Sleeping Dogs

6 months - Is Samson: A Tyndalston Story worth playing to scratch that GTA 6 itch while we wait for the real thing? Well, the thing is, it’s not really a Grand Theft Auto clone: it’s arguably far more interesting. But “interesting” and “good” aren’t the same thing. With its roguelike elements and oppressive debt management system, Samson does dare to offer something that GTA rarely does: real stakes. Heart-pounding consequences for failure. A real sense that, at any moment, you could lose everything. Coming from some of the same minds behind Just Cause and Mad Max, many gamers have been hoping that Samson has the juice, that it could be a decent GTA clone along the lines of Sleeping Dogs or Red Faction Guerrilla: the kind of game that riffs on Rockstar’s signature formula but adds its own unique twist. But Liquid Swords have been very upfront about this: it is a flawed game without the level of polish the audience might expect. If you'd like to see more of Jim's video features, check out The Trinca Perspective playlist!

11 months - This week, we’ve heard Rockstar games co-founder Dan Houser talking about cancelled GTA 5 story DLC and Saints Row 1 design director Chris Stockman sharing his pitch for a Saints Row reboot, which has us lamenting the lack of open-world action games set in contemporary settings. Specifically, the kind where you can steal cars and cause mayhem - you know, like in GTA. It feels like we used to get these all the time, and now, they’re few and far between, assuming they see the light of day. The Saints Row reboot was a flop, and Volition isn’t around anymore. Mindseye didn’t deliver on its ambitious premise. Contraband, the project from Just Cause developer Avalanche was cancelled. Sleeping Dogs might get a movie courtesy of Simu Liu, but it seems unlikely we’ll get a new game anytime soon. What happened? Will we ever see this kind of game make a comeback? What about The Simpsons Hit & Run? Plus, Sony has a new holiday ad campaign that harkens back to the weirdo marketing of the PlayStation 2.This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet

1 year, 6 months - When a trailer is released for a movie or a show, that usually means it’s coming out soon, but video games are another story, sometimes getting trailers years before they’re released. In some cases, though, they get cancelled after a trailer has already been made public. So, we pulled together some trailers for games that never came out, whether due to cancellation, studio closure, a massive rebranding, or because they’re still supposedly in development. From infamous unreleased games like Blizzard’s Starcraft Ghost and Ubisoft’s Beyond Good & Evil 2, to games that didn’t resemble their original trailers at all, like Duke Nukem Forever or Bethesda’s original Prey 2, which had nothing to do with the eventual Prey sequel developed by Arkane Austin. We delve into some of the many licensed games that got teased prior to cancellation, like Marvel Chaos, THQ’s Avengers game, Star Wars 1313 and Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. While we did eventually get a few of the games on this list, like Duke Nukem Forever and Sleeping Dogs, their earliest trailers give a glimpse into what could have been a very different game. While this video was being written, Monolith’s Wonder Woman game made the list after WB Interactive cancelled the long-gestating project - which got a trailer reveal back in 2021.

1 year, 9 months - It’s the holidays, which means spending time with loved ones, and probably getting into an argument with them too. So, we’re deciding on Beyond’s Top 10 PlayStation Games Ever, but we’re doing it in a stupid, convoluted way that will result in a list that no one, including us, agrees with entirely. Spoiler alert: this was an excuse to talk about some games we love for an hour. Hopefully we name at least one game you like, but if you don’t, don’t worry, it’s all made up and nothing we decide is legally binding or official in any capacity. We had fun making this episode, we hope you enjoy watching it! Happy holidays from all of us to all of you!This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Join our Facebook group at - facebook.com/groups/podcastbeyond/00:00 - Intro05:00 - 1014:29 - 918:21 - 821:28 - 729:05 - 631:55 - 536:44 - 442:53 - 344:54 - 2448:46 - 153:33 - Everyones list

9 years, 10 months - Microsoft has revealed the free lineup of games that will be available for Xbox One and Xbox 360 players in Decembers as part of Games with Gold.