New Game Plus Podcast - Episode 8

Joel and Zach talk through a mix of gaming news and opinions, from Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse and a World of Warcraft–Dungeons & Dragons crossover to AI in games, indie horror adaptations, Arc Raiders’ PvE mode, and League of Legends Worlds.

Key topics

· Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse — What makes the upcoming Metroidvania appealing, and when games like it fit between major releases.

· WoW and Dungeons & Dragons crossover — The campaign setting, new options for players, and the cost of the related products.

· Gaming and product collaborations — Why collaborations work best when they offer practical value, not just branding.

· AI in games — Creative uses of AI mods and concerns about replacing human creative work.

· Indie horror game adaptations — The reported film projects and how games such as Amanda the Adventurer could translate to the screen.

· PvE in Arc Raiders and League of Legends Worlds — How a PvE option could change Arc Raiders, plus the teams, format, and competitive scene at Worlds.

Games Mentioned

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Hades, Dead Cells, World of Warcraft, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto V, Batman: Arkham Knight, Amanda the Adventurer, Arc Raiders, League of Legends, Smite, Rocket League

Follow us

TikTok, Instagram, Threads, and YouTube: @offscriptmediaofficial

Twitch: offscript media

X: @offscriptduo

Also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts (links located in our bio)

If you enjoyed the episode, follow, subscribe, and check back next week for more gaming talk, hot takes, and off-script conversation.

Timestamps

0:00 – Introduction and Episode Overview

01:24 – Discussion on Castlevania Belmont’s Curse

06:10 – Discussion on Dungeons and Dragons and the new World of Warcraft crossover

12:47 – Do collabs interest you in a product?

17:15 – Patch Notes: Meshing games together using mods

19:25 – Patch Notes: Discussion about AI in games

21:56 – Patch Notes: Blumhouse Productions creating horror movies based on indie games

26:21 – Arc Raiders PVE mode testing

32:28 – League of Legends Worlds

35:39 – Faker is the MJ of League of Legends

42:00 – Closing remarks and future plans

New Game Plus Podcast - Episode 7

Joel and Zach kick things off with a loose, off-the-cuff gaming conversation that moves from what they have been playing into patch notes, sales records, and a rapid-fire game of higher or lower. The biggest discussion points are RuneScape Dragon Wilds, Blood of Dawnwalker, Exodus, the Witcher 3 remaster, and a handful of surprise industry updates. This episode is a mix of game impressions, hype for upcoming releases, and a few very chaotic bits of trivia. If you like gaming news with a casual brotherly back-and-forth, this one covers a lot of ground.

If you would like to try Higher or Lower for yourself: https://www.higherorlowergame.com/video-games/

Key topics

• Zach shares his RuneScape Dragon Wilds grind
• Joel reflects on finishing Blood of Dawnwalker too early
• Exodus gets a long preview discussion
  • They talk about the game’s Mass Effect inspiration, its 40,000-years-in-the-future setting, recruitable crew, and the strange but memorable sentient frog character.
• A mod turns Batman Arkham Knight into a Spider-Man playground
  • Zach brings up Ark Web, an open-source PC mod that lets players swing through Gotham as Spider-Man.
• RuneScape 4 and the wider RuneScape roadmap come up
• The Witcher 3 remaster looks great, but only on stronger hardware
  • Joel compares PS5 and PC performance, noting that the PC version makes the upgraded visuals much more obvious.
  • He also notes the Steam player spike and the game’s continued popularity years after launch.
• Gears of War E Day is pulling strong early numbers
• They play a round of Higher or Lower
  • The rapid-fire segment turns into a mix of correct guesses, hard misses, and some very specific gaming trivia.
• The episode wraps with listener shoutouts and channel updates

Games Mentioned

RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Blood of Dawnwalker, Exodus, Batman: Arkham Knight, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, The Witcher 3, Gears of War: E-Day, Star Wars: Zero Company, Skyrim, Terraria, Dragon Quest XI, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Madden NFL 09, Resident Evil 4, Metal Gear Solid, Street Fighter, Crash Bandicoot, and Guitar Hero.

Follow us

TikTok, Instagram, Threads, and YouTube: @offscriptmediaofficial

Twitch: offscript media

X: @offscriptduo

Also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts (links located in our bio)

If you enjoyed the episode, follow, subscribe, and check back next week for more gaming talk, hot takes, and off-script conversation.

Timestamps

0:00 – Welcome to Episode 07

01:04 – RuneScape: Dragonwilds update and end of season content

01:59 – Discussing RuneScape: Dragonwilds and its seasons

03:05 – Blood of Dawnwalker: fast completion and side quests

06:16 – Preview of Exodus and its storyline

13:07 – Patch Notes: Batman Arkham Knight mod and more

19:33 – RuneScape 4 announcement and future roadmap

22:26 – The Witcher 3 Remaster: visuals and performance

25:14 – Steam payer records and community reception

27:54 – Gears of War early access and player engagement

33:08 – New Segment: Higher or Lower

43:21 – Closing remarks and next week's plans

New Game Plus Podcast - Episode 6

In this episode, Joel and Zach discuss the freedom and survival systems in RuneScape Dragon Wilds, the upcoming Witcher 3 remaster, and why a campaign-only option for Call of Duty would make sense. They also dig into Microsoft’s ad system patent, a high school class using video games as literature, Destiny 2 content being unvaulted, and the strong beta response for World of Warcraft: Wild Forever.

Games as literature class: https://teachingwithvideogames.com/about-us

Key topics

• Zach breaks down why RuneScape Dragon Wilds works for him even though he never liked classic RuneScape’s point-and-click style.
• Zach says he has already put 55.8 hours into RuneScape Dragon Wilds in about a week and still has not finished the story.
• Joel explains why The Witcher 3 is one of his all-time favorite games and why the remaster has him excited again.
• The Witcher 3 remaster adds upgraded visuals and performance, PS5 Pro support, reimagined skill systems, improved combat, refreshed UI, transmog, mod integration, and new quests and equipment.
• Joel argues that Call of Duty should offer a campaign-only purchase option instead of forcing players to pay for multiplayer they may not want.
• The duo reacts to Microsoft’s patent for in-game ads and agrees that ads placed after cutscenes, boss fights, or quests would break immersion.
• The discussion on video games as literature highlights how games can teach narrative structure, character analysis, and thematic interpretation.
• Destiny 2’s unvaulting of old campaigns, raids, strikes, and maps is treated as a long-requested community win.
• World of Warcraft: Wild Forever’s beta is generating unusually strong excitement, with Zach especially interested in trying an undead character.

Games Mentioned

RuneScape Dragon Wilds, The Witcher 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, The Last of Us, Hades 2, Tall Tales, Red Dead Redemption 2, Destiny 2, World of Warcraft: World Forever, God of War

Notable quotes

“I love it. And for the thirty-dollar price tag, I will recommend it to anybody.”

“I have spent probably over a hundred dollars total at Fortnite.”

“We've got something really special here in WoW: Forever.”

Follow us

TikTok, Instagram, Threads, and YouTube: @offscriptmediaofficial

Twitch: offscript media

X: @offscriptduo

Also find us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts (links located in our bio)

If you enjoyed the episode, follow, subscribe, and check back next week for more gaming talk, hot takes, and off-script conversation.

Timestamps

0:00 — Introduction and Episode Overview

0:53 — What Have We Been Playing?

1:57 — Zach’s RuneScape Dragon Wilds Review

13:50 — Witcher 3 Remastered Is Out Now

20:18 — Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 Discussion

27:17 — Patch Notes

28:07 — In-Game Ads and Industry Trends

34:05 — God of War Laufey Breakdown

41:35 — New High School Class: Video Games as Literature

43:13 — Video Games as Literature in Education

49:41 — Destiny 2 Revival

56:00 — Unexpected WoW: Forever Beta Numbers