Gaming Subscriptions: The beginning or end? 🤔 | Episode 58 | Xbox shake up , Quiz + Much More!

🎙️ Join Heather, Tom, Stu, and TommyT as this week’s episode dives into gaming subscription services — are they actually saving us money, or just quietly costing more over time? The crew break down the value (or lack of it), alongside a packed catch-up on what they’ve been playing — plus a quiz at the end if you fancy testing yourself. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro & what we’ve been playing 00:25:12 - Gaming News & New Games! 🗞️ 00:42:21 - Questions from Discord ❓ 01:06:58 - Main topic : gaming subs 01:46:21 - Gaming quiz time! 🥳 01:53:18 - Pun of the Week! & Shout outs Find all of our links here: Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/gameolder2024⁠⁠⁠ Discord:⁠   / discord   Twitter/X: https://x.com/GameOlderPod Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠   / @gameolder2024   Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠  / ⁠⁠⁠   Contact us: ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠ Discount codes and shout-outs: Bitmap Books 5% off all purchases: OLDER5 ⁠bitmapbooks.com⁠ Please don't forget to rate and review us wherever you listen, along with hitting the follow/subscribe button! ---------------- 🎮 What we’ve been playing: Stu has been smashing Resident Evil 9: Requiem, calling it unreal and praising its mix of classic exploration, crafting mechanics, and modern polish. He’s loving both Grace and Leon’s sections and is already eyeing up Resident Evil 4 next. He also dipped back into Marathon, though admits it’s best played with friends. TommyT is still deep in Resident Evil Revelations, enjoying finally playing one he hasn’t touched before. But the big one is Crimson Desert — now fully hooked after multiple updates, praising its stunning world, addictive gameplay loop, and constant improvements, despite still criticising its weak story. Tom has been mixing things up with a bit of everything: Yakuza 3 (mostly ignoring the story for chaotic side content like “dad simulator” and biker gang battles) OutRun 2 for a leader board challenge Dead Rising (Xbox 360) — revisiting the janky but nostalgic original Plus a bit of retro anime pickup nostalgia with Dominion Tank Police Heather finally finished Death Stranding 2 (100+ hours deep), praising how incredible it looks on the PS5 Pro. She’s also completed Reanimal, started Little Nightmares 3, played Frostpunk 2, and jumped into Dying Light: The Beast — enjoying its classic zombie-smashing chaos despite some co-op issues. 📰 Gaming News Highlights: Rumours suggest Call of Duty may skip Xbox Game Pass, raising questions about the value of subscriptions vs full-price releases. Rockstar Games reportedly hacked again, with threats to leak data unless a ransom is paid — continuing the chaos around GTA 6 leaks. YouTube Premium price increases highlight the wider trend of rising subscription costs across entertainment services. Epic Games faces criticism for raising prices (like V-Bucks) while also cutting staff. Amazon Luna is dropping game purchases entirely, shifting fully toward streaming/subscription access. Dreamcast modding scene continues to impress, with a fan-made Resident Evil 4 style demo proving what the console can do — plus wild hardware mods like DVD support. Xbox UI and achievement system updates finally roll out, bringing long-requested quality-of-life improvements. 🎮 Upcoming releases: Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss (16 April) – narrative cosmic horror investigation Mouse: P.I. For Hire (16 April) – stylish 1930s cartoon shooter Outbound (23 April) – cosy co-op survival builder Pragmata (24 April) – highly rated sci-fi action title from Capcom He-Man: Masters of the Universe (28 April) – classic-style co-op beat ‘em up