🎙️ Join Heather, Tom, Stu, and TommyT as this week’s episode dives into gaming subscription services — are they actually saving us money, or just quietly costing more over time? The crew break down the value (or lack of it), alongside a packed catch-up on what they’ve been playing — plus a quiz at the end if you fancy testing yourself.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro & what we’ve been playing

00:25:12 - Gaming News & New Games! 🗞️

00:42:21 - Questions from Discord ❓

01:06:58 - Main topic : gaming subs

01:46:21 - Gaming quiz time! 🥳

01:53:18 - Pun of the Week! & Shout outs

Find all of our links here:

Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/gameolder2024⁠⁠⁠

Discord:⁠ https://discord.gg/VzmAnSA7xa

Twitter/X: https://x.com/GameOlderPod

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GameOlder2024

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/game_older_podcast__/⁠⁠⁠

Contact us: ⁠⁠⁠gameolder2024@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠

Discount codes and shout-outs:

Bitmap Books 5% off all purchases: OLDER5

⁠bitmapbooks.com⁠

Please don't forget to rate and review us wherever you listen, along with hitting the follow/subscribe button!

----------------

🎮 What we’ve been playing:

Stu has been smashing Resident Evil 9: Requiem, calling it unreal and praising its mix of classic exploration, crafting mechanics, and modern polish. He’s loving both Grace and Leon’s sections and is already eyeing up Resident Evil 4 next. He also dipped back into Marathon, though admits it’s best played with friends.

TommyT is still deep in Resident Evil Revelations, enjoying finally playing one he hasn’t touched before. But the big one is Crimson Desert — now fully hooked after multiple updates, praising its stunning world, addictive gameplay loop, and constant improvements, despite still criticising its weak story.

Tom has been mixing things up with a bit of everything:

Yakuza 3 (mostly ignoring the story for chaotic side content like “dad simulator” and biker gang battles)

OutRun 2 for a leader board challenge

Dead Rising (Xbox 360) — revisiting the janky but nostalgic original

Plus a bit of retro anime pickup nostalgia with Dominion Tank Police

Heather finally finished Death Stranding 2 (100+ hours deep), praising how incredible it looks on the PS5 Pro. She’s also completed Reanimal, started Little Nightmares 3, played Frostpunk 2, and jumped into Dying Light: The Beast — enjoying its classic zombie-smashing chaos despite some co-op issues.

📰 Gaming News Highlights:

Rumours suggest Call of Duty may skip Xbox Game Pass, raising questions about the value of subscriptions vs full-price releases.

Rockstar Games reportedly hacked again, with threats to leak data unless a ransom is paid — continuing the chaos around GTA 6 leaks.

YouTube Premium price increases highlight the wider trend of rising subscription costs across entertainment services.

Epic Games faces criticism for raising prices (like V-Bucks) while also cutting staff.

Amazon Luna is dropping game purchases entirely, shifting fully toward streaming/subscription access.

Dreamcast modding scene continues to impress, with a fan-made Resident Evil 4 style demo proving what the console can do — plus wild hardware mods like DVD support.

Xbox UI and achievement system updates finally roll out, bringing long-requested quality-of-life improvements.

🎮 Upcoming releases:

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss (16 April) – narrative cosmic horror investigation

Mouse: P.I. For Hire (16 April) – stylish 1930s cartoon shooter

Outbound (23 April) – cosy co-op survival builder

Pragmata (24 April) – highly rated sci-fi action title from Capcom

He-Man: Masters of the Universe (28 April) – classic-style co-op beat ‘em up

🎙️ Join Heather, Leon, and TommyT as this week’s episode dives into survival crafting games — why they’re so addictive, what keeps players coming back, and which ones are actually worth your time. From cosy base-building to chaotic survival systems, it’s a packed discussion — plus a quiz waiting at the end if you stick around.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro & what we’ve been playing

00:39:17 - Gaming News & New Games! 🗞️

01:01:19 - Questions from Discord ❓

01:15:47 - Main topic : Survival Crafting Games

01:46:29 - Gaming quiz time 🥳

01:55:37 - Shout outs & goodbye

Find all of our links here:

Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/gameolder2024⁠⁠⁠

Discord:⁠ https://discord.gg/VzmAnSA7xa

Twitter/X: https://x.com/GameOlderPod

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GameOlder2024

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/game_older_podcast__/⁠⁠⁠

Contact us: ⁠⁠⁠gameolder2024@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠

Discount codes and shout-outs:

Bitmap Books 5% off all purchases: OLDER5

⁠bitmapbooks.com⁠

Extra Life Gaming Lounge, Sheffield:

Quote "Game Older Podcast" for 5% off all items!

Please don't forget to rate and review us wherever you listen, along with hitting the follow/subscribe button!

🎮 What we’ve been playing:

TommyT has been deep in Resident Evil mode, platinuming Resident Evil 9: Requiem and diving back into older titles like Resident Evil 2 Remake, Resident Evil Village, and Revelations. He’s loving the replayability (infinite ammo chaos included) and is already eyeing up future DLC.

He’s also been playing Rock Band 4 (building up a song library before it disappears), cosy side game Pokéopia, and sinking serious time into RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic — chasing that platinum across dozens of scenarios.

New RPG Crimson Desert also gets early impressions — gorgeous visuals and strong mechanics, but confusing systems and a weak story so far.

Leon finished Pokéopia and is now fully in decorating mode, while also putting 15+ more hours into Marathon, calling it one of his biggest surprise favourites thanks to its depth, tension, and incredible level design.

He’s also revisiting Hades ahead of the sequel, praising its art style, voice acting, and addictive roguelike loop.

Heather jumps in with thoughts across the discussion and joins in on the survival crafting topic, bringing the usual chaos and humour (and calling out Leon mid-snack at the start 😅).

📰 Gaming News & discussion:

Ongoing praise for Capcom’s handling of Resident Evil, with continued updates, added features (like third-person modes), and strong replayability keeping the series fresh.

Early player reactions to Crimson Desert, including performance updates, gameplay tweaks, and dev responsiveness — but also criticism around tutorials, story depth, and initial AI-generated asset concerns (quickly patched).

Continued discussion around cross-progression features becoming standard across modern games (Marathon, Hades, etc.), making it easier to play across platforms.

🎙️ Join Heather, Tom, Stu, and Leon as this week’s episode dives into multiplayer games — from couch co-op memories to modern online chaos. The crew chat about what makes multiplayer special, how it’s evolved over the years, and whether today’s experiences still hit the same. As always, expect plenty of random and a quiz waiting at the end if you stick around.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - Intro & what we’ve been playing

00:41:26 - Gaming News & New Games! 🗞️

01:15:28 - Questions from Discord ❓

01:41:46 - Main topic : Multiplayers 🤝

02:20:55 - Gaming quiz time 🥳

02:29:15 - Shout outs & goodbye

Find all of our links here:

Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/gameolder2024⁠⁠⁠

Discord:⁠ https://discord.gg/VzmAnSA7xa

Twitter/X: https://x.com/GameOlderPod

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@GameOlder2024

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/game_older_podcast__/⁠⁠⁠

Contact us: ⁠⁠⁠gameolder2024@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠

Discount codes and shout-outs:

Bitmap Books 5% off all purchases: OLDER5⁠bitmapbooks.com⁠

Extra Life Gaming Lounge, Sheffield:Quote "Game Older Podcast" for 5% off all items!

Please don't forget to rate and review us wherever you listen, along with hitting the follow/subscribe button!________________________________________

🎮 What we’ve been playing:

• Stu jumped into Marathon, enjoying its hardcore extraction-shooter feel and “shoot first, ask questions later” gameplay. He also started Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (early impressions are strong) and checked out Planet of Lana 2, praising its wholesome puzzle-platforming and expanded mechanics.

• Tom brings the pickups (as always), including Bomberman 4 & 5 on Super Famicom, PlayStation gashapon collectibles, and a Resident Evil 4 steelbook. He’s been testing his Saturn setup, trying a quirky train-based runner demo, playing the Toxic Commando demo (not fully sold), and sinking time into Yakuza 3 — mostly avoiding the main story in favour of mini-games

.• Leon is deep into Marathon (20+ hours and counting), calling it one of his surprise favourites thanks to its gunplay, map design, and replayability — despite online negativity surrounding it. He’s also loving wholesome Switch 2 title Pokéopia (35+ hours), and playing through Resident Evil Village, though he feels it leans a bit too heavily into set-piece action

.• Heather continues Resident Evil Requiem (and may have soft-locked herself 😅), played more of Reanimal and spent a lot of time with John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando — especially fun in co-op. She also checked out indie title 1348: X Voto, praising it despite online backlash and hate.

________________________________________

📰 Gaming News Highlights:

• Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan says developers largely ignore complaints from people who don’t actually play the games — sparking discussion around toxicity and “cancel culture” in gaming.

• Resident Evil Requiem smashes sales records, hitting 6 million copies sold shortly after launch.

• A planned Hitman TV series from the John Wick creator has officially been cancelled after years in development.• Fortnite V-Bucks prices increase, with players now getting less currency for the same money — raising questions about live-service monetisation and the future of battle royale games

.• Developers continue to push back on AI voice acting, with some studios re-recording lines using real actors instead.

• Sony rolls out updates to PS5 Pro’s AI upscaling tech, aiming to improve visuals and extend the console’s lifespan.

• GDC and Xbox Next Gen news regarding project Helix , expected 2027 launch and the interesting idea of PC & Xbox games in one place. A Lot of movement from Xbox with new Xbox Mode & Co Pilot ________________________________________

💬 Side chats & debates:

Online toxicity in gaming communities, “cancel culture” around new releases, multiplayer vs solo gaming as you get older, and whether battle royale games are starting to decline.