Playing AC Shadows got us thinking about Ghost of Tsushima | Friends Per Second #62
PLUS: Scroll to the end for the worst tech check you've ever seen
Hey Users!
It’s a bumper issue this week, so we’ll just jump right into it. We chatted to Bigmode’s Leah about what’s next for the indie publishing team, react to the Xbox Developer Direct and the big Sony exec news, and discuss the highs and lows of our time with Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
As promised, here are links to our new YouTube clips channel and our socials if that’s your thing (no worries if not!!), and please enjoy some newsletter exclusive video outtakes at the end of this issue <3
Games mentioned: Animal Well
Misc. mentions: Mordin Solus, Jake from State Farm, Flo, Scottish Widows, Lemonade, Riverside.fm
Xbox Developer Direct recap
Xbox’s first showcase of the year was a pretty great one, if you ask us. We’re all very into what we’ve seen of Expedition 33 and South of Midnight, we got a release date for DOOM: The Dark Ages, and a surprise bunch of Ninja Gaiden news. Phil Spencer also finally laid out what Xbox has been dancing around for the last year or so: the company is moving to a multi-platform publishing approach. We briefly discuss the pros and cons.
Games mentioned: Ninja Gaiden 4, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020, DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Devil May Cry 4, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Dark Souls, Infamous, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy VII, DOOM (2016), DOOM Eternal, DOOM (1994), Far Cry Blood Dragon, Halo, Gears of War, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Forza, Civilization 7, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft,
🚨Breaking Sony news
In June of last year, Sony announced that Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino would be joint CEOs of PlayStation, with Hermen handling studios and Nishino-san overseeing the platform. But the PlayStation of mid-2024 is very different to the PlayStation of early 2025, and after the failure of Concord and cancellation of multiple live service projects, Sony has stepped in to get the business unit back on track. Hulst will still “lead the development, publishing and business operations of SIE’s first party-content”, but promoting his former co-CEO above him sure seems like a punishment.
Games mentioned: Concord, Bluepoint’s live service God of War, Demon’s Souls, Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance, Metal Gear Solid 3 Substinence, Diablo, Days Gone, Siphon Filter, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Fairgame$, The Last of Us Factions, Horizon MMO, Monster Hunter, The Order 1886, LEGO Horizon, Horizon Forbidden West, Marathon
Assassin’s Creed Shadows impressions
I wasn't having much fun with: Assassin's Creed Shadows (Hands-On Impressions) - SkillUp
Ubisoft cuts 185 jobs in a bid to "prioritise projects and reduce costs" - GamesIndustry.biz
We played Assassin’s Creed Shadows and… we have some thoughts. 😬
Games mentioned: Ghost of Tsushima, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, (sorry I cannot type “Assassin’s Creed” 50 more times, so I am shortening to AC), AC Origins, AC Valhalla, AC Syndicate, AC, AC Black Flag, AC 2, AC Brotherhood, Far Cry 5, AC Mirage, Star Wars Outlaws, AC Hexe, Rabbids, Rayman, Final Fantasy 13
Misc mentions: GoldenEye
User question #1 - Gaming Garnish podcast
If each of you could pick a game from your backlog for the other Friends Per Second guys to play, what would it be and why?
Games mentioned: Outer Wilds, Yakuza/Like A Dragon (series), Alan Wake 2 DLC, 1000XRESIST, Max Payne, The Sims, The Sims 2, Project Rene
User question #2 - Danielle
If you were to get a video game inspired tattoo what would it be?
Games mentioned: Metal Gear Solid, Max Payne 2, Nier Automata, The Division, Mass Effect, Ōkami, The Sims, Bloodborne, Dishonored, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, The Legend of Zelda, Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption
Misc. mentions: Blade Runner, Berserk, Peanuts tattoo
If you’ve got burning questions you’d like us to answer on the show, email us or drop them in the comments below!
Bigmode discussion with Leah
We’re joined by Bigmode co-founder Leah Gastrow to chat about the indie publishing label’s early sucess with Animal Well and what’s next for the team.
Games mentioned: Animal Well, Xenoblade, Kingdom Hearts, Star of Providence (formerly called Monolith), Binding of Isaac, Enter the Gungeon
What we’ve been playing
Some say Ralph is still playing Civilization 7
Jake’s finished Sniper Elite Resistance
Lucy has just about recovered from Mouthwashing
Games mentioned: Civ 5, Civ 6, Diablo, Destiny, Avowed, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Monster Hunter Wilds, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Sniper Elite 5, Hitman, Atomfall, Max Payne, Forza, Mad Max, Godzilla Unleashed, Top Spin, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Project Cars, The Adventures of Down Under Dan, TY the Tasmanian Tiger, Kao the Kangaroo, LOST: Via Domus
Misc. mentions: Batman, Gravity, Aliens, Interstellar, Batman Begins, The Odyssey
Show and tell
Between tennis matches, Ralph watched Ghost Rider
Jake read Daredevil Born Again
Lucy is back at Lumon in Severance season 2
Movies mentioned: Ghost Rider, Spirit of Vengeance, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Fantastic Four, Joker 2, Captain America, Captain America: Brave New World
Misc. mentions: Avengers Twilight, Daredevil (Netflix), Westworld, Black Bird, Game of Thrones, The Repair Shop, Studson Studio, Nerd Forge, Man at Arms
As promised, our daft tech check:
Thanks for reading, baby! We’ll catch you next time xoxo
I don't have any tattoos and don't plan on getting any, but my jaw dropped when I heard Lucy say what hers were. I love Berserk and Bladerunner, and her tattoo concepts sound perfect as an homage to both IPs.
My user question is: When was the last time you felt really inspired by a video game? It could be from the game's music, the artstyle, the writing, the characters, etc. And, did it spark something in you that caused you to do something IRL?
Much love,
October
Hi Friends. Longtime user but first time questioner. What are some of your favorite lizard brain games? Something that scratches that primal urge to see a number get exponentially bigger or more blocks get cleared, like Balatro, Vampire Survivors, or Lumines (criminally underrated btw).
Love you guys,
-Emily