It's time for our End of the Year Holiday Special!

Join State of the Save, as we break down our favorite games of 2025, our personal Game Awards highlights, and the game's we're looking forward to most next year.

Also, our GameClub format returns in 2026! Join uas as we finish our multi-year long Metal Gear saga with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots!

Want to play along:

Finish ACT 2 by the next episode!

Follow @StateOfTheSave on Instagram and Bluesky for updates, and catch streams, clips, and highlights on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Subscribe and leave a review—every rating helps more listeners discover the show.

This week on State of the Save, Michael and Eric dive into two famously ambitious but undeniably flawed games: Hulk for the PlayStation 2 and Obsidian’s cult-favorite spy RPG Alpha Protocol. From chaotic superhero destruction to branching espionage gone off the rails, both titles spark a deeper conversation about what makes broken-but-bold games so fascinating.

Michael also shares his time with Guilty Gear Strive, exploring its insane characters and bonkers style, along with the surprisingly deep Kirby Air Riders. Eric checks in with an update on his growing CloverPit addiction and how it’s shaping his week in gaming, and his return to Night City in Cyberpunk 2077.

Looking ahead, our next episode will be our annual Holiday Special, where we break down our favorite games of the year and highlight the releases that defined our 2024 playlists.

Then, starting in January, we’re bringing back the classic GameClub format for a full three-part deep dive into Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Just like our earlier GameClub series, we’ll take the game section by section, analyzing story beats, gameplay systems, major themes, standout moments, and the legacy it left behind.

Follow @StateOfTheSave on Instagram and Bluesky for updates, and catch streams, clips, and highlights on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Subscribe and leave a review—every rating helps more listeners discover the show.

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro

4:02 - Guilty Gear Strive

15:03 - Kirby Air Rider

21:30 - Cyberpunk 2077

30:20 - CloverPit

37:47 - Hulk (2003)

1:00:33 - Alpha Protocol

1:23:40 - Game of the Year Show/METAL GEAR SOLID 4!

In this episode of State of the Save, Michael finally plays Halo 3: ODST… but before he can even talk about the game, he drops a long-kept secret about his personal history with the Halo franchise that changes everything.

Eric takes on Return of the Obra Dinn, the critically acclaimed investigative adventure from Lucas Pope. With its meticulous logic puzzles and unforgettable art style, it pulls him in like a gripping mystery novel he can’t put down.

The guys also delve into the 2025 games they missed, along with the 2026 games worth looking forward to, the ways Call of Duty Black Ops 7 falls short, and Michael’s sudden obsession with Hypnospace Outlaw.

To wrap it up, they trade picks for the next episode—two flawed but fascinatingly ambitious games from the PS2/Xbox 360 era.

Follow @StateOfTheSave on Instagram and Bluesky for updates, and catch streams, clips, and highlights on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok. Subscribe and leave a review to help more listeners discover the show!

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro

3:15 - Call of Duty: Black Ops 7

9:00 - 2025 Games as the year wraps up

19:30 - Final Fantasy XVI

21:20 - Hypnospace Outlaw

31:54 - Return of the Obra Dinn

55:10 - Halo 3: ODST

1:30:15- Michael's Pick for Eric

1:34:30 - Eric's Pick with Michael