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Unofficial Controller PodcastAuthor: Unofficial Controller
Your number one weekly gaming podcast for all the latest Sony Playstation , Microsoft Xbox , Nintendo Switch and PC News. Retrospectives , Readers Mail and Industry Chat. Language: en-us Genres: Games, Leisure, Video Games Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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We Compare Rebirth’s Open World To Horizon, Xenoblade, And Breath Of The Wild
Episode 301
Sunday, 18 January, 2026
Send us a textFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth grabbed us by the scruff and reminded us how an open world can feel alive without drowning you in chores. We dig into why the new exploration loop works—think the curiosity of Breath of the Wild, the gathering rhythm of Horizon, and a dash of Xenoblade’s scale—then point to the quiet magic of Kalm, a bustling town that feels worth lingering in. Streamlined materia and upgrades reduce menu tax, while crafting makes scavenging meaningful. It’s modern without losing that FF7 heart.From there, we zoom into small-but-mighty experiences. Cast and Chill is cozy pixel fishing at its best, with a controversial idle mode that prints progress while you’re away. Is it a smart quality-of-life choice or a shortcut that dulls the grind? We weigh both sides. Then it’s retro time: Evercade’s Taito Collection 2 brings back Rastan and friends, proving how licensed, curated collections can preserve feel and friction with save-state respect.We also get brutally honest about a hyped handheld clone. The screen’s great and Game Boy shines, but performance above SNES gets patchy, audio artifacts crop up, and marketing outpaces reality. If you want Pokémon nostalgia on the go, it’s serviceable; serious retro fans should aim for better hardware or curated platforms.News highlights deliver whiplash: Sony quietly axing thousands of low-effort shovelware titles (a win for curation and a wake-up call for trophy culture), Yakuza Kiwami 3 remastered with a playable Game Gear lineup that celebrates Sega’s heritage, and widespread GameStop/EB Games closures that make physical browsing even rarer. We talk discoverability, why shelves still matter, and how indie gems get lost in algorithmic noise.Stick around for what we’re playing next—more Rebirth, Evercade experiments, and a return to Metroid Prime Remastered’s atmospheric corridors. If you enjoy smart takes on game design, storefront ethics, and the joy of finding a world you can’t stop thinking about, hit follow, share with a friend, and drop a review. Your support helps us keep the good stuff coming.Support the showJoin our fantastic discord https://discord.gg/v7RFSUcG If link has expired then message us at questions@unofficialcontrollerpodcast.com or DM us on instagram or X and we'll send you an invite. Cheers gamers! Subscription Tiers $3 Name read out on every show Access to unglorious chat section of discord Quarterly Zoom meet up $5 Name read out on every show Access to unglorious chat section of discord Quarterly Zoom meet up A single item of yearly limited art merch $8 Name read out on every show Access to unglorious chat section of discord Quarterly Zoom meet up A single item of yearly limited art merch Yearly art merch mug $10 Name read out on every show Access to unglorious chat section of discord Quarterly Zoom meet up A single item of yearly limited art merch Yearly art merch mug Yearly art merch t-shirt Thanks to all who subscribe, it means the world to us and really helps us keep the shows going.
