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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 219 | The PlayStation Shovelware Conspiracy (Video)

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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 219 | The PlayStation Shovelware Conspiracy

If one single, solitary thing has been grinding my (Colin's) gears lately, it's the blatant and out-of-control shovelware problem on the PlayStation Store. It's rampant and undeniable, with a few companies publishing literally hundreds of games between them, all asset flips meant to mine Trophies. The thing is, these games ar...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 217 | Pray They Don't Alter It Any Further (Video)

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0:30:47

Sacred Symbols, Episode 217 | Pray They Don't Alter It Any Further

For the first time in the history of the gaming industry, a major piece of hardware is getting a price increase across virtually the entire world. PlayStation 5, launched in 2020 at $500 or your local equivalent, will still cost that much (with a disc drive) here in the States. But virtually everywhere else in the world -- fr...

Defining Duke, Episode 86 | Is Xbox Changing Their Tune On Exclusives? (Video)

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0:00:38

0:26:15

Defining Duke, Episode 86 | Is Xbox Changing Their Tune On Exclusives?

Xbox has long been the loser in the exclusive race. Following an interview with Bloomberg, Phil Spencer suggested that he feels we will see less and less of such exclusives as time goes on. This directly contradicts what was said when Bethesda was acquired; a move made to net exclusives for platforms where Game Pass exists. J...

Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 82 | Embrace The Pain (Video)

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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 82 | Embrace The Pain

Embracer Group has been making bite size acquisitions for years as they slowly built up an army of game developers. Within the last couple of months, they have made splashes that have now caught the attention of the gaming masses. This ranges from their investment in the KOTOR remake to purchasing Square Enix's western divisi...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 218 | Assessing the Scene With Defining Duke (Video)

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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 218 | Assessing the Scene With Defining Duke

We heard your pleas: You want more Sacred Symbols x Defining Duke. Well, that can be arranged. In fact, it was! The five of us -- Chris, Dustin, Cog, Matty, and myself (Colin) -- gathered for a nearly-two hour conversation about Xbox, PlayStation, and the current status of our respective scenes. Halo's troubles, a seeming lac...

August 2022 KnockBack General Election

Hello!

This month's primary election is over, and it's time to cast your vote on August 2022's winner for another fan-voted topic on KnockBack!

Below are the five most-popular selections from this month's primary election, listed in order of their popularity (by initial votes cast), with the submitter in parenthes...

KnockBack, Episode 237 | Lost (Season 1) (Video)

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Topic starts at 0:20:51

KnockBack, Episode 237 | Lost (Season 1)

If you were around and paying attention when Lost aired on ABC, you'll already know that it was a true television phenomenon both in the United States and around the world. Indeed, when it first started running in 2004, it immediately became a 'water cooler'-type show, and it was an especially poignant time to watch something...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 217 | This Is Fortnite's World (We're Just Living In it) (Video)

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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 217 | This Is Fortnite's World (We're Just Living In it)

Fortnite, Fortnite, Fortnite. Frankly, I (Colin) am tired of hearing the name. But alas, my feelings have struck headlong into reality, because Fortnite is one of the most popular games of all-time, and it demands at least some of my attention. And yours, too. Here's the rub: Fortnite attracts more than four million concurren...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 216 | Going Ballistic (Video)

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0:31:17

Sacred Symbols, Episode 216 | Going Ballistic

There may not be very many games coming out right now, but there sure is a lot of news to get through. For starters, enterprising internet detectives have conclusively uncovered an unannounced second party PlayStation game from a British studio called Ballistic Moon. Staffed by ex-Supermassive personnel, some are wondering wh...

Defining Duke, Episode 85 | The Showcase Season Is On! - What Will Xbox Reveal? (Video)

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Defining Duke, Episode 85 | The Showcase Season Is On! - What Will Xbox Reveal?

From the summer drought to showcases aplenty, this is quite the 180 compared to the last couple of months. The time as come for announcements between Quakecon, Gamescom, and the newly revealed Disney + Marvel Games Showcase. The question is will Xbox be a willing participant and, if so, what will they be showing off? The topi...

Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 81 | Delays, Delays, Delays! (Video)

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Defining Duke Ultimate, Episode 81 | Delays, Delays, Delays!

Is there anything else to look forward to? The year of 2022 has seen 46 different games receive delays and the frustration among gamers is steadily mounting. For some time, many were not hard pressed to get their most anticipated games in their hands. However, as time presses on and the delays become more frequent; it begs th...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 216 | The Quest to Gamify Schools (Video)

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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 216 | The Quest to Gamify Schools

Please welcome Adam Hinton to the show. Adam is a Canadian teacher and consultant, and he's obsessed with the intersection of video games and education. After all, as our children become increasingly bombarded with a litany of technologies, it's important to be able to effectively leverage them to improve their lives. For yea...

KnockBack, Episode 236 | The Shawshank Redemption (Video)

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Topic starts at 0:07:27

KnockBack, Episode 236 | The Shawshank Redemption

1994's The Shawshank Redemption is based upon a work by Stephen King, but unlike most of King's best-known work, Shawshank isn't horror-themed. At least, not in the literal sense. Instead, the movie deals with humanity, forcing viewers to see unlikable-on-paper characters through a different lens. The results are legion: An a...

Sacred Symbols+, Episode 215 | Did I Just Record That Mailbag With My Freaking Mind? (Video)

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Sacred Symbols+, Episode 215 | Did I Just Record That Mailbag With My Freaking Mind?

Chris Ray Gun is back with another mailbag for Sacred Symbols+! What is a standout demo from his childhood? Peanut butter or jelly? Does Chris just not like a lot of PlayStation first party games? Does he watch e-sports at all? Despite the clever title of the episode, Chris did record this with his voice, and you should liste...

Sacred Symbols, Episode 215 | Brawling in Brazil (Video)

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0:30:18

0:57:27

Sacred Symbols, Episode 215 | Brawling in Brazil

What was supposed to be a routine exchange between corporations and an economic regulatory body in Brazil has turned into the hottest news in gaming over the last week. That's because both Sony and Microsoft have launched soft salvos at each other, picking apart each other's strategies on the market and their intentions ...

Defining Duke, Episode 84 | Can Game Pass Create An "Unfair Advantage" For Xbox? (Video)

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