Sacred Symbols, Episode 156: Alive Space (Patreon)

Strange and potentially exciting things are happening at Electronic Arts, the once-maligned super-publisher that seems intent on turning things around, at least when it comes to hardcore players' perceptions of its brand. After ruining Mass Effect, nearly running BioWare into the ground, closing down storied dev Visceral, and botching most of its exclusive run of Star Wars games, it seems EA finally gets it: The audience demands more single-player games. And rumors are EA's about to deliver another one in the form of a Dead Space revival. That makes what was once dead very much alive, and we're very excited to talk about it. Plus: It appears Castlevania is getting a new collection, Sony expects PS5 to break sales records once it can adequately manufacture units, Ghost of Tsushima may be getting a standalone expansion, and much more. Then: Is Microsoft's xCloud a really big deal? What does it mean for a developer to be "media trained?" Will Sony wow us when they return to the mobile market? Does Chris know the difference between Cesar Romero and George Romero?

Timestamps:

0:00:16 - Intro

0:04:57 - Some corrections and a few announcements.
0:06:31 - Sonic’s 30th birthday

0:08:32 - The Blue Box saga continues.

0:24:31 - Marvel’s Avengers had some more issues.

0:26:20 - How much money is too much money for a CEO?

0:38:53 - What have we been playing?

0:49:21 - Is Insomniac the top dog?

0:55:08 - How are we feeling about Scarlet Nexus?

0:58:00 - Dead Space appears to be getting the revival treatment.

1:04:12 - The Castlevania Advance Collection appears to be on the way.

1:08:33 - Sony expects the PS5 to sell well once supply constraints are lifted.

1:12:42 - Ghost of Tsushima may be the next PlayStation game coming to PC.

1:22:46 - Elden Ring will be “easier” and somewhat comparable to Dark Souls 3.

1:30:57 - Tekken X Street Fighter is officially dead.

1:36:34 - WB Games Montreal is creating a new IP.

1:40:39 - Final Fantasy IX is getting a cartoon adaptation.

1:44:12 - Tencent has made another investment in the gaming industry.

1:45:05 - Sony has revealed PlayStation Now’s most popular games from March through May.

1:47:17 - News Wrap-Up

1:48:36 - What do we think of the xCloud strategy?

1:55:18 - What does it mean that devs are media trained?

1:57:36 - Let’s talk about game related tattoos.

2:04:41 - Are we supposed to be excited for lame studio announcements?

2:17:18 - What are our opinions on demos being used as a test?

2:22:37 - What kinds of PlayStation games do we expect to come from their mobile offerings?