Exclusive! Grab the NordVPN deal ➼ nordvpn.com/friendspersecond and get extra subscription time. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Thanks to NordVPN for sponsoring our show.

I'm so pissed i was out sick and missed out on SPIDER MAN 😅 but Ben crushed it here.

On behalf of MinnMax, thanks for having me on the podcast this week! - Ben Hanson

I understand he was sick but man it's CRIMINAL to not have Jake on for the spiderman episode. He's the biggest spiderman nerd on this podcast

After gaming 30+ years ...this is one of the greatest years in gaming I've personally experienced. There's something for everyone to play no matter your taste🤠

In response to the user question regarding Sony first party games: There's a wide gulf between "cinematic character action" games and "live service" games. FPS, action sports, turn based strategy, RPG's, 2d side scrolling action/platformer, sandbox sim, etc. Some of these genres are niche, but with first party budgets/polish some of these underperforming genres could enjoy a renaissance. Baldurs Gate 3 proved that no genre is dead, they're just waiting for the next excellent example to release.

Noooo Jake missing a SM2 episode is a travesty.

So good to see the hansom man on the show. Ben is such an important figure in gaming journalism. Kept his ship together during covid with such humility and determination.

Baldur's Gate 3 discourse may be a bit played out now, but it is still by far the GOTY, no questions. Just a truly remarkable, incredible creation.

I'd still give game of the year to Baldur's Gate 3, it's just such a remarkable collection of unlikely circumstances coming together to produce an amazing game and a rare smash hit for a genre that usually plays to more of a niche market.

Don't know why but in the podcast version Ben's audio stops around 2:14:00 so im glad this version sounds fine

Honestly, even though SM2 is gonna be my personal GOTY I’m just so happy to see so many good games being released. Idc who wins because they’re all amazing and we as gamers get to enjoy them all! Cheers 2023 what a year for gaming!

GoTY might have been difficult for me, since there were so many great games this year. But it's actually easy, because Baldur's Gate 3 was released this year. That is a game that can actually be brought up in the all time discussions, especially in it's genre of CRPGs.

As a musical theatre actor working in NYC who watches Skill Up religiously, I did NOT anticipate this podcast starting with Titanique!!!

Today's podcast is about games, Friends Per Second and getting better.

This podcast convinced me to get Wonder and I am loving it. After Lies of P, DS3, and Eldin Ring back to back it’s nice to be playing a much friendlier game😂

Thanks for answering my question guys! To clarify, I still enjoy the Sony games coming out. I recently platinumed Miles Morales and had a great time, but I wish there was some more innovation within the way that you interact with the world. I just don't find collectables or fighting 10 bad guys on top of a tower 10 times very interesting. It would be cool if there were more organic approaches to storytelling, like in Red Dead Redemption 2 or Yakuza where small stories could be stumbled upon, or recently Baldurs Gate 3 did an amazing job at providing different outcomes for the way that you approach conversations, fights etc. It makes the worlds we play in feel more alive. I think one thing to innovate on could be branching story paths based on decisions. We play the role of Peter Parker/Miles Morales and see their story unravel. But thats the thing, its their story not ours. Giving the player more agency by allowing them to make tough decisions would be awesome. Imagine a scenario where two crimes are going on at once, giving the player a tough decision on who to save with lasting ramifications throughout the story. I guess it might be tough since Peter Parker/Miles Morales are established characters who should act in the way that they are presented, but it would be a fun idea neverless. I haven't tried Spiderman 2 yet and maybe some of those complaints I had previously are reactified in the sequel, but I feel like making some changes to have more player agency could allow more emotional investment in a story that we have influence on within the world.

Ben was absolutely awesome this ep. Funny person with charisma and fit in perfectly well with others. Wish to see him more here

I could be wrong, but Blake might have touched upon developers playing it safe and continuously going back to the well instead of releasing new IPs. It takes so long and costs so much money to develop games now that big developers seem to be taking the safe route when it comes to IPs.

What a great interview, hats off to all of you for some brilliant questions

Ben?! I literally just debated putting on this week's MinnMax show but thought I'd check this out first. Did not expect to see you here lmao, a welcomed surprise though!

Guys i'd really love to see you do an episode with Jacob Geller, it would be so much good stuff

Every bi-weekly, I look forward to this podcast.

Loved watching Bryan constantly mention not only everyone who supported him in his career but also mention the credit to other members of the SP2 team. He seems to be genuinely appreciative for his current position. Very sweet. And Jim Ryan's misunderstanding of video games and gamers in general has made PS far more blockbuster, whereas Shawn Layden was very heavily investing in indies all over the world - regardless of profit margins.

As a long time user, I love this project! Love you guys ☺

I've got Spider Man 2 and Mario Wonder coming and i can't wait to play them both, i can't wait to hear Yuri Lowenthal's Spider-Man again an absolutely perfect casting and Mario Wonder is FINALLY doing something new with 2D Mario so i'm REALLY excited for it

Bryan used to be one of the editors of EGM back in the day and I remember running into him in E3 2010 and he signed my egm magazine along with a bunch of other former editors that I still have. Imagine my surprise when I found out he was the director of Spider-Man 2! Ya come along way!

Really and truly enjoyed Ben on this episode. Loved the change to the discussion dynamic.

Super Mario Wonder is so good! Glad you guys enjoy it too!

Oof the completionist….

Hey guys! Great episode as ever. The Podcast version on iOS doesn’t have Ben’s audio towards the end of the episode. Maybe there is a way to fix that?

Insomniac have been my fav devs since the glory 90s playing the Spyro games on my ps1. Spyro is what truly catapulted my interest in gaming ever since and to this day I have a strong affinity for 3D platformers as one of my fav genre. This studio made my childhood! Kids these days growing up with Fortnite, etc are really missing out on some of the best gaming experiences ever. Who would've thought a small studio that made Spyro would evolve to the technical wizards they are today that are really leading the industry! This studio has some of the most talented programmers, writers, and animators in the industry pushing the envelope with every game they make

I love how genuinely hyped Ralph got when talking about the VR headset, so much so that he starting whacking the mic out of excitement!

Ben and Ralph's silent exchange at 1:10:36 LOL

loved seeing ben on the show! minnmax and kinda funny are my other two fav gaming podcasts, would love to see more regulars from both shows on FPS 😤

It has no chance, but Armored Core VI should be GOTY imo.

My personal GOTY is Street Fighter 6. Give multiplayer games some love. As a game catered as a community experience, I don't think I've experienced anything like SF6 in recent years. Just hanging out with people in the online Battle Hub reminds me of the old arcade days, even complete with the trashtalking, lmao.

Lucy geeking out about musicals is always the best part of the show!

Love Ben, love MinnMax, and of course, love Friends Per Second! Thanks for this crossover!

Wow the camera stare from Jirard in the bottom right when the spiderman interview is hilarious. It almost feels like a horror movie where hes become self aware that people are watching his video

Once again, this is my favourite podcast. It feels genuine, yet everyone feels like such a true gaming nerd too with good presentation skills.

Brilliant podcast as usual guys!

Great episode as always. I listen to the podcast version when driving and for whatever reason I couldn’t hear anything from Ben from 2:14:00 to the end of the episode. I had to sanity check myself by watching the end of the episode on KZfaq.

my favourite two podcasts combined, what is happening!!

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite podcasts. Long time Jake and Jirard fan but have found myself really enjoying getting to know Lucy and Ralph. Great interviews and it's always nice to see industry peers chumming it up with their friends. Now that the episodes over I'm off to watch Lucy's video on Cyberpunk.

Thanks for the mention of Walkabout Mini Golf!

Ben was such an amazing guest! He was funny and brought really interesting opinions to the group. I think he really challenged Ralph's position on things which I really like!

Anyone else here because the Spotify version is messed up?

Great episode as always

Not only have I been to Bundaberg while backpacking Australia, I also did a tour of the rum distillery there!

*Jake Baldino* couldn’t be here today, is currently at home building his own web-slinger suit. 😮

2:31:11 I was the one who suggested Chaants of Sennaar and Cocoon as my GOTY (indie categories) so I'm glad he's still talking about playing them

Glad to see your enjoying the quest 3 Ralph. It truly is amazing tech that just gets better and better each gen. If you are after an example of what quest 3 could deliver this generation check out 'red matter 2' (a soviet themed space puzzle/exploration game) and 'into the radius ' (a stalker type fps set in a dystopian open world). The upcoming line up looks good as well with vampire the masquerade, the seventh guest (an amazing looking remake), powerwash simulator, asgards wrath 2 and more.

Only played Mario Wonder a bit but man haven't enjoyed a Mario game like this since I was a kid. So much personality in the music, sound effects and animations. Stuff like enemy facial expressions when you kill one and the others realize what fate is in store lol. Fantastic game and I don't think I've smiled so much playing a game in a very long time. It's just a complete utter joy

While Spider-Man 2 does go in crazy directions, it's nothing compared to Web of Shadows. If WoS is a 10 on the weird scale, Spider-Man 2 is like a 3 or 4. Luke Cage, Moon Knight, Black Widow, Vulture, Rhino, Tinkerer, Black Cat, Kingpin and Electro all talking/fighting Peter and most of them get Venomized with Symbiotes for their own Boss Fights. You rip Wolverine in half and make fun of him. Venom becomes a Kaiju and rips apart a Shield Helicarrier. Peter can style switch like DMC, surf on enemies and do the JoJo ORA ORA ORA punch flurry rush attack, while transitioning from ground to air to wall combat. And that was back in 2008.

HEY ITS BEN!

I’m playing Spider-man 2 and it’s phenomenal. But hearing Jirard and Ralph get boyishly excited about Mario has me hyped. What a year of gaming!

Wooooo shoutout to our SP!NG!!! What a pleasant surprise

Just an FYI regarding this episode on audio podcast: In the last 1/3 or so of the show Ben Hanson’s audio cuts out. Otherwise it’s another great episode, guys. Thoroughly enjoying the show.

A story twist doesn't make a game bold though, I think. Gameplay wise, most Sony first party titles feel to me like relatively similar games.

Super excited to play Mario with my kids! Can't wait.

Shout out Minnesota!

I want to say thanks for keeping Spider-Man 2 spoiler-free. I just can't miss an episode of this week in video games or the FPS podcast, but this is my most hotly anticipated title of the year and I'm not wanting to see anything in advance.

Wow I'm early ! Got so happy when this popped up

Just listening to this while I work hyping up going home to play Spider-Man 2 and Wonder.

My ONLY gripe with Wonder so far is one that seems weird but isn’t insignificant. Almost every 2D platformer nowadays has the run button mapped to one of the shoulder buttons, and Wonder doesn’t let you do that, meaning run and jump are both face buttons. I know this is how Mario has always been, but without spoiling much, there are hidden VERY hard levels where that layout can get actually painful. Otherwise, it’s a masterpiece.

Love this podcast man. I never miss a bit. Can I suggest you throw a couple of clips or logos in there? For example when you talk about what you've been playing. It helps to better understand and identify what you are talking about (that sping game let's say or idk it's spelled).

I'm catching up just now; an interesting thing about the scenes described by Ben while talking about the FF7 Mobile game is that all of them are present in great detail in the FF7 Remake book 'Traces Of Two Pasts', from how Tifa ends up in Midgar after the Nibelheim incident to why Aerith wants to go on a pic-nic (I'm actually reading through that exact moment in the story). My point is that if anyone is interested in the backstory of much of the FF7 cast but doesn't want to get that content through a Gacha game, the book is a very solid alternative and it is well translated to boot!

I love seeing Ben on here! MinnMax puts out some of the best gaming content out there. Love independent journalists working together!

As a Mario fan it is absolute insanity to me that Nintendo finally listened - and not only listened, but improved even further. The game is so much fun.

Once again my day improved ^^

Ben has great energy but damn I wanted to hear Jake talk more about Spiderman 2

Man I miss the 1UP show. That was must watch KZfaq back in the day.

Ben❤ I remember when Ben left Game Informer and it was a sad day for me, because he has a lot of passion and is a very positive guy, I'm glad that thanks to you I found his new project! Great, substantive podcast as always!💪🔥

I think we need multiple game of the year awards this year because it’s actually unfair how many bangers dropped in 2023

Insomniac is doing better with the integrity of the Spider-Man universe and story that it make me excited to see what they do with that Wolverine game that is in the works.

Varjo Aero is the in-between atm for Quest 3 and Apple Vision. They should be coming out with a new headset soon too, especially based on the fact that they halved their price recently to sub-$1k.

15:00 man hearing Brian talk about how friendship Amy Hennig was amazing and so sweet 👏

Fragile Eagle and Ben Hanson on the pod is a win.

I really loved the story I think it was so well done with how they handled two stories and how Miles and Peter helped lift each other up and reinforce themes

Loved seeing Ben here. Been following him since his Gameinformer days. He felt very natural with the rest of you guys. Great episode.

I haven't played Mario since forever but MAN this made me wanna play Wonders ASAP! 😀

just wanted to add to Ralph's comment on the types of VR people, there's a third category that largely goes unnoticed which is the creative / arts / animation media creation community out there, VR is proving to be an extremely useful tool in just about every way traditional means of creating digital work. It's a very big aspect of VR that isn't considered when people ask "what is vr good at?" and I feel like any creative out there would be amazed by the animation potential (just as an example) of Smoothstep QUILL, (look up spiderverse in VR, it's almost perfect), and it is what puts a headset on my face on the daily for work, never thought I'd say that!

Favorite part was watching this while playing Sping, really been loving Apple Arcade!

I believe I understand what the write in question was trying to convey. In my opinion I believe people are starting to get burnt out with the action/adventure games. God of war, horizon and last of us are amazing works of art by incredibly talented individuals and ABSOLUTELY need to exist. However the last god of war, horizon and last of us games while I LOVED each of their predecessors to death I have yet to play any of the sequels. I want to play them and keep saying to myself I should but I am always of the mindset oh it would be a good winter game or maybe a good sale pickup i am just lacking the drive to buy them when I can afford to do so. Instead I purchase starfield which is by all accounts an inferior product made by a company that is stuck in the past but despite all its short coming I wanted to play an RPG where I can role play and make my experience as deep or shallow as I choose and not always be forced into an established character I have little control over to make my own. If more games came out in the AAA space that followed/improved on Bethesda’s style that would scratch that itch people desperately have and make me want to go back into those other type of experiences as a nice fun breather game and not be roped into another 100+ hour experience right away. This is also in line with my personal feelings regarding marvel movies as I completely lost interest in them all at once. In terms of production most of Disney’s products are done well. Sure not every movie hits but I noticed when they released each characters solo movies or avengers I could predict the story beats before they happened as they all follow a similar formula even if the content in each can be vastly different. The movies and games I enjoy now are the ones that take risks and wild swings. Maybe they do not always land but I applaud the effort and support it fully. I am in my early 30’s so maybe having played so many games and watched so many movies over the course of my life It’s just not as exciting anymore and that’s okay. It’s highly probable the next generation of kids are having the same feelings of awe and amazement I used to have and that’s great. Watching my son play Mario and getting a new item and being ecstatic over his achievements remind me what makes gaming so amazing. ❤

I downloaded SP!NG after hearing about it in this episode, it's definitely worth a look. Good shout-out.

I wonder if the auto-play musical stages in Mario Maker are what lead to the musical levels in Mario Wonder, I only found one so far and it was absolutely delightful!

Omg this is the crossover I didn’t know I needed! Hanson is the best.

2:00:00 Red Dead Redemption and Alan Wake were released on May 10th, 2010. I remember waiting in line with my friends for the midnight release of RDR. Naturally, nearly everybody in the long line was there only for RDR. On a whim, I decided to get AW, simply because I had a good feeling about it. It turned out to be one of my best impulsive purchases ever, because while I liked RDR quite a lot, I *loved* AW.

Meta Quest Discussion starts at 2:31:30 . I thought it was a very interesting talk about the future of VR.

Hey! I've been enjoying the podcast feed. Just wanted y'all to know that Ben's audio isn't coming through on Spotify for whatever reason.

The cross over episode i didn't know i wanted.

FPS on week days is a blessing

Returnal was also a PS5 exclusive. Keep finding myself going back to it, its too addictive!

This makes me very excited for quest 3. I feel I hardly have time for some gaming on my xbox, so not enough bandwidth to explore it right now, but it seems it is getting closer to the "holodeck" fantasy I had from my childhood.

Me watching Hi-Fi Rush's already slim chances of GOTY slip farther and farther away D': But seriously, it's been one hell of a year for gaming, SO MANY great games this year that really anything would be a good pick. Unfortunately, we all know it's going to Rise of Kong.

If Ralph is so amazed by what Quest 3 is capable of he will be blown away when he tries eye tracking in the way Apple will be using it for the first time.

Best podcast around

Imagine if next entry in Spidey was a spiderverse game, with the artistic flair of the movies/hifi rush style animation

Wow Bryan Intihar sounds like such a cool and genuine guy, that I was gonna wait on getting Spider-Man 2 due to having too many games in hand right now and a few others yet to start, but this guy's passion and enthusiasm made me buy the game on PSN while watching it, let's go swing to N.Y right now! :)