421 Clair Obscur Expedition 33, Split Fiction and Arc Raiders

This week we try a new AA game from former Ubisoft developers called Clair Obscur Expedition 33. It's inspired by Belle Époque France and JRPG's. This is the best game we've played this year. From the art style, to the music to the complex turn-based combat, this game has it all to make for a great game. The storytelling is incredible and the world they built is stunning. You have to see it to believe it. It will be hard to beat this game this year!

We also review Split Fiction, the follow up to the 2021 Game of the Year: It Takes Two. In Split Fiction, you play either Mio or Zoe. Both are writers, one of science fiction and the other fantasy who end up in a simulation of their own stories. They have to work together to escape. It has great gameplay, gorgeous graphics and is a fun ride start to finish.

Brett also gets his hands on the tech test for the extraction shooter Arc Raiders from Embark Studios. Embark is known for the game Brett is obsessed with called The Finals and this is their take on an extraction shooter genre. This game is hard but full of style. The graphics are incredible, the performance is outstanding and the world is very immersive with great sound design. We can't wait for this one to release later this year.

Lastly, we talk about Borderlands 4 and our hype from the State of Play. It is going more open world than before and we can't wait to see what's around the corner. It looks great! We also have some not so fun news from Xbox where they have announced price increases for their consoles and video games later this year. Will this make it harder to sell new games? Or will people gravitate away from AAA and towards the AA space?

Show Notes:
1:09 - Housekeeping
2:45 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Review
40:05 - Split Fiction Review
57:48 - Arc Raiders: Proving What Extraction Shooters Can Be
1:31:57 - Borderlands 4: Do They Still Have What it Takes?
1:47:18 - Microsoft Xbox Price Increases
2:09:30 - Upcoming Video Game Releases

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Credits:
"Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.net
Woman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress
"Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64