Is short-form algorithmic content destroying the world? Probably.

Are AI server farms screwing up our 2026 gaming plans? Definitely.

Also, remember the Ninja Turtles?

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Mewgenics is finally here, and it's mostly great, except for a few ... concerns.

And Sony revealed a slate of remakes, sequels, and 3rd party nonsense at their February State of Play which includes a chicken sword muscle man for some reason?

Matt flies solo for this recap episode.

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You're welcome.

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The free to play horse shooter Highguard released this week, and within 5 minutes, the entire Internet agreed that it sucks. Coincidentally(?), the CEO of Larian Studios posted a lengthy comment about how criticism of video games has become too mean and too personal, which discourages artists from taking risks and failing.

This week, we unpack the discourse around hot take negativity, the process of being vulnerable as an artist, and why the business model of algorithmic media pushes so many of us into the trap.

Links discussed in this episode:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/baldurs-gate-3-studio-boss-calls-out-hurtful-personal-videogame-reviewers-sometimes-i-think-itd-be-a-good-idea-for-critics-to-be-scored-metacritic-style

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/highguard-devs-say-they-didnt-expect-the-hate-but-theyre-confident-in-their-game-3309463/

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This week in The Chat, we peruse the latest offerings from the Xbox Developer Direct, discuss the appeal of Fable, and hear about what it’s like to play a 16-year-old game with 800 mods (spoiler: pretty good).

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What beloved video games do you find insufferable? A lively discussion in our Discord community brought us to philosophical analysis of subjectivity.

Plus, Steam updates its AI disclosure guidelines, which seem like a step in the right direction yet still not granular enough.

And what's the deal with the "Cory In The House" DS game selling for thousands on eBay?

Links discussed in this episode:

Jenna Stoeber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjf-GPp3n5k

Overrated games: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1qcl73d/whats_the_most_overrated_video_game_of_all_time/

Arc Raiders is still popular: https://gamerant.com/arc-raiders-has-already-sold-24m-copies-in-2026/

Cory: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/online-auctions-for-cory-in-the-house-ds-game-are-asking-for-hundreds-amid-meme-campaign/1100-6537472/

Valve's rules: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/valve-has-significantly-rewritten-steams-rules-for-how-developers-much-disclose-ai-use/

Hank Green, Why is Everyone So Wrong About AI Water Use??: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_c6MWk7PQc

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Colette and Matt reveal their top 3 game of the year picks for 2025 and what made them so outstanding.

Enjoy, and hop into the discord and let us know what your GOTY picks were for 2025 and what games you’re most looking forward to in 2026!

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As bury 2025 in the dust, we dig into one of our very favorite episodes to do: Best Games of 2025 (or GOTY, as some of us fondly call it). Matt and Colette have never been able to narrow their lists down to fewer than 5, PLUS honorable mentions, so this episode digs into the latter as well as our #5 and #4 picks. However, we had so much to say that this is a two-parter, so please tune in again next week to hear our top 3 picks for GOTY.

Drop by and let us know what games made your list in our Discord, a cozy lil' community where everyone is actually super nice. For real.

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