Advertise on podcast: CORE - Core Gaming for Core Gamers

The Big Stuff: - Nerdtacular All-Stars trivia team, all three hosts ended up on the same team with Scott's sister Wendy - Team name brainstorming (Cerebral Cortex, Obsessive Core Pulsive, Psycore Logical Corefare, etc.) - Trivia seeding test results and strategy - 500 episode milestone / mugs still available - Patreon/Core.show support plug Games Discussed: - Diablo IV's new expansion (record-breaking second expansion, early buzz positive) - Vampire Crawlers - Windrose - Blacksmith Master - Mouse: P.I. for Hire - Lucky Tower Ultimate - Pragmata - The Witcher 3 - Syntopia - Slave Spire 2 Listener Stuff - Letter from EdOrange correcting Scott on Cockneys being from London, not Manchester, plus Dragon Warrior Monsters on Game Boy Color Some chaos for you at the end: - Bo sharing weird Amazon product recommendations that escalated into adult toy territory - Ottawa sex shop / the Glebe neighborhood rabbit hole - Tax write-off bit inspired by a Conan podcast segment about buying nerd stuff and expensing it Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk a bit about all this Windrose news in our feeds. But then to the deep stuff, like a visual grid of the kinds of gamers we are. Baldurs Gate 3 is getting modded with a remake of the original GB game, done by fans. Microsoft is rethinking gamepass, and saying its too expensive. Maybe they go with ads, bundles, and more? We kinda hate this. Rockstar got hacked and it was kinda lame what came out in the leak. Star Trek game PULLED from stores, and the larger story of running out of time on license deals.  Scott and Jon played more Crimson Desert and Resident Evil 9. Scott also played Kulo Niku: Bowl Up! And some WoW raiding. Beau hit more Kiwami 3, Hades 2 Dream Dives, and Absolum. He also had some time in Replaced and Slay the Spire 2. Plus your milk bag emails and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No Man's Sky adds Pokémon-style Xeno Arena minigame. Split Fiction studio hits 50M games sold. Graveyard Keeper is free on Steam. Brief OW announcements note. Swear word appreciation, Warhammer 40K musical announcement, StarCraft tabletop minis preorder, Barrett/Animal Crossing crossover bit, scissoring education, game you bounced off question, memorable NPCs question, EverQuest Legends hype, Transformers Matrix of Leadership replica preorder, Marble Madness remix song search. GAMES! RE Requiem week 2 with Scott and Jon. Crimson Desert (Jon hooked, Scott sucked in). Scott on Raccoin (coin pusher meets Balatro). WoW and DQ Builders 2. Jon played Eternal Life of Goldman demo. Beau on Yakuza Kiwami 3. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/FhDew_TgQyg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nerdtacular 26 tickets, bags, and CORE swag. Sony raising PS5 prices. Stormgate losing multiplayer after server partner pivots to AI. Super Mario Galaxy Movie reviews are bad. Classic Resident Evil games on Steam, go GOG instead. Scott and Jon played Resident Evil Requiem together (Tuesdays 1pm). Scott in WoW and Dragon Quest Builders 2. Jon hooked on Crimson Desert. Beau wrapped Pirate Yakuza, more multiplayer Slay the Spire 2.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nintendo's surprising decision to make physical Switch 2 games more expensive than digital versions. EverQuest is relaunching in a format designed for time-strapped adults and old farts like us, Capcom is patching out some “accidentally” written incest from Street Fighter 6, Clair Obscur's devs confirm there's no canon ending, new gameplay footage dropped for both Exodus and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. And loads more on top of that! Scott - Crimson Desert - Dragon Quest Builders 2 - WoW Midnight Jon - Crimson Desert Beau - Crimson Desert - Slay the Spire 2 - Diablo 4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crimson Desert launched today, reviews are mixed as expected, amazing open world, minimal story, no traditional leveling, open-world jank. John is at Disneyland! DLSS 5 announced by Nvidia, AI-yassifies characters without permission from devs like Capcom. Listener indie game Garden and a Goat announced, wishlistable on Steam. WoW Midnight discussion, level boosts are hard without knowing your class…but maybe no more? Pinball FX Williams Collection recommended, Pinball Map app finds nearby machines. Evoker alt class tried and abandoned. And loads more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nerdtacular 2026 tickets holding at early bird pricing, plus a swag bag-only option now available at frogpants.com.
 News: - NetEase pulls funding for Gang of Dragon — future of the game unknown - Valve still targeting 2026 for Steam Machines despite RAM shortages; rumored to be a factor in Sony/Xbox strategy shifts - EA lays off Battlefield staff post record-breaking launch - Jeff Kaplan on his Blizzard exit — plus his one Overwatch regret: making it too team-focused when players want to shine individually - Fortnite raising V-Buck prices - Timberborn hits 1.0 - Xbox pushing "everything is an Xbox" / Project Helix, leaning into Windows 11 - Valve reports 6,000+ games made over $100k on Steam last year 
Shared Play: Slay the Spire 2 — all three played it, early GOTY contender Scott: WoW: Midnight (great time, nearly max level, campaign a little cheesy), Thysiastery (turn-based dungeon crawler, very positive on Steam).  Also: The Instance now posting Fridays at frogpants.com/instance. Jon: Finished and 100%'d Resident Evil Requiem Beau: Slay the Spire 2, more Star Trek Voyageur, dipped into new Diablo IV season (may have bought the Doom skin) Feedback: Listener thinks he catches Scott being simultaneously terrified by AI and delighted by one-button AI rotations in WoW. And he is wrong about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Looks like Sony is officially getting out of the port business and going all Nintendo on us again. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag remake is indeed happening. Highguard is officially leaving in just a few days. MetaCritic got weird with AI over the last few days. The games we played, a lake correction, Zillow and WoW, and some Diablo 2 stuff! GAMES PLAYED Scott - World of Warcraft Midnight - RoadCraft Jon - Resident Evil: Requiem Beau - Legend of Grimrock - Star Trek: Voyager - The Killing Stone - Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon - Overwatch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March 2026 is shaping up to be a massive month for gaming, with big hitters like Crimson Desert, Marathon, Pokémon Pokopia, Slay the Spire 2, Solasta 2, Death Stranding 2 on PC, and the Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection all loaded up. Also, Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond are out at Xbox, while Sony raises a few eyebrows by signaling a potential end to PC ports. Our eyebrows are defiinately raised. Marvel's Wolverine finally has a September release date, and Valve finds itself in legal hot water as New York's Attorney General sues over alleged illegal gambling promotion to kids among other things. Also, Overwatch is going mobile with Overwatch Rush. Weird. GAMES PLAYED: Scott - Overwatch - UFO 50 (with Van) - Abathor (with Van) - Worms WMD (with Van) - TowerFall (with Van) - Duck Game (with Van) - Boomerang Fu (with Van) Jon - Biorand Resident Evil 2 - Resident Evil 6 - Resident Evil Requiem Beau - Darkhaven (demo) - Vampire Crawlers (demo) - Dead Spies (demo) - Pragmata (demo) - Wanderburg (demo) - Underkeep (demo) - Esoteric Ebb (demo) - Arms of God (demo) - Armatus (demo) - Wild Blue Skies (demo) - Farever (demo) - Rune Dice (demo) - Twilight Imperium (demo) - John Carpenter's Toxic Commando (demo) - Far Far West (demo) - Baldur's Gate 3 (Honour Mode) - Overwatch - Marathon Server Slam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That ashes of creation thing is just getting messier and messier by the day. Also, Unity wants you to type your next casual video game. We will explain.  GAMES PLAYED SHARED PLAY THIS WEEK - Diablo 2 Resurrected – Infernal Edition - Overwatch - Dobbel Dungeon SCOTT - Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp - No Man's Sky – Remnant Mode - Escape from Ever After JON - Mewgenics - TR-49  - Resident Evil 2 - Fortnite BEAU - Baldur's Gate 3 – Honour Mode - Star Trek Voyager Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our live watch-a-long AUDIO of of today's Sony State of Play.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we prep for the State of Play today, we talk about the games we played this week, and hit the news about all the Warlocks coming to all the Diablos. Highguard and 2XKO getting big layoffs, and the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 TV show! Games Played This Week Shared Play - Jon & Beau: Mewgenics Scott - Animal Crossing (on Switch 2) - Goblin Sushi - V-Rally 4 Jon - Mewgenics - Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake Beau - Yakuza 3 - Marathon - Crimson Desert - Game with Balls - Ravenswatch (as Merlin) - Skate Story - Overwatch - Enshrouded (Solo) - Deadlock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overwatch might be making a big play with some re-branding, a slew of new heroes, and loads more. Will it put things back on top for the team shooter to beat? We talk about that, plus the Ashes of Creation mess, Steam hardware talk from Valve, and what might be the end of all things Outer Worlds. GAMES PLAYED - The Midnight Walk (Scott) - Butcher's Creek (Scott) - LUNARK (Scott) - Resident Evil 2 (Jon) - Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (Jon) - Super Nintendo (Jon) - Pirate Yakuza (Beau) - Overwatch (Beau) - Valheim (Beau) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, now that Highguard is out, what the hell is it? We have takes. Also, the games of Feb, new Mario trailers, Dispatch censorship worries, Hasbro up to no good, Bobby with a Mini Instance chat about the Midnight pre-patch and upcoming launch in WoW, all the games we played and more! Shared Play - Highguard  Scott - V Rising - Caravan SandWitch Jon - Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth Beau - Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii - Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - Cobalt Core - Jump Space - Enshrouded Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let’s talk about the Xbox showcase today, as well as the dust up over CDProjekt Red and VR mods. Plus RE getting yet another remake, Highguard getting a freebie, Marathon maybe doing ok afterall, and Nintendo getting you guy another weird toy.  GAMES PLAYED: SCOTT Star Wars Dark Forces Remaster  Fire Emblem: Engage  Terra Pit JONI  Final Fantasy VII Remake BEAU  Elden Ring  Shinobi  Guild Wars Reforged  Pirate Yakuza  Heroes of the Storm  Peak Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.