If you're tired of The Last of Us, well, it's really too bad. That's because Naughty Dog has updated The Last of Us: Part II yet again, this time with a so-called Chronological Mode that orders the game's chapters and subchapters sequentially. It's easy to mock this many updates, of course, but in reality, is Sony going above-and-beyond in keeping some of its older games alive? Shouldn't we applaud the years-long dedication to not only The Last of Us, but to God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone, Horizon, and others? We discuss. Then: Twisted Metal's second season on Peacock gets a new trailer, STALKER 2 is finally confirmed for PlayStation 5, Final Fantasy IX Remake may be in trouble, Capcom acknowledges Mega Man, and more. Plus: Listener inquiries! If we could only play a single game-as-a-service, which would it be? Could gaming be entering a more serious phase, as the industry finds itself fused more with education? Is it crazy to play sequels without having experienced the original? What are the percentage odds Colin is on the precipice of becoming a Kingdom Hearts superfan?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:25:36 - Favorite color and number
0:26:16 - Furries
0:35:30 - Hot dog advice
0:48:36 - Sacred vernacular
0:53:57 - Fawn-ta
0:58:34 - Kingdom Hearts Stockholm syndrome
1:05:21 - Upcoming Games list
1:07:14 - Last of us Part II Chronological mode
1:18:00 - Twisted Metal Season 2
1:22:34 - STALKER 2 is coming to PS5
1:28:26 - Is FFIX Remake canceled?
1:38:32 - Capcom comments on Mega Man
1:48:25 - SAG-AFTRA strike is over
1:57:14 - The industry's statement on Stop Killing Games
2:13:08 - New PS+ Games
2:23:42 - May Circana
2:30:55 - May PSN sales
2:37:01 - PS4 Firmware update
2:42:39 - What Are We Playing? (Death Stranding 2, Peak)
3:15:17 - Gaming attention span
3:28:38 - Picking one live service game
3:33:23 - Sequels that clicked
3:39:15 - Does our jobs make us enjoy games less?
3:51:11 - New concurrent player count record
3:59:35 - Video games in education

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices