Pokémon Legends: Arceus, 12 Minutes, And Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut | GI Show

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In this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, the crew discusses Pokémon Legends: Arceus news, Twelve Minutes review impressions, the new island in Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut, and Sega's new 4X civilization builder game, Humankind. We also share our hands-on impressions of Madden NFL 22 and how easy it is to sink hundreds of hours into the series' Franchise Mode; and later, we compare Dead Space 2's onslaught of scares to the first game's quieter, more cerebral approach to horror.

Additionally, Ben Reeves passes the torch onto a new set of podcast hosts, Alex Stadnik and Alex Van Aken, as The Game Informer Show enters a new era. With new hosts comes a few changes, including updates to the show's format which now features a news section, weekly roundtable chats about industry topics, and an improved audio listening experience. If you're a fan of our past segments, The Playlist and Listener Questions, then don't worry because those are still part of the show. 

Follow the crew on Twitter: Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76), Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Ben Reeves (@BenjaminReeves), Blake Hester (@MetallicaIsRad), and Jay Guisao (@Jason_Guisao).

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join hosts Alex Stadnik and Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from all around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

News:

Pokémon Presents Recap

• Pokémon Unite Coming to Mobile This September With Sylveon and Mamoswine Joining The Battle
• New Pokémon Brilliant Diamond And Shining Pearl Nintendo Switch Lite Console Revealed
• New Pokémon Legends Arceus Gameplay Revealed Showing New Growlithe Form And Revamped Combat

Topic of the Show:

12 Minutes Review Discussion

Twelve Minutes is Annapurna Interactive's latest narrative-driven experience. Starring Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, and James McAvoy, this point-and-click adventure game takes place in a three-bedroom apartment. Stuck in a time loop, the game's protagonist must uncover his wife's dark past in order to save themselves from a vengeful police officer before he ties them up and kills them. Blake Hester and Alex Van Aken lead the crew through a spoiler-free Twelve Minutes review discussion and share more about one of the best indie games of 2021. 

See our Twelve Minutes review here.

The Playlist:

Game Informer Staff discuss the games they're playing.

Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut launches this week, so Alex Stadnik clues the team in on necessary details surrounding the game's new content, the Iki Island expansion, and we've enjoyed our time with it. Regarding new releases, Van Aken has enjoyed playing Humankind, the recently released 4X strategy game that lets you start and build a civilization from the Neolithic Era all the way to the Contemporary Era. Jay is dominating in Madden NFL 22, and if his history of the series is meant to repeat itself, the game promises to sap away hundreds of hours from his life.

Lastly, Blake talks about how Dead Space's style of horror contrasts the rest of the series and then shares how Dead Space 2's Ishimura level might have turned around his thoughts on the game. 

Listener Questions:

The Game Informer crew answers your burning questions.

This week the Game Informer community asks about positivity in gaming, whether or not streaming affects the way we play video games, and if good escort missions actually exist.

Read their questions below, or submit your own via the Official Game Informer Community Discord or by emailing us at Podcast@GameInformer.com: 

“One of my favorite things about GI is the positivity that seems to be at the core of everything you do. My questions are: do you find it a struggle to stay positive? Do you think positivity is important to you all as people individually as well as an organization? Shout outs to Studnik for being the best human and I'm loving the new Discord.” – Tommy from the Internet

“For the Listener Questions segment, I'd love to know how streaming live affects the way you play. After watching Marcus playing Sekiro I feel like there are moments where he feels rushed because of the stream versus if he had been playing normally.” – GhstofMtchHdbrg

“For decades now I've heard fellow gamers complain about escort missions and yet they still seem commonplace in videogames. Do you all have any examples of good escort missions? Do you have any ideas on how to make escort missions more enjoyable?” – Chris Calvert

Check out the timestamps below to jump to a particular point in the discussion:

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:00:34 – Big Game Informer Show Announcement

00:11:39 – Pokémon Presents Recap

00:13:15 – Diamond and Pearl Remakes

00:18:25 – Pokémon Legends: Arceus

00:26:13 – 12 Minutes

00:41:34 – Housekeeping

00:47:57 – Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut

00:56:41 – Humankind

01:03:53 – Madden 22

01:09:13 – Dead Space 2

01:20:13 – Community Emails

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