#431 | Tastes Like Luck, But Feels Clear

There's simply no denying that Naughty Dog's absence this generation is deeply felt. Apart from a couple of ports and a defunct, half-made multiplayer project, Sony's crown jewel studio hasn't contributed much of anything to PS5. Thankfully, that's on the verge of changing, not only as we get late in this cycle, but ever-closer to PlayStation 6. Three important pieces of news emerged: Intergalactic will be shown-off next year, a new Uncharted is indeed in development and will come to market following Intergalactic, and two The Last of Us projects are being incubated as well (one presumably The Last of Us: Part III). For the first time in ages, we have a clearer and more robust view into what Sony's most important team is planning for the next half-decade and well beyond. Is it time to celebrate? Or will the proof be in the pudding? Plus: Sony is skipping CES for the first time since 1967, a new look at God of War: Laufey's combat shows something decidedly DMC, AI upscaling comes to base PlayStation 5, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Why do so many "spiritual successors" fail to live up to the original? What's with all of the 10s IGN gives out these days? Should players embrace 'the grind' in video games, or seek ways around it? Who has the audacity to schedule a wedding on Christmas Eve? Visit https://www.prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/SACRED and use code SACRED and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup! Get 10% off your first month at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols Download Cash App today and make your money work for you. https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/ty57yree #CashAppPartner Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card (https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement), Sutton debit flex card (https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/debit-flex-card-agreement-sutton), and Bancorp debit flex card (https://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/debit-flex-card-agreement-bancorp). Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement. 0:00:00 - Intro0:28:56 - LSM quality0:31:25 - PSP Marcus0:38:23 - Don't play Sacred around your kids0:52:26 - Wedding on Christmas Eve0:59:57 - Mike Tomlin's Minecraft city1:05:29 - Sony is skipping CES1:16:49 - Naughty Dog's future1:39:58 - Uncharted 4 spoilers start2:01:00 - God of War: Laufey pre-orders are live2:09:07 - QSSR introduced on base PS52:16:42 - PlayStation 5 jailbreak2:28:27 - Sony Japan's PS5 Pro lottery2:36:07 - Kena 2 pushed to 20272:39:01 - Portal's battery update2:44:01 - Sony credit card patent2:47:32 - Ubisoft's mega-studio: Massive Entertainment2:51:30 - New Person sales figures2:56:57 - October PS+ games2:59:30 - What We’re Playing (Silent Hill: Townfall, Ace Combat 8, Control Resonant)3:36:36 - Reducing hand holding in games3:47:53 - Spiritual successors missing the mark3:54:43 - Modern gaming ADHD4:02:02 - Physint on PlayStation4:09:59 - Steam's personal calendar4:13:08 - 10/10s Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices