Video Games 2 the MAX

Video Games 2 the MAX

Video Games 2 the MAX features a longtime veteran of Games Journalism, Sean Garmer along with either semi-regular co-host and long-time video game reviewer, Marc Morrison or even a guest co-host to discuss everything involving Video Games each week. This includes the games they are playing or reviewing, all the big news of the week in gaming, a special topic, and even some Movies or TV Show topics at times as well. All from the viewpoint of gaming content creators, gaming journalists, and gaming consumers too. The podcast also appears in video form on the W2M Network Youtube channel: (https://www.youtube.com/@W2MNetwork/). Be sure to check out https://w2mnet.com/ for posts about each podcast and more. You can check out Sean's writing over at: https://www.theouterhaven.net/ You can check out Sean's reviews over at: https://opencritic.com/critic/8257/sean-garmer You can also check out all of Marc's reviews over at: https://411mania.com/games You can also follow each of the guys individually on Twitter or Bluesky @W2MSean, @humanityplague, or the entire network @W2MNetwork.

Episodes

December 12, 2025 61 mins
Awards season officially kicks into high gear with The Game Awards 2025 event. Geoff Keighley's combination of ceremony with major game announcements happened, and Sean and Marc have their thoughts on the event, the announcements, and Clair Obscur Expedition 33, virtually completing the sweep of the awards. The guys discuss their favorite announcements and perhaps some that were not there as well. Join us as we discuss it all on th...
Mark as Played
All eyes look forward to Thursday as the Game Awards 2025 takes place, signifying yet another celebration of the year that was in video games, while also looking ahead to what's to come with major announcements and reveals hosted by one Geoff Keighley. Sean and Marc give their predictions on both the award winners and some possible predictions for some of the announcements as well.

Sean has been playing Octopath Traveler 0 and has ...
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Whoops, this was originally recorded on the usual Monday night slot on December 1, Sean just totally didn't realize he forgot to upload it. So here's the original description...

We enter the last month of the year, with this week being the last week of major releases, so why not take a look back at the Best PlayStation 2 games, especially considering that 2025 is the 25th anniversary of the highest-selling console ever? Sean and M...
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PlayStation has had an interesting year, where its smaller output in terms of first-party releases has not hurt it at all in terms of console sales. The gaming giant has made several future-facing announcements, one of which includes the existence of PlayStation 6 not that far down the line. Sean and Marc look into PlayStation's year from its games to its other media endeavors and what things look like heading into the looming 2026...
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In a week full of news, Valve perhaps delivered the most shocking one with the announcement of a Steam controller, a VR headset, the Steam Frame, and the return of the Steam Machine. Can the new, more powerful, and proprietary versions of these devices finally spark a living room movement for PCs? Could this actually be in retail stores? And how much does this hurt Xbox being beaten to the space?

The Game Awards 2025 Nominations ar...
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In just one week, both officially and unofficially, Sony may have signaled that they, too, are looking towards the future with the PlayStation 6, and they've done so by fully unlocking Cloud Streaming on the PlayStation Portal as well. Is the PlayStation Portal now the best value in all of gaming? Plus, could Sony truly be exploring Cross-Buy with their PC Games? Or even introducing a PlayStation PC Storefront? Sean and Marc discus...
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It feels like it just never ends with Xbox in the news, as hot off the heels of the major announcement of HALO going to PlayStation 5 with HALO: Campaign Evolved, comes some news that a Halo 2 and Halo 3 version of the same may also be in development. Plus, some news on the canceled HALO MMO that never was, and how is Don Mattrick involved? Sean and Marc discuss, plus Sean has some highlights from the latest ID @ Xbox showcase, and...
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October 27, 2025 96 mins
A big announcement was expected during the HALO Championship Series, and it certainly delivered, as one of the worst-kept secrets in gaming finally became real: the HALO Combat Evolved remake has evolved into HALO Campaign Evolved. Where all of the story levels are remade in Unreal Engine, a new set of prequel levels is added with Sgt Johnson and Master Chief, and it is also coming to PlayStation 5. Set to make its series debut on ...
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The future of the Xbox platform is real, as the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X are out in the wild and the reviews are all over the place. And while Sean and Marc have not been able to use it themselves, there is a discussion to be had about the various impressions from others about the device and if it could ever get to a point of delivering the true PC/Console Hybrid experience.

Sean also played the newest release from Xbox an...
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Next-gen console rumors are certainly simmering, as both PlayStation and Xbox have had news emerge regarding their potential console or console-like device, potentially releasing as early as 2027. This may mean we get more compelling real news even in 2026. But is it too early for next-gen? Or does it just seem that way? Do we even need Next-Gen as soon as 2027? Sean and Marc discuss this and more.

Compound this with news from Circ...
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The inevitable has occurred for Xbox gamers, as now the "Best Deal in Gaming" Xbox Game Pass Ultimate skyrockets up in price by 50% to $30 a month in the United States, and even more in other regions. PC Game Pass went up to $16.50 as well. The question now is, is it still worth it? Well, the rush to cancel Game Pass was big enough to crash the cancellation page. Is this the sign of the end? Or is it once again a lot of grandstandi...
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Just when you think it may be a great week to celebrate games, here comes a huge gaming business deal that has the potential to change the fortunes of a major gaming publisher. Announced on Monday, EA was taken private for $55 billion by the Saudi Arabia Private Investment Fund and two other private investment firms. Sean and Marc discuss what this could mean for EA, its employees, and could some of EA's big franchises could go dow...
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It feels like deja vu has hit all over again, with Microsoft announcing yet another price increase on Xbox consoles. Is it really all about macroeconomic conditions? Should we be concerned about what the next-gen Xbox console will actually become? Do Sean and Marc have concerns that there could even be one at this rate? And why haven't Microsoft revealed the price of the ROG Xbox handhelds yet, with less than a month to go now befo...
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September 15, 2025 100 mins
Nintendo surprised with an announcement of a 60-minute Nintendo Direct that happened on Friday, and boy did they have some things to announce, including the title of the next Mario Movie being Super Mario Galaxy, a new Fire Emblem game, the release date for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and a heck of a lot more. Sean and Marc discuss their favorite things from the Big Direct. Was it Fire? Or was it a bit of a smokescreen?

Also, Nintendo...
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After years of waiting and anticipation building for its ultimate release, Hollow Knight Silksong is FINALLY out, and Sean has played at least the first few areas. How is this game for newcomers to the series? Does it make it easy to get into the flow of things? And how long does it take to get difficult? (Not very long).

Once again, Xbox Game Pass is under fire this time from former Xbox executives who are concerned about its effe...
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September 2, 2025 120 mins
Apologies for being a day late, as the Labor Day holiday delayed the episode. But at least there's plenty to discuss on this episode, mainly PlayStation, as a leak has surfaced from the reliable Moore's Law is Dead, stating that the PlayStation 6 Portable could be available at the launch of the console and will be presented as its own unique SKU, and not tied to the console like the PS Portal. Is this forward-thinking by Sony? Or c...
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Post Gamescom 2025, there are even more games coming soon, whether it be this holiday season or beyond into 2026. Perhaps the most anticipated title of all, Hollow Knight Silksong FINALLY has a release date and its soon on September 4. Is this giving Sean and Marc the itch to play the first one again? Are they excited about the game? And will it deliver on all the hype?

Sean's also been playing Mafia: The Old Country, and Marc's al...
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August 20, 2025 52 mins
On a day we don't normally do an episode, Sean and Marc discuss the Gamescom Opening Night Live event and which announcements they are excited about from the show. But also, was it something you really need to go out of your way to see?

Plus, PlayStation 5 price increases in the USA, Shawn Layden says prices should already be $80 because they should have increased with each console generation, The Kirby Air Riders Direct, Helldiver...
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Well, it was an interesting week for gaming with Nintendo unveiling their latest Indie World and the prize of that showcase was assuredly Mina the Hollower, and the best part was that a demo was availabe immediately, so Sean gave the game a whirl and he's defintely excited for October 31 to get here quickly.

Also, Sony has fantastic PS5 sales, essentially putting them right in line with PS4 numbers, while their CFO makes some inter...
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The beginning of a new month brings with it a sense of excitement about what lies ahead, while also putting the previous month's issues in the rear view. However, for Nintendo, there's one thing that seemingly will not go away, and that's the controversy regarding Game Key Cards. Physical game collectors like Marc are not happy about the half-measure that allows third-party publishers to save money, while somewhat providing a physi...
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