Save State Mon, 12 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 en-us © 2026 Vertical Slice Games yes 6f9caa22-7a3c-5c44-aa61-5aa4b943ccc5 Josh at Vertical Slice Games episodic false Save State is the weekly podcast from Vertical Slice Games — sharp takes on the biggest stories in gaming, a look at what’s coming, and the weird stuff you didn’t know you needed to hear about. Hosted by Josh, new every Monday.

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Josh at Vertical Slice Games https://storage.buzzsprout.com/9psf9fu18zpvz2kjkxdm8wz0l9v6?.jpg Save State Save State EP 05 - AI Game Overload Save State EP 05 - AI Game Overload Episode 5 of Save State. This week: Google and Unity want to make game development accessible to almost anyone through AI. That's exciting, but making a playable game and making a good game are two very different things. Josh talks about his own experience with AI, what these tools can actually accomplish, and why Steam's discovery problem could get much worse.

Then we look at Xbox's new XP division, Hollywood's growing interest in gaming, and whether turning games into entertainment franchises could eventually hurt the games themselves. Plus, newly surfaced Perfect Dark footage raises some uncomfortable questions about Microsoft's management of the canceled reboot.

We also cover Sony selling VR patents to Meta, the latest GTA VI leaks, Richard Garriott's efforts to reclaim Ultima, and Star Wars: Galactic Racer. This week's Weird Game is Trash Day, a cooperative adventure about raccoons stealing garbage.

New episodes every Monday.

Don't forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, Checkpoint, and much more. Thank you for your support!

]]> Episode 5 of Save State. This week: Google and Unity want to make game development accessible to almost anyone through AI. That's exciting, but making a playable game and making a good game are two very different things. Josh talks about his own experience with AI, what these tools can actually accomplish, and why Steam's discovery problem could get much worse.

Then we look at Xbox's new XP division, Hollywood's growing interest in gaming, and whether turning games into entertainment franchises could eventually hurt the games themselves. Plus, newly surfaced Perfect Dark footage raises some uncomfortable questions about Microsoft's management of the canceled reboot.

We also cover Sony selling VR patents to Meta, the latest GTA VI leaks, Richard Garriott's efforts to reclaim Ultima, and Star Wars: Galactic Racer. This week's Weird Game is Trash Day, a cooperative adventure about raccoons stealing garbage.

New episodes every Monday.

Don't forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, Checkpoint, and much more. Thank you for your support!

]]> Josh at Vertical Slice Games Buzzsprout-19946085 Mon, 12 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 1761 1 5 full false Save State EP 04 - Games Cost Too Much Save State EP 04 - Games Cost Too Much Episode 4 of Save State. This week: Gears of War: E-Day is nearly here, The Coalition appears to have delivered, and we look at why successful game development can still leave teams worried about what comes after launch.

Then we dig into the live-service obsession that reshaped Sony, why ARC Raiders proves that success can create as many problems as failure, and what the shift from physical games to digital licenses really means for players and publishers.

We also ask whether video games are becoming too expensive to make and too expensive to buy at the same time.

Plus: the Steam Autumn Sale, Checkpoint is now live at Vertical Slice Games, and this week’s Weird Game is Wizard Harder Or Get Laid Off.

New episodes every Monday.

Don’t forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, Checkpoint, and much more. Thank you for your support!

]]> Episode 4 of Save State. This week: Gears of War: E-Day is nearly here, The Coalition appears to have delivered, and we look at why successful game development can still leave teams worried about what comes after launch.

Then we dig into the live-service obsession that reshaped Sony, why ARC Raiders proves that success can create as many problems as failure, and what the shift from physical games to digital licenses really means for players and publishers.

We also ask whether video games are becoming too expensive to make and too expensive to buy at the same time.

Plus: the Steam Autumn Sale, Checkpoint is now live at Vertical Slice Games, and this week’s Weird Game is Wizard Harder Or Get Laid Off.

New episodes every Monday.

Don’t forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, Checkpoint, and much more. Thank you for your support!

]]> Josh at Vertical Slice Games Buzzsprout-19910310 Mon, 05 Oct 2026 06:00:00 -0400 1490 1 4 full false Save State EP 03 - Maybe Halo Needed This Save State EP 03 - Maybe Halo Needed This Episode 3 of Save State. This week: Bungie admits Marathon hasn’t found the audience it hoped for and puts Destiny back at the center of its future, Microsoft pushes deeper into its Xbox reset as Activision takes responsibility for Halo, and Silent Hill somehow completes one of gaming’s strangest franchise comebacks.

Plus: Control Resonant’s verdict is in, Well Dweller is quietly putting up huge review numbers, Garfield is apparently fine, and Gears of War: E-Day enters Early Access this week.

New episodes every Monday.

Don’t forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, and much more. Thank you for your support!

░ slot 09 recovered — where every save begins: CH_CKP_INT

]]> Episode 3 of Save State. This week: Bungie admits Marathon hasn’t found the audience it hoped for and puts Destiny back at the center of its future, Microsoft pushes deeper into its Xbox reset as Activision takes responsibility for Halo, and Silent Hill somehow completes one of gaming’s strangest franchise comebacks.

Plus: Control Resonant’s verdict is in, Well Dweller is quietly putting up huge review numbers, Garfield is apparently fine, and Gears of War: E-Day enters Early Access this week.

New episodes every Monday.

Don’t forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, and much more. Thank you for your support!

░ slot 09 recovered — where every save begins: CH_CKP_INT

]]> Josh at Vertical Slice Games Buzzsprout-19872390 Mon, 28 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400 1619 1 3 full false Save State EP 02 - 78 Is Average Save State EP 02 - 78 Is Average Episode 2 of Save State. This week: a review-score deep dive on why Wolverine's 78 average is basically an insult, Blizzard's enormous bet on 2029 and 2030, a hard look at whether Bungie's Marathon can survive long enough to matter, and a story I didn't expect to be covering — what's actually happening at IGN.

New episodes every Monday.

Don't forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, and much more. Thank you for your support! 

]]> Episode 2 of Save State. This week: a review-score deep dive on why Wolverine's 78 average is basically an insult, Blizzard's enormous bet on 2029 and 2030, a hard look at whether Bungie's Marathon can survive long enough to matter, and a story I didn't expect to be covering — what's actually happening at IGN.

New episodes every Monday.

Don't forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, and much more. Thank you for your support! 

]]> Josh at Vertical Slice Games Buzzsprout-19836882 Mon, 21 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400 1297 1 2 full false Save State EP 01 - Emergency Patch Energy Save State EP 01 - Emergency Patch Energy Episode 1 of Save State. This week: a horror game ships something that should never have made it past QA, Sony has a genuinely strange week losing its biggest auteur bet to Xbox, and I put the law degree to use on Nintendo's tariff-refund "sale." Plus verdicts, what's coming up, and the week's quick hits.

New episodes every Monday.

Don't forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, and much more. Thank you for your support!

]]> Episode 1 of Save State. This week: a horror game ships something that should never have made it past QA, Sony has a genuinely strange week losing its biggest auteur bet to Xbox, and I put the law degree to use on Nintendo's tariff-refund "sale." Plus verdicts, what's coming up, and the week's quick hits.

New episodes every Monday.

Don't forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, and much more. Thank you for your support!

]]> Josh at Vertical Slice Games Buzzsprout-19800189 Mon, 14 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400 1668 1 full false Introducing Save State - A New Weekly Gaming Podcast from VSG Introducing Save State - A New Weekly Gaming Podcast from VSG Welcome to the trailer episode of Save State, a new weekly podcast from Vertical Slice Games (VSG). I'm Josh, and I've spent almost a decade building VSG into an independent, no-nonsense game review aggregator and news outlet. This is the same thing, in your ears: no filler, no padding, just what's worth your time.

New episodes every Monday.

Don't forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, and much more. Thank you for your support!

]]> Welcome to the trailer episode of Save State, a new weekly podcast from Vertical Slice Games (VSG). I'm Josh, and I've spent almost a decade building VSG into an independent, no-nonsense game review aggregator and news outlet. This is the same thing, in your ears: no filler, no padding, just what's worth your time.

New episodes every Monday.

Don't forget to check out VSG at verticalslicegames.com for video game reviews, news, and much more. Thank you for your support!

]]> Josh at Vertical Slice Games Buzzsprout-19773571 Mon, 14 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0400 120 trailer false