The XboxCast

#NuNews: Sweet Snacks Stalk

What is this? New music? 
When did we become so cool? 
 
Xbox Cloud Gaming will support mouse and keyboard. This means everyone on a netbook will be able to experience the power of the cloud! Is Xbox about to kill the PC upgrade? It certainly seems like it, but it's not exactly a bad thing either. 
Classic Bethesda games are joining Game Pass! This bodes very well for the future. And makes us super excited for a future where Xbox owns Activision-Blizzard. Imagine StarCraft in Game Pass? That would be amazing! 
 
A Kiwi game dev takes up arms against the film industry. The NZ govt gives so many grants to the tv and movie peeps, but completely ignores the gaming sector. So, he's threatened to leave for Australia. He can come hang out with Kyle and Simone! We'll get him on the podcast! 
Square Enix hosted a fire sale, with some games dropping as low as $3! And to top off the sale, they are selling a $13,000 statue. Because nothing says sale quite like selling a kidney! 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
If you found any value in this podcast, please consider donating your time, talent, or treasure. Word of mouth is how we grow, and you play an invaluable part.
And as always, thanks for listening! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter 
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#GameFace! It’s Not a Joke, It’s Science!

Lee's beard gets fluffy when it rains.
But what happens when he's in space? 
 
We're wrapping up #back2YourBacklog. Lee missed the memo about finishing games, and instead started every game possible. Safe to say he did not finish a single game. Almost like he planned ahead for June '23 when we run #backToYourBacklog. 
 
Simone didn't expect to finish The Sims, but we can argue with Lee dying, it's an end. And of course, Kyle didn't get near to finishing Breathedge. Kyle and inventory management is an interesting relationship... But in fairness, both Kyle and Simone moved house, so we have that excuse and we're sticking to it. 
 
Lee also has a game review for you! What do you think of us doing game reviews? Do you like them? Would you like more? 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
If you found any value in this podcast, please consider donating your time, talent, or treasure. Word of mouth is how we grow, and you play an invaluable part.
And as always, thanks for listening! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter 
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#NuNews: Kyle Live Reacts To Gamescom

#Gamescom has arrived! 
And as is tradition, we go through almost everything...
 
All the announcements are new to Kyle, and Lee takes his job of catching Kyle up very seriously. Lee goes through every announcement. And it's all new to Kyle. So, he gets to react, live on the podcast! Will this be a train wreck, or will this be a brand-new exciting format? Who knows! 
In fact, there is almost no other news apart from Gamescom. But don't fret, we still have the charts! 
 
Saints Row has come out and the reception has been rather... rocky, to put it lightly...
Soul Hackers 2 brings the first Atlas West games to Xbox, and begins the influx of the Persona games joining the platform. If you like your JRPG's and have been envious of the competition, well then, your time has come. 
 
We'll be at PAX! Now is your chance to meet us! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
If you'd like to support the podcast, we're looking for your time, talent, or treasure.
However you want to give back, it's open to you. 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that follow us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter (and check him out on Twitch)
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#GameFace! The Emily Special

We have an incredibly special guest! 
That'll teach Kyle for being sick.
 
Emily joins us for a special episode of #GameFace! And we introduce her to Riders Republic. The great chaotic downhill racing game that almost everyone has forgotten about! It's almost like it has become our job to be the only podcast that remembers this game... Now we challenge you to jump in and join us! 
 
Emily is playing the Nier Replicant Remaster for #back2YourBacklog, and is making us all want to play it. A book is magic and sucks people in and then talks to you. Sounds like a typical Japanese game to us! Hopefully it gets you excited to play it too. 
Be sure to follow Emily on Twitch and Twitter for some good, chill vibes. You won't regret it. 
 
Tell us what you're playing using the hashtag #back2YourBacklog. 
And if you need a reminder of the events throughout the year, we have a very handy calendar on our website! 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
If you found any value in this podcast, please consider donating your time, talent or treasure. Word of mouth is how we grow and you play in invaluble part. Thanks for listening! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter 
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#NuNews: Have We Got News For You

Have we got news for you? 
Or do we not have news? 
 
In the news this week, we go over Sony blocking games, Xbox attending Gamescom, how to get and spend your Microsoft Reward points and the Hyperkin Duke Xbox Controller.  
 
Sony has been accused of blocking games from coming to Game Pass. And everything Microsoft is accusing them of was already leaked a year ago, with the Capcom and Resident Evil contract. Now that it's out in the public eye, let's see if anything happens. What do you think should be the outcome of all of this? 
 
Lee tries to convince Kyle to get a Hyperkin Duke 20th Anniversary Xbox Controller, with features such as a braided, detachable cable and 3.5mm jack amongst other features. Kyle remains unconvinced. But when it comes to playing Overcooked split controller style, it may be worth it... 
 
Xbox is going to Gamescom and has announced a 6-hour live stream. Showing off and expanding on all the games covered in at the Xbox Bethesda Showcase. What are you most looking forward to seeing? We're hoping for something sneaky. 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
Remember to pay the fee - if you got any value out of this podcast, share it! Word of mouth is how we grow. And if you really like what we do, consider supporting us on Patreon! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter (and check him out on Twitch)
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#GameFace! Sleeveless Shorts

Some chocolate frustrates Kyle's throat. 
There's just something in it that makes the chocolate spicy... 
 
It's still August. It's still #back2YourBacklog. We're still playing through some backlog games. Lee is playing a library worth of games, which means he may actually win #back2YourBacklog... FarCry 3 gets you to kill goats to upgrade your guns. Because of reasons. Then to take a break from shooting things on an island, he jumps into Duke Nukem Forever to shoot things in the future. And to take a break from that, he then shoots some pool. Except it's not pool, it's snooker. And apparently those are completely different games. 
 
Simone is chomping at the bit to update us on all the gossip in The XboxCast house! And it seems there has been a death in the family. Was it murder? Is foul play suspected? Or was someone getting too comfortable around electric fences? So much intrigue!
 
Kyle is hammering away at Breathedge, and has resorted to using a guide to help him along. Have things gotten better for our hero stranded in space? 
 
Now it's your turn! Tell us what you're playing using the hashtag #back2YourBacklog. 
And if you need a reminder of the events throughout the year, we have a very handy calendar on our website! 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
Remember to pay the fee - if you got any value out of this podcast, share it! Word of mouth is how we grow. And if you really like what we do, consider supporting us on Patreon! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter 
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#NuNews: I Wanna Drive A Train!

Lee is internet famous. 
And he's not even a meme! 
 
Train Sim World 3 is coming to Game Pass! And boy are we excited! 
We have train names. And route names. And all the exciting details you need as you drive a train. After giving it so much stick last week, we're now super excited to drive a train. Are you getting excited with us? Because oh my word, this marketing blurb has all fired up.
 
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is getting a brand new rogue-lite (or is it roguelike?) experience. From new weapons, to new baddies, to new maps. Maybe the new Creed game is not actually coming out as Valhalla becomes Destiny 2... Jump into The Forgotten Saga and earn in-game memories. 
The Ascent is getting some DLC! Finally! Swords! Stories! More top-down cyberpunk action. What more could you want? And it's only $10. So come on guys, jump on it. Lee will love you forever. 
 
Unity is partnering with Microsoft. What does this mean? We don't know, thanks to all the corporate speak. But it doesn't stop us from being tentatively excited... Surely this means something, but what? Don't ask us, because we don't know... 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
Remember to pay the fee - if you got any value out of this podcast, share it! Word of mouth is how we grow. And if you really like what we do, consider supporting us on Patreon! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter (and check him out on Twitch)
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#GameFace! Undercover Mischief

Top tip of the week: turn it off and on again and then turn it upside down. 
It's all to do with gravity and other science words. 
 
#backToYourBacklog continues! Simone is now getting to grips with a household of crazy Sims. How do the patrons behave when left alone? Has anyone drowned in the pool yet? And who is the flirtiest patron? So many questions, not many answers. But at least The Sims makes for some fantastic stories! 
 
Lee and Simone nerd out about Control. Apparently, there's a fridge that needs looking after. Lee tests how far he can fall before the game says no. And to break up all the Control playing, he even checks out Far Cry 3. How does it hold up after 10 plus years? And has he gotten better at avoiding enemies since last week?
 
Kyle is suffering through Breathedge. But at least it gives him an excuse to rant and rave. So of course, from one space game to another, he's back into No Mans Sky. And shooting poor NPC's who just want to mine some asteroids... 
 
Now it's your turn! Tell us what you're playing using the hashtag #back2YourBacklog. 
And if you need a reminder of the events throughout the year, we have a very handy calendar on our website! 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
Remember to pay the fee - if you got any value out of this podcast, share it! Word of mouth is how we grow. And if you really like what we do, consider supporting us on Patreon! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter (and check him out on Twitch)
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#NuNews: Purple Matching Mounting Pets

Are you ready to be showered with only the newest news? 
Wash your hair with it? Solve all your problems? At least we can solve your news problems! 
 
Lee is debating on what Pixel phone to buy. Should he go for the 6A, or wait for the 7? And can he slip it into his bag and avoid New Zealand's Customs? Whatever he decides, it's about time he upgrades. Can we get him to upgrade to an iPhone? Or an iPad? We're sure he'll love being in the Apple Ecosystem! 
 
Sony have come out and said how great of a deal Activision Blizzard would be for Xbox. In fact, they showered Call of Duty with so much praise, it's probably going to be in the next advertising campaign. Meanwhile, Xbox has been telling the regulators that "there is nothing special about CoD" and it's "not a system seller". Looks like the war of words is going to heat up as the deal gets closer and closer to closing... 
 
Bungie has gone radio silent, and it's all due to the community turning toxic, sending death threats to the devs. And we can't believe we have to say it (again). If you're sending death threats to the developers, maybe it's time to step away from the game. Just take a break. Go touch come grass. Maybe find another hobby?
 
The Ascent is now a year old and earned over $5 million in its first week alone! Now we're getting an expansion for this game. Lee is stoked. Wildlands is now on GamePass! This is quite exciting - Ubisoft games coming to the service could only mean Microsoft is going to buy them. Right? Right? 
 
Have you ever wanted to use a TV as a monitor? Because we have an indepth review of using the LG C2 for just that purpose. And you can read the review here.
 
We'll be at PAX! Now is your chance to meet us! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
If you'd like to support the podcast, we're looking for your time, talent, or treasure.
However you want to give back, it's open to you. 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that follow us.
 
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter (and check him out on Twitch)
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#GameFace! Fish Facts!

#back2YourBacklog is here! 
Are you excited? Because we're excited! 
 
August's event is upon us once again. #back2YourBacklog sees us going into our backlog to play (and hopefully finish) a game that's we've been meaning to play for a while, but have not started up. That's right, August is the month for starting that game you never got around to. What will you play? 
 
Simone has landed on The Sims 4. And in typical XboxCast fashion, the Sim's household is already in a state of fantastic chaos. Who made it into the house to live with us? What are their traits? And who doesn't like wearing pants? 
Lee wanted to play Control. So, he started up a completely unrelated game. Because of reasons. Do you think his excuse is justified? Or does he need to pay penance? 
Kyle is trying two games this August. After much convincing, he's finally jumping into Breathedge - a space survival type game. Similar to Subnautica. Hopefully he can finish this game before August is over... And in typical Kyle fashion, he has set his aspirations too high again and hopes to get into Chorus too. Why does he keep doing this to himself? 
 
Now it's your turn! Tell us what you're playing using the hashtag #back2YourBacklog. 
And if you need a reminder of the events throughout the year, we have a very handy calendar on our website! 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
Remember to pay the fee - if you got any value out of this podcast, share it! Word of mouth is how we grow. And if you really like what we do, consider supporting us on Patreon! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter (and check him out on Twitch)
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#NuNews: EA NotFIFA ’23

Lee has been on a movie buying binge.
Kyle has been eating cake. We all know who's winning. 
 
2K has decided to take a few games away. And was there any announcement? Or did they just delist them from the store? Without any fanfare, WWE 2K20 and older are disappearing from the stores, servers are being shut down, and 2K are trying to pull a jedi mind trick on all of us. What do you mean there was a WWE 2K19? You must be dreaming. Que the hand wave... 
 
No Man's Sky is getting their 20th expansion! Endurance is leaning into the Star Trek vibes by overhauling freights and carriers and so many other things. You can now staff your freight fleet and send them on missions and are you ready to lose another week or more to this game? But with all these updates, where does Starfield find itself? Is there enough to differentiate the two? We maintain they are both different games, and the more people playing space games the better! 
 
We have a bunch of top tips of the week for you. But we need someone to sing this for us. Can you sing? We'd love to have you introduce Top Tip of The Week! Our top tips are not so much top tips as in more of a remember - your Xbox can do X. Isn't that amazing! And in the good news part of the show - your Xbox is about to become faster. At least by 5 seconds faster! And they did it by shortening the startup animation. 
 
Did you get a $16 voucher from Xbox? Lee got one. Gary got one. Cooper got one.
Almost everyone but Kyle got one. It's beginning to look personal. 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
If you'd like to support the podcast, we're looking for your time, talent or treasure.
How ever you want to give back, its open to you. 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that follow us.
 
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter (and check him out on Twitch)
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter 

#GameFace! The Game Giveaway Episode! (Finally)

We did it guys! 
We reached 100 subscribers on YouTube and now we can give away some games! 
 
If you have been listening for more than 3 minutes, you'll know that we were doing a massive push to get to 100 subs on YouTube so we can get a nice new fancy URL. Well, thanks to your help, we finally did it. And because we did it, we can now give away those games we promised! 
 
The winners are... 
N1ck283 won Quantum Break
ThatKidQuinn won Sunset Overdrive
Toast is just burnt bread won Satisfactory
and Liz Nes won Back 4 Blood
 
The one month of PC Game Pass goes to Isaac for his fantastic comment about how much he loves the website! 
 
Well done everyone! 
 
We'll be at PAX! Will you be at PAX? Do you want to be at PAX? And do you want to meet us? Now is your chance! We may even have some sneaky stickers to give away... Speaking of stickers - check out our merch!
 
Remember to pay the fee - if you got any value out of this podcast, share it! Word of mouth is how we grow. And if you really like what we do, consider supporting us on Patreon! 
 
--
If you liked this episode, don't feel ashamed. Rather, join the dozens of others that are following us.
The Official XboxCast Website
 
For everything else, including everywhere our podcast is hosted, check out our LinkTree! 
 
--
Your hosts are:
 
Kyle: XarCrius on Xbox and Twitter
Lee: Leehoward on Xbox and Twitter (and check him out on Twitch)
Simone: GymBeanNZ on Xbox and Twitter