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Welcome back to another exciting edition of The Game Informer Show, where we’re breaking down a huge slate of announcements from Gamescom Opening Night Live, including looks at Saints Row, Halo Infinite, and so much more! We even got a February release date for Horizon Forbidden West. We’re also discussing our Psychonauts 2 review and our hands-on time with Riders Republic! 

If that wasn’t enough, The Council of Alexes is joined by GI’s own EIC Andrew Reiner and special guest Jesse Vitelli, editor at Prima Games, for all the fun. 

On top of another excellent section of Community Emails, we also maybe join a cult? You’ll just have to tune in to find out.

Follow the crew on Twitter: Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76), Alex Van Aken (@itsVanAken), Andrew Reiner (@Andrew_Reiner), and Jesse Vitelli (@jessevitelli).

The Game Informer Show is a weekly gaming podcast covering the latest video game news, industry topics, exclusive reveals, and reviews. Join hosts Alex Stadnik and Alex Van Aken every Thursday to chat about your favorite games – past and present – with Game Informer staff, developers, and special guests from all around the industry. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Topic of the Show:

Psychonauts 2 Review Discussion

Psychonauts fans have waited 16 long years for another mainline entry in the series but now the pain is over. Psychonauts 2 is here and with it comes a joyful return to what developer Double Fine does best. Join protagonist Raz as he attempts to rise through the ranks of the intern program while trying to solve the mysteries of who kidnapped the head of the psychic spy organization and why someone is trying to bring back one of the world’s most dangerous psychic minds back from the dead. Wrap all that in amazing dream-like worlds and a wonderfully creative and thoughtful story and you’ve got a sequel that was well worth the wait.

Check out our Psychonauts 2 review here.

The Playlist:

Game Informer Staff discuss the games they’re playing.

The Playlist this week is only a single course, but the entree is one we think you’ll like. Join Alex Van Aken as he dives into his hands-on time with Ubisoft’s new extreme sports title and tells you why it may be one of his most anticipated games of 2021!

Listener Questions:

The Game Informer crew answers your burning questions.

This week the Game Informer community asks about The Last of Us TV Show, what spiritual successors we want in the vein of Back 4 Blood, and whether or not a community member should buy a Switch or a Wii U for his nieces and nephew!

Read their questions below, or submit your own via the Official Game Informer Community Discord or by emailing us at Podcast@GameInformer.com

“I enjoyed your discussion a while back on video game movies and TV shows but would like to discuss it a bit more, primarily The Last of US. There seems to be two major opinions on this future show.  Opinion A: I’ve already seen it while playing the game. Why are they bothering? Opinion B: I enjoyed it and want to experience it again, but don’t want to play through the whole thing again. Hooray. Of those two, I am of the mindset of opinion B, but I propose a different view altogether, which I think is a more important way of viewing it. Opinion C: I loved this story and want to share it with people including ones that would never play and complete the game. Now I have a way to enjoy this amazing story with them. My wife plays games, but not this kind of game. (Same goes for Witcher.). The gameplay might be important in experiencing the game, but not that important in a character-driven and story-focused game like The Last of Us. No more than seeing a movie in the theater. It might make it better, but it can be appreciated nonetheless. What are your thoughts on this now? Are you more A, B, or C?” – Andrew Flanagan

Hello, Game Informers I hope all is well. After playing the Back 4 Blood beta and really feeling that Left 4 Dead-style but enjoying the new things that turtle rock added to make back 4 blood its own game. What other franchises would you like to get a spiritual successor of in the same way that back 4 blood is to left 4 dead? – Andre from Toronto Ontario.

I have a brother-in-law that doesn’t play many games and I would like to get my nieces and nephew into gaming. I would like to get everyone’s viewpoint on this matter. I think it would be great to get them a Wii U because it has a great library and it doesn’t break the bank or should I go with the switch and buy only a couple of games. I did this with my kids, and we got the Wii U because it was cheaper and easier for the kids’ controller-wise. I don’t want to spend a lot of money just in case they are not interested. Thanks for the advice. – Mike Peck

If comments are still showing as disabled, a site update is happening on our side that has caused a temporary takedown. We hope to have them back up and running soon so our community can go back to sharing their thoughts with us about everything gaming-related! 

Source: Game Informer Gamescom 2021, Psychonauts 2 Review, And Riders Republic | GI Show