Kinda Funny Games Daily 12.04.25

Main Theme:
PlayStation partners with Left 4 Dead creator Mike Booth and Bad Robot Games (J.J. Abrams’ studio) on a new four-player co-op shooter, plus hands-on with Replaced, an “Avatar: The Last Airbender”-esque indie RPG, and more.

Hosts

• Greg “GameOverGreggy” Miller
• Blessing Adeoye Jr.
• Andy Cortez (segment guest)

1. Main Story: PlayStation x Bad Robot Games – A New Left 4 Dead Successor?

[09:32–28:43]

The News

• Sony Interactive Entertainment announces a partnership with Bad Robot Games (founded by J.J. Abrams) to produce and publish the studio's first internally-developed game: An unannounced four-player co-op shooter directed by Mike Booth (creator of Left 4 Dead), for PS5 & PC.

Key Points & Discussion

• Greg’s Speculation: Expects a reveal at The Game Awards:
  “I think this is Game Awards.… I think you prime the pump here.” [11:04]
• Blessing’s Skepticism:
  “I am very underwhelmed… What are the top 5 Left 4 Dead style games that aren't Left 4 Dead?... None of them have ever gotten back to Left 4 Dead. That is the issue here.” [13:15–15:54]
• The ‘Left 4 Dead-Like’ Dilemma – Hosts discuss the struggle for any game to truly recapture Left 4 Dead’s magic. Examples like Back 4 Blood, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, World War Z, and Vermintide are cited as good but lacking the original’s spark.
• What makes L4D special?
  “L4D was so special because it was—‘Yo, drop in, play as these characters, use whatever weapons, blast zombies, and have fun.’ Not every game needs to be a deep RPG.” (Greg) [15:54]
• Genre Fatigue? Zombies or Not?
  “Do people still care about zombies? I do, but I think zombies are played out now… Now you get ‘infected’… but they’re still zombies.” (Greg) [18:10]
• Dream for Story Integration via Bad Robot’s Strengths
  “You’re buying into a season of television, of game… launches with three two-hour long campaigns, then adds more over time—make it a cinematic, episodic thing.” (Greg) [20:41]
• Hopes for Franchise Potential
  “They say Bring our new IP to life with an expansive vision for this new universe. That for me says…franchise. Maybe Bad Robot’s movie side can make a movie out of this thing.” (Blessing) [24:13]
• Wishful Crossover: Cloverfield Universe?
  “Could it be set in the Cloverfield universe?” (John Box, Superchat)
  “That’d be a smart way to do a Cloverfield game...” (Blessing) [24:41] Ultimately, the consensus: they expect a brand new IP, not a licensed one.

Notable Quotes

• “My biggest fear though is that I feel like we haven’t seen [innovation in Left 4 Dead-likes] since Left 4 Dead… I’ve been here, I’ve done that. So you’ll have to show me.” – Blessing [22:59]
• “I think [Left 4 Dead-likes] are the new battle royale—there’s a lot; I don’t think any have truly broken out.” – Sully Bear 100 (from Ireland), via Superchat [27:18]
• “If it’s more a Helldivers thing, that’s more exciting. If [they] combine that with Left 4 Dead ideas, I’m more faithful.” – Blessing [28:14]

2. Preview Hands-on: Replaced Gets a Release Date

[28:43–35:20]

The News

• Replaced, the retro pixel sci-fi action platformer, launches March 12, 2026 (Xbox Series, PC, Game Pass).

Key Points & Reactions

• Replaced’s style is widely praised—“looks so gorgeous,” (Blessing) [29:56]; but anticipation is mixed with caution about living up to the long hype cycle.
• Andy’s Preview Recap (in-person at Summer Game Fest):
  • Game is “super stylish, awesome ambiance, retro future vibes.”
  • Demo covered combat (“simple, but good feeling parrying/dodge”), investigating (solving mysteries, learning world-building), and more.
  • “The investigative sections, the UI—they’re super cool…like a playable Blade Runner.”
  • Concern: combat was “a bit basic” at demo time compared to games like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, but high hopes for release.

Notable Quotes

• “If it just comes down to being a playable movie, fine. You know what I mean?” – Greg [34:28]
• “The more I look at this, the more I’m like—I want to play this bad!” – Blessing [35:14]

3. “Avatar: The Last Airbender Game We’ve Always Wanted?” – The God Slayer

[40:17–45:31]

• “This Steampunk RPG looks like the Avatar game we’ve spent years begging for,” reports Polygon.
• The God Slayer is not officially Avatar, but gameplay shows fire/earth/wind/water combat, martial-arts-inspired moves, and steampunk setting akin to Korra.
• Developed by Pathea Games (My Time at Portia) as part of PlayStation’s China Hero Project.
• “Bring back double-A games…this looks huge, not quite AAA, not indie—somewhere in the middle.” – Greg [43:55]
• No release date yet, but planned for PlayStation 5/PC (unclear on Xbox).

Viewer Take

• “Infamous Creed the Last Airbender—you sold me on the first two!” (Patricia Hernandez, via Polygon quoting a fan comment) [45:09]

4. Studio News: Three Fields Lays Off Entire Team

[45:31–50:43]

The News

• Three Fields Entertainment (ex-Burnout devs, makers of Dangerous Driving and Recreation) puts its entire staff at risk of redundancy after Recreation underperforms, with “no revenue from game sales for the foreseeable future.”
• “You can’t be mid anymore,” (Blessing) – in modern industry, polish and budget expectations are too high for modest double-A racing efforts to survive. [48:45]
• Greg reflects on industry shift: “Back in ‘07 you could have a run of games, iterate; now, one failed game, and it’s over.” [48:56]

5. Wii News (Quick-Hit Headlines)

[50:59–58:43]

• Dreams Banjo-Kazooie Game: Fan made, surprisingly authentic, built in Dreams.
• Netflix sells Spry Fox game studio back to its founders.
• Sega to “carefully” integrate AI in game dev, mainly for efficiency, not creativity.
• Micron exits consumer RAM, focusing on AI/data center chips (RAM prices are up for all).
• Microsoft to expand Xbox production by 4.8 million/year ahead of GTA6.
• SpongeBob Patty Pursuit 2 launches on Apple Arcade.
• Several indie release date updates [see detailed news].
• RIP to viral pet Tortellini the goldfish, who “beat” Elden Ring’s hardest boss.

Notable Moments & Quotes

Host Banter:

• On haircuts and self-confidence:
  “It’s a reminder that I look good regardless.” – Blessing [04:27]
• Greg hamming it up about being replaced for an interview with Kojima:
  “You have a job because of me! … Roger only met Kojima because I set it up.” [13:24]
• “If you ever need a confidence boost, go look at that you as Cloud Strife photo.” – Greg (to Blessing) [04:33]
• Blessing’s joke struggle:
  “That’s 4.7 million more consoles than they need—got their asses!” [62:39]

Community Q&A & Superchats [58:51–61:17]

• Highlights:
  • Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar set (“I really like [the cards]…more than the Spider-Man set.” – Blessing [59:26])
  • Cloverfield as a possible game universe; debunked.
  • D&D campaign questions—Bless reprises his actual play aspirations.

Important Timestamps

• [09:32] – Bad Robot/PlayStation partnership discussion
• [28:43] – Replaced hands-on & analysis
• [40:17] – The God Slayer (the “real” Avatar game) revealed
• [45:31] – Three Fields Entertainment layoffs & the harshness of modern game industry
• [50:59] – Wii News (Rapid-fire headlines)
• [58:51] – Viewer Q&A / witty joke payoff

Summary Takeaways

• PlayStation’s new coop shooter with the Left 4 Dead creator & J.J. Abrams studio is targeted to revive L4D magic—but hosts are skeptical about innovation in the genre.
• Replaced wows with style, but must deliver on gameplay depth to match expectations.
• The God Slayer impresses as an “Avatar” successor; fans of elemental martial arts action should watch for it.
• Industry headlines include more sad studio closures, RAM prices rising, and new releases, all with the hosts’ trademark wit and banter.

The Kinda Funny crew’s mix of sharp insight, skepticism, and fandom is on full display—making this a must-listen for anyone following the gaming news cycle.