The Nextlander Podcast

On the show this week: Highguard is out, Brad finished Silent Hill f (once), Grand Theft Auto VI might not get a physical release at launch, Double Fine announced a pottery-brawling online game, Battlefield 6 did extremely well, Nintendo has strong feelings about Dispatch, and a series of truly shocking revelations about the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:09) Intro
(00:05:35) The Best 80s Cartoon Intros
(00:11:45) Highguard  |  [PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows)]  |  Jan 26, 2026
(00:39:39) First Break
(00:39:43) TR-49  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac]  |  Jan 21, 2026
(00:45:11) Absolum  |  [Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5]  |  Oct 09, 2025
(00:46:42) [SPOILERS] Silent Hill f ending and story spoilers!
(00:47:17) Silent Hill f  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S]  |  Sep 25, 2025
(01:12:58) Second Break
(01:13:03) Yes it's true, this game has no disc (maybe)
(01:29:34) Xbox Developer_Direct
(01:30:52) Kiln  |  [Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5]  |  Q2 2026
(01:37:10) Battlefield vs Call of Duty in terms of sales
(01:40:53) Not of all Congress seems OK with the EA sale
(01:46:58) Dispatch on the Switch might be a bit... blurrier
(01:52:36) Emails
(02:13:25) Wrapping up and thanks
(02:18:16) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts
(02:21:16) See ya!

Ubisoft is doing a big old reorg, delaying and canceling games, and talking about "billionaire brands," Marathon gets a release date, Highguard is out next Monday, Life Is Strange is getting an unexpected sequel, some consoles get ranked from prettiest to ugliest, and we spent time with games like Hack and Climb, Whiskerwood, and Silent Hill f's new game plus mode. All that and more on this week's show!
CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:10) Intro
(00:02:04) Do you want a missile or a mansion?
(00:05:33) Getting ready for the snow?
(00:11:25) Are website ads as thumbnails new to YouTube?
(00:12:46) [Spoilers] Silent Hill f
(00:13:29) Silent Hill f  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S]  |  Sep 25, 2025
(00:33:23) First Break
(00:33:28) Hack and Climb  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows)]  |  Jan 20, 2026
(00:42:22) Whiskerwood (Early Access) |  [PC (Microsoft Windows)]  |  Nov 06, 2025
(00:49:38) Absolum  |  [Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5]  |  Oct 09, 2025
(00:50:59) Road to Empress  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows)]  |  Sep 08, 2025
(00:56:55) Second Break
(00:57:00) Ubisoft makes some moves for 2026
(01:13:48) Marathon gets a release date and new trailer
(01:20:20) Highguard still has a lot of question marks around it
(01:27:18) A new Life is Strange game has been announced
(01:35:46) Hitman is getting cross-progression!
(01:51:21) Emails
(02:08:47) Wrapping up and thanks
(02:11:42) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts
(02:14:04) Nextlander content updates
(02:15:14) See ya!

This week's show features everything from zombie screening in Quarantine Zone to modding your Switch 2 Joy-cons, making video game documentaries from primary research, our hopes for a third Wolfenstein game (and maybe a StarCraft shooter?), a sad farewell to Twisted Pixel, a long-ish deep dive on sequels in film and video games, and a bunch more.
The VGHF's NES documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJvpRGibFhg

CHAPTERS
(00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:10) Intro
(00:02:07) How expensive is the noise your house is making?
(00:05:48) People walking around on your property
(00:14:39) The Untold Story of the Nintendo Entertainment System
(00:24:58) Mosa Lina  |  [Linux, Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows)]  |  Oct 17, 2023
(00:29:01) First Break
(00:29:05) Quarantine Zone: The Last Check  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows)]  |  Jan 12, 2026
(00:41:20) Absolum  |  [Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5]  |  Oct 09, 2025
(00:46:48) The Séance of Blake Manor  |  [Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows)]  |  Oct 27, 2025
(00:48:51) Tetris 99 and replacing Switch 2 d-pads
(00:56:44) Silent Hill f  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S]  |  Sep 25, 2025
(00:59:44) Second Break
(00:59:50) Sounds like we'll get a Wolfenstein 3
(01:09:48) Avowed is getting a PS5 release
(01:13:17) They are taking another stab at a StarCraft shooter?
(01:18:22) Oh Meta, do you deserve such ire? Almost certainly.
(01:38:54) Emails
(02:01:27) Wrapping up and thanks
(02:03:05) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts
(02:04:51) Nextlander Content Updates
(02:09:37) See Ya!

Let's start 2026 by chatting about games we played over the break, including Miles Morales, Civ 7, Absolum, and Vinny's... feelings about Metroid Prime 4. We also round up the the news over the holiday, like the tragic passing of Vince Zampella, next-gen consoles maybe getting delayed, possible new DLC for The Witcher 3, changes in GOG's ownership, and more.
CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.
(00:00:10) Intro
(00:03:00) 2026 and the business of video games
(00:06:10) Some purchases during our break
(00:13:38) Professor Layton still rules
(00:18:15) What the heck are the kids reading these days?
(00:19:18) No more generations, except Generation Remix
(00:21:47) Metroid Prime 4: Beyond  |  [Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2]  |  Dec 04, 2025
(00:32:52) First Break
(00:35:13) More of the games we played during break
(00:35:46) Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales  |  [PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5]  |  Nov 12, 2020
(00:42:12) Death Stranding 2: On The Beach  |  [PlayStation 5]  |  Jun 26, 2025
(00:45:43) Sid Meier's Civilization VII  |  [Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows), Linux, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch]  |  Feb 11, 2025
(00:51:51) Absolum  |  [Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5]  |  Oct 09, 2025
(00:58:35) Second Break
(00:58:40) Vince Zampella's death
(01:05:55) RAM prices and next gen planning
(01:13:56) The Witcher 3 is getting more DLC?
(01:16:52) GOG is being sold... sort of?
(01:19:52) Yoji Shinkawa designs some real gear!
(01:27:02) Alex has some breaking news
(01:28:55) Emails
(01:40:32) Wrapping up and thanks
(01:44:07) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts
(01:46:32) See ya!

In our second and final year-end wrap-up, we detail numbers 4 through 1 on our personal GOTY lists, and then dive into an array of honorable (and not too many dishonorable) mentions before pondering the year ahead. Happy new year!

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.

(00:00:10) Intro

(00:01:17) Brad's recap from last episode

(00:01:55) Vinny's recap from last episode

(00:02:10) Alex's recap from last episode

(00:02:29) Number 04 [Brad]

(00:10:04) Number 04 [Vinny]

(00:16:18) Number 04 [Alex]

(00:22:55) Number 03 [Brad]

(00:31:03) Number 03 [Vinny]

(00:31:21) Number 03 [Alex]

(00:38:12) First Break

(00:38:17) Number 02 [Brad]

(00:45:34) Number 02 [Vinny]

(00:52:49) Number 02 [Alex]

(00:57:38) Number 01 [Brad]

(01:16:09) Number 01 [Vinny]

(01:29:34) Number 01 [Alex]

(01:38:21) Second Break

(01:38:26) Honorable Mentions

(02:17:56) The games that missed the mark for us

(02:24:05) ...and nobody talked about Maro Kart World

(02:25:05) There's always more to talk about...

(02:27:06) Brad's Top Ten Games of 2025

(02:27:25) Vinny's Top Ten Games of 2025

(02:27:53) Alex's Top Ten Games of 2025

(02:28:13) Wrapping up and thanks for 2025

(02:31:20) See ya

(02:31:41) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts