Ed’s loving Phantom Blade Zero, but he’s got a few things to say about people calling it a Soulslike. Plus, we disagree about friend slop, catch up on Final Fantasy, and look ahead to November’s biggest games.

Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:26 Intro 03:07 Gym Hanger & Supermarket Arguments 05:51 Godzilla & TV Chat 10:48 Phantom Blade Zero 28:21 Final Fantasy Resonance 29:47 Final Fantasy XIV: Evercold 38:13 Friend Slop: PEAK, Finals Week & R.E.P.O. 48:00 What Have You Been Playing? 01:01:30 November’s New Games 01:03:00 World of Warcraft Forever & Character Names 01:12:31 Zelda, GTA 6 & More November Releases 01:19:38 Outro

▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com

▼ Ben's links ▼ Twitch: http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social Instagram: http://instagram.com/biggusbennus Discord: http://discord.gg/biggusbennus

▼ Ed's links ▼ Twitch: http://twitch.tv/ed_nights Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social

With BioWare closing, we chat about what fans can look forward to, including Exodus and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. Plus, Ed’s hooked on Final Fantasy Resonance, has finished Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, and apparently doesn’t think reading manga counts as reading.

Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:26 Intro 02:35 Martin Guerre 08:49 Death Note, Manga & Audiobooks 19:38 We're Moving House 21:17 Ed's Elden Ring Book 26:23 Final Fantasy Resonance 39:28 Phantom Blade Zero 41:37 Castlevania: Belmont's Curse 55:51 BioWare & the Future of Mass Effect 01:18:14 What Game Would You Write a Book About?

#BioWare #MassEffect #FinalFantasy #Castlevania #GamingPodcast

▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com

▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus

▼ Ed's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social

DomsRoundtable joins us this week as Ben shares his latest obsession, Planet Zoo 2, which has been keeping him up until the early hours. But with the game receiving a mixed reception, is the criticism justified? We discuss what's changed from the original, why some players are frustrated and what makes it so difficult to put down.

Ed's also been playing Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, and we get into Star Wars Galactic Racer, the best games of 2026, Steam Next Fest and whether GTA 6 is worth buying on day one.

Timestamps: 00:00 Cold Open 00:29 Intro & DomsRoundtable 02:45 Star Wars Galactic Racer 07:44 Steam Next Fest 13:00 My Arms Are Longer Now 15:17 Jackbox Party Pack 12 21:14 The Blood of Dawnwalker & Onimusha 23:50 Best Games of 2026 29:43 Planet Zoo 2 53:52 Castlevania: Belmont's Curse 01:06:36 GTA 6 & Upcoming Games 01:11:35 Buying Games at Launch

Planet Zoo 2 review copy kindly provided by Frontier.

▼ Swapping Joysticks ▼ ● All previous episodes available at http://swappingjoysticks.com

▼ Ben's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/biggusbennus ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/biggusbennus.bsky.social ● Follow on Instagram - http://instagram.com/biggusbennus ● Join the Discord - http://discord.gg/biggusbennus

▼ Ed's links ▼ ● Follow on Twitch - http://twitch.tv/ed_nights ● Follow on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/ednights.bsky.social

▼ DomsRoundtable ▼ ● YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@DomsRoundtable