretty burned on the first Battlefront, which disappointed due to an overall lack of content, and shallow gameplay. I want space battles to make a return, at a bare minimum, but Will isn’t sure what could win him back. A bet has been made, so be sure to reference this podcast in a few years. And just to continue the EA hype train, Mass Effect Andromeda now has a release date firmly set in 2017. Now, we aren’t calling this a delay, but both Will and I are pretty sure it was supposed to be a 2016 release before. Luckily we should get some more info about the game at E3, from EA Play. However, even as a huge fan of the series I can’t seem to get myself hyped for this one. I think it’s a combination of the terrible Mass Effect 3 ending (which Will didn’t have a problem with apparently), and the fact that we won’t really be revisiting the same universe as before, shifting away from the characters and races of the original trilogy. Not all the news was EA related though, with new stuff for Pokemon, a surprise cancellation of Disney Infinity, and the end of the Overwatch beta. Give it a listen to hear our thoughts on all these topics. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-30.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

AOTF Podcast #29: Call of Duty vs Battlefield, Binding of Isaac Giveaway, Uncharted 4, and Overwatch

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Thu, 05 May 2016 07:01:33 +0000

The AOTF Podcast is back with Episode 29. After a few dull weeks this one was anything but, with big news hitting about some major franchises. Call of Duty finally unleashed its latest entry, Infinite Warfare, and while rumors of a Call of Duty Modern Warfare Remastered were true, the rest of the game is all new. Meanwhile, Battlefield is promising a full unveiling later this month, one which will supposedly melt the internet and make CoD: Infinite Warfare look like it came from 2010. While those two franchises fight for FPS dominance, we setup a few grudge matches of our own, with Oculus Rift vs the HTC Vive, and Xbox Live Games with Gold vs. PlayStation Plus. If you’ve listened to previous episodes then you already know that I feel like the Oculus Rift has been a disaster of epic proportions. Its failed launch is only part of that, with it also lacking some very significant features that the Vive capitalizes on. I laid out my case in the article linked above, so check it out and let me know how wrong I am. On the console gaming front, we have a new month which means new “free” games from Microsoft and Sony. This month PS Plus pulls out another easy victory, though neither slate of games was truly impressive. Sony simply offered more games, and newer titles, with one launching the day it became available on PS Plus at no cost to subscribers. Meanwhile AAA titles also had some big news of their own, with Uncharted 4 just a few days from release. Our review should be up very soon, so check that out ASAP, and you can view our gameplay video to get our thoughts on the hugely popular game. Overwatch was also in an early access closed beta. We gave our thoughts on the game right here, but as of this posting it should be in open beta. You should go right now to your PS4, Xbox One, or PC and grab the game too, because it is another major hit from Blizzard. Dishonored 2 also received a full release date, with the promise of a complete gameplay reveal at E3 2016. We’ll be there at the show, so watch for new on that when the Bethesda E3 Showcase begins. In other Bethesda news, Fallout 4 had its Far Harbor DLC revealed via a new trailer. The massive expansion will hit on May 19th, and promises new adventures in a fresh location. Finally there was the “May the Fourth” announcement of a new Star Wars game. This one is a bit different, with it being a third-person action title. The unnamed game is coming from Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment, and has God of War developer Stig Asmussen at the helm. With talent like that, in a universe like Star Wars gamers should be in for a treat whenever that title gets fully revealed. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-29.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

AOTF Podcast #28: New Giveaway, Nintendo NX and Zelda Craziness, and the VR Hype Train

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 15:34:58 +0000

Only a few short days after our PAX East extravaganza, Will and I are back with AOTF Podcast #28. After the slow news week we had last time, it’s surprising just how much has happened in the last couple of days. The biggest attention getter was definitely Nintendo, but before that we have a special giveaway. Dreadnought, our favorite upcoming space combat game, is entering its Closed Beta and we have a bunch of keys to giveaway. In the podcast we announce one key, and instructions for the other. This means you’ll be emailing podcast[at]attackofthefanboy-com.go-vip.net once again, but be sure to listen to make sure you follow all the instructions. And, of course, you can still enter in our regular Dreadnought Beta giveaway right here. On the Nintendo front, even a massive fan like myself has been baffled by some of their decisions as of late. The Nintendo NX is officially coming in March 2017, an odd release date, but not too crazy. What really takes things into the absurd is that the console will not be shown off at E3. This means Nintendo is looking to host their own event for the system, with no major event where press and fans can check it out. Along with this comes yet another Zelda delay, pushing the game back in order to launch it on the NX. Pulling a Twilight Princess isn’t too surprising, but for those who bought a Wii U expecting at least a single exclusive Zelda title, Nintendo has nothing but apologies. Not all news was Nintendo related though, with Hidetaka Miyazaki announcing the end of Dark Souls. I’m not really buying it though, and expect a full return to the series, once Miyazaki works out some creative fun in a new IP. Meanwhile Call of Duty is looking to possibly shake things up this year. The rumors all point to some kind of remastering of older titles, though the extent is still very much in question. CoD4: Modern Warfare is a safe bet, but we could be seeing a year without a new Call of Duty, with fans getting a remastered collection instead. Other news topics include: our Overwatch interview and that game’s upcoming open beta, PS4 doubling Xbox One sales, and more. We also discuss what we played this week, with Will ogling some amazing 4K ORi and the Blind Forest, and coming away from the latest Hitman episode very conflicted. I spent my week enjoying my new Vive, which has really shown the promise of the technology. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-28.mp3 Available on iTunes & Google Play or download the MP3

AOTF Podcast #27: PAX East 2016! VR Extravaganza, Overwatch, and Some Cool Indies

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 02:48:08 +0000

It’s PAX East 2016 time! After three insane days of video gaming goodness, I am officially exhausted. However, I’ve avoided passing out just long enough to report on almost everything that I saw at the show, with Will here to ask me all about it. If PAX East 2016 could be summed up in just one item it would be Virtual Reality. Whether it was PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, or HTC Vive, the VR stations were always busy. But people weren’t just playing VR games, they were talking about them. In lines, at restaurants, throughout the Expo Hall and into the hallways, VR was one everyone’s mind in one way or another. The biggest surprise may be just how excited and happy everyone was with the technology, and the games being shown off for it. Whether it was an intricate gameplay experience, like RIGS, or a simpler tech demo sort of experience, everyone seemed to enjoy their time with whichever VR game they got a chance to try. Personally my favorites were RIGS and Fated, though not everyone will have an insane setup like Fated had on the show floor. The other big story out of PAX East 2016 was the evolution and explosion of class-based shooters. These FPS/MOBA mashups all played well and had some very different ideas about where this new gaming space needed to go. Overwatch was the big star, with all its Blizzard goodness making people squeal with delight. The game still plays fantastically, and is full of amazing levels of charm and character. Meanwhile it had some close competition with Lawbreakers and Battleborn. The former was being shown off for the first time, and it was an impressive showing. The Cliff Bleszinski helmed title feels more like an arena shooter than most FPS titles these days, hearkening back to the classics in a lot of ways. Still, it moved things into the modern era with some cool classes that really mix up the gameplay, even moreso than the interesting gravity stuff that was on display. Battleborn is a bit more on the MOBA side of the equation, and is still looking just as fun as it did when Will checked it out before. But, of course, this is PAX East we’re talking about, so the indie games were there in full force. Some surprise hits were Death Stair, Dead by Daylight, and Push Me, Pull You. All very unique games that do what indies do best: take a single engaging idea and expand on it in interesting ways. There was much more to see at the show, but for all of that you’ll have to check out our comprehensive coverage as it comes out this week. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-27.mp3 Download the MP3 Subscribe on iTunes Coming soon to Goolge Play

AOTF Podcast #26: Red Dead Redemption 2 Rumors, PS4 Domination, and Gears of War 4 Beta

wschwartz@attackofthefanboy.com (William Schwartz) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 00:54:08 +0000

We’re back again, a bit quicker this time around, with AOTF Podcast #26. It’s been a definite slow news week, but that just means we can really dive into the few topics we have available. This includes the massive and growing Minecraft generation of gamers. With 10,000 copies sold every single day, the game is less a piece of entertainment, and more of a lifestyle at this point. Still, the average age of a Minecraft player was reported as 28-29 years old, which seems a bit odd based on some anecdotal info. Along with this we have the now bi-weekly Red Dead Redemption 2 rumors. Luckily these ones were a bit more believable, showing off a possible map for the upcoming game, and reporting that it might be a prequel to the previous game in the series. With the ridiculous success of GTA V, and more specifically GTA Online, it only makes sense for Rockstar to move back in time, and not step on the good thing they have going with their main franchise. On the sales front, the PS4 continues to dominate the NPD charts. We don’t have exact figures, but we do know that overall sales are down about 17% compared to last year. Still, the PS4 is on track to become one of the best selling consoles of all time, and has effectively demolished its competition for this generation. However, Microsoft seems to have given up on raw sales figures, and is instead reporting how much time players spend on their console. This paints a much better picture, with both Will and myself reporting huge amounts of time spent on our Xbox Ones, even if that time isn’t playing games, but instead using it as the living room entertainment hub. In terms of what we played this week, the Gears of War 4 Beta is coming for all players very soon, with us getting some early access. I was not too impressed, though the early nature of the game makes its faults not all that worrying. There’s some visual issues, along with odd gameplay quirks, but overall the game is classic Gears of War action. They seem to have nailed the base, and some minor adjustments should push it to where it needs to be. Meanwhile, Dark Souls 3 DLC is on the horizon, but Fallout 4 and The Division had some big DLC drop this week. The former wasn’t that impressive, though it was pretty cheap. Fallout 4 Workshop Wasteland seems to have just added a few pieces to the Workshop mode, and given you a Pokemon-esque animal taming mechanic. However, with no story pieces to tie it all together, and the systems not really presenting too much to enjoy, it has fallen a bit flat. The Division on the other hand has soared, with its Falcon Lost Incursion DLC adding a very tough, challenging mission for those that are at the endgame. This new raid really shows where The Division is heading in the future, and it’s looking bright. Though reports of lingering glitches are troubling, so we’ll have to keep an eye on all of that. https://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/podcasts/aotf-podcast-26.mp3 Download the MP3 Subscribe on iTunes

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Where are my Mass Effect Remasters and Why is PS4 Selling so Well? – AOTF Podcast #48

No Man’s Sky Wins a Game of the Year Award for 2016: AOTF Podcast #47

PS4 Wins November and is the Nintendo Switch Even Real? AOTF Podcast #46

Was 2016 a Bad Year for Games? AOTF Podcast #45

Nintendo Switch Doubts and is Battlefield 1 Good? : AOTF Podcast #44

Hurricane Preparation and Xbox One Non-Competition: AOTF Podcast #43

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Xbox One S Sales Dominating PS4 Slim and No Man’s Sky Lies – AOTF Podcast #42

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Xbox One Project Scorpio Overpromises and Pokemon Go Plus Woes – AOTF Podcast #41

PS4’s No Good, Very Bad Week: AOTF Podcast #40

Why Even Own an Xbox? – AOTF Podcast #39

E3 2016 Breakdown: Who Won? What were the Best Games? – AOTF Podcast #38

E3 2016 Might Not Totally Suck After All: AOTF Podcast #37

Nintendo Steals Day 1 of E3 2016 with Zelda: Breath of the Wild: AOTF Podcast #36

Sony PS4 Wins E3 2016: AOTF Podcast #35

E3 2016 Day -1 EA and Bethesda Press Conference News and Impressions: AOTF Podcast #34

E3 2016 Predictions, Everybody Loves Overwatch, and is VR too Expensive: AOTF Podcast #33

Xbox One Upgrades, Oculus Rift in Crisis, and E3 Disappointment: AOTF Podcast #32

New Consoles Everywhere, Resident Evil 7, and the CoD vs Battlefield Feud Heats Up: AOTF Podcast #31

Battlefield 1 Hype, Battlefront 2 Doubts, and more: AOTF Podcast #30

AOTF Podcast #29: Call of Duty vs Battlefield, Binding of Isaac Giveaway, Uncharted 4, and Overwatch

AOTF Podcast #28: New Giveaway, Nintendo NX and Zelda Craziness, and the VR Hype Train

AOTF Podcast #27: PAX East 2016! VR Extravaganza, Overwatch, and Some Cool Indies

AOTF Podcast #26: Red Dead Redemption 2 Rumors, PS4 Domination, and Gears of War 4 Beta