Today · 9 min
DL
Leisure
Destin Legarie Podcast | Save State Plus
Destin Legarie
Gaming industry interviews, analysis, and conversations with Destin Legarie. Featuring developers, creators, and insiders from across the industry.
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/savestateplus/subscribe
- 22 episodes
- Updated Today
Episodes22
- DLYesterday · 10 min
Xbox CEO Just Announced Platinum Trophy Achievements Are Coming
Huge Xbox news today from Xbox CEO Asha Sharma. Platinum Trophies! Xbox is rolling out several long-requested console improvements, including party and game chat audio in captures, better achievement sorting, cloud-save restoration, and larger wishlists. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma also teased a new achievement reward similar to PlayStation’s Platinum Trophy for later this year.Meanwhile, reports claim Microsoft’s next Xbox could support games across all five generations, although that backward-compatibility detail remains unconfirmed. Xbox also surprised players with Quake: Dawn of the Machine, a free new episode created by MachineGames and released for existing Quake owners.After years of criticism, is Xbox finally listening to its core audience and rebuilding the console experience?
- DLThursday · 15 min
Beast of Reincarnation - We Weren't Expecting This
Beast of Reincarnation is finally here, and Game Freak’s new action RPG is unlike anything the Pokémon developer has made before. After spending time exploring its post-apocalyptic Japan, fighting alongside Koo, and learning its parry-focused combat system, I’m sharing my early review thoughts with Sarthe.The game combines fast katana combat with command-based abilities from your canine companion, creating something that feels inspired by games like Sekiro, NieR: Automata, and Stellar Blade while still trying to establish an identity of its own.Here’s what I think works, what still concerns me, and whether Beast of Reincarnation is worth playing.Beast of Reincarnation launched August 4, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. It is also available through Xbox Game Pass.
- DLTuesday · 10 min
Xbox Disc to Digital Program Revealed
Xbox is developing a new Disc-to-Digital program designed to let players use physical Xbox One and Xbox Series game discs across the wider Xbox ecosystem, including devices without disc drives. According to information sent to ID@Xbox publishers, players insert an eligible disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console with an optical drive. Xbox then grants a digital license connected to both the player’s account and the physical disc. That game can subsequently follow the player to other supported Xbox devices.
- DLMonday · 12 min
Xbox Cloud Gaming First Impressions | Long Wait Times
Xbox is testing a new ad-supported way to play games through Xbox Cloud Gaming without paying for a Game Pass subscription. I tried the experience with Gears of War to see how the ads work, how well the game performs through the cloud, and whether this could become a legitimate alternative to buying an Xbox console.The current Xbox Insider test allows players to stream select games they already own in one-hour sessions. Ads appear before the session rather than interrupting gameplay, but the actual experience still depends heavily on streaming quality, latency, image clarity, and your internet connection.In this video, I break down what worked, what didn’t, and whether Xbox’s free ad-supported streaming model feels like the future of gaming or another compromise.
- DLSunday · 19 min
Here's Why All-Digital Gaming Future Terrifies Me
Xbox and PlayStation outages are offering an unsettling look at gaming’s increasingly all-digital future. During a recent Xbox network outage, some players reported being unable to launch digital games and even certain disc-based games. Microsoft says physical games should not have been affected and blamed a licensing issue that failed to recognize locally stored entitlements. A permanent fix is reportedly being developed. That incident came shortly after a PlayStation Network outage disrupted access to PSN and the Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls open beta. Meanwhile, Sony is moving forward with plans to stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation releases beginning in January 2028, despite the backlash. New games released after that date will instead be sold digitally through the PlayStation Store and retailers, potentially through download codes sold in boxes. In this video, I discuss why these outages expose the risks of an all-digital gaming industry, why buying a game should guarantee meaningful long-term access, and why consumer-protection legislation may now be necessary.
- DLAugust 1 · 9 min
Xbox Gamescom 2026 Lineup is Massive
Xbox has revealed its plans for Gamescom 2026, including 25 games across 140 demo stations, two live broadcasts, and major appearances from Gears of War: E-Day, Fable, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Forza Horizon 6, Alien: Isolation 2, Halo: Campaign Evolved and more. It should be an exciting moment for Xbox, but while talking about the company’s history and its 25th anniversary, I discovered that my original Xbox 360 may finally be broken. That console represents an important period of my life and career, and the realization hit me harder than expected. Xbox’s Gamescom broadcasts are scheduled for August 26 and August 27 at 7 a.m. PT.
- DLJuly 31 · 9 min
Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review: Is This Tom Holland’s Best Spider-Man Movie?
SPOILER FREE Spider-Man: Brand New Day is finally here, bringing Tom Holland back as Peter Parker for his fourth solo Spider-Man movie. In this spoiler-free review, I discuss the story, action, performances, new characters, and whether Brand New Day delivers the fresh start promised after Spider-Man: No Way Home.
- DLJuly 31 · 11 min
Xbox CEO Just Leaked Their BIGGEST Plan Yet
Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has revealed the company’s new plan following major layoffs, falling gaming revenue, studio changes, and what Microsoft has described as a reset for the business. Xbox now says it will return to player and revenue growth by the end of fiscal year 2027, improve profitability, strengthen its console platform, turn its games into larger global franchises, expand Minecraft as a creator platform, and bring its biggest properties into film, television, merchandise, sponsorships, and live experiences.
- DLJuly 31 · 24 min
The Real Reason Xbox Helix Won't Work
Windows Central has raised an excellent question about Xbox Project Helix: Can Microsoft build an affordable next-generation Xbox that also gives players access to PC games and competing storefronts like Steam? Traditional consoles can be sold at lower prices because platform holders make money when players purchase games through their stores. But if Xbox Helix owners immediately move over to Steam, Microsoft could lose the software revenue that normally helps subsidize the hardware. That could leave Microsoft with an extremely expensive Xbox, a restricted version of Windows, or some kind of compromise between the two. I love the premise behind Xbox Helix and the idea of combining console simplicity with PC freedom, but I have some thoughts about the assumptions being made, the importance of Steam, and whether Microsoft actually needs Helix to function like a completely open gaming PC.
- DLJuly 25 · 11 min
God of War Laufey: We Need To Talk About Release Dates
God of War Laufey at SDCC Revealed some cool new details. Like the release date! God of War Laufey officially releases on February 16, 2027, but that date puts Sony’s next major PS5 exclusive directly into one of the most crowded release windows we’ve seen. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Persona 4 Revival, Fable, Metro 2039, and now God of War Laufey are all targeting February 2027. Somebody is eventually going to move, right?
- DLJuly 25 · 8 min
All Marvel Wolverine Details From SDCC 2026
Marvel’s Wolverine just had its biggest reveal yet at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. Insomniac Games debuted a new story trailer featuring Logan, Jean Grey, Sabretooth, Mystique, Team X, Bolivar Trask, Deathstrike and The Hand.
- DLJuly 23 · 10 min
Halo Campaign Evolved Review: The Best Version of Halo
Halo Campaign Evolved modernizes the original Halo with completely rebuilt visuals, redesigned environments, new missions, additional weapons, and major quality-of-life improvements. The improved lighting and visual direction make confusing levels like The Library much easier to navigate, while 42 hidden Skulls and 13 Terminals add plenty of replayability. However, technical issues, crashes, and controversial changes to Master Chief and Cortana keep the remake from being perfect.
- DLJuly 23 · 9 min
Xbox's Legacy Just Got a MASSIVE Upgrade
Xbox just launched Backward Compatibility on PC, bringing four original Xbox classics to Windows PCs and handhelds for the first time. But after speaking with Xbox ahead of today's announcement, it sounds like these four games are only the beginning.
- DLJuly 23 · 8 min
This Is What Happens When AAA Gives Up
Former Burnout and Need for Speed developers are building Wreckreation 2, an arcade racing game focused on speed, destruction, aggressive driving, and the kind of chaotic gameplay AAA publishers have largely abandoned.
- DLJuly 20 · 13 min
Todd Howard is Finally Talking about Fallout 5 and Bethesda
Bethesda has revealed a massive roadmap for the future of Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and Starfield. The Elder Scrolls VI is now Bethesda Game Studios’ primary focus. Fallout 5 has entered pre-production, and Obsidian is officially returning to the Fallout universe with a new project. Bethesda also confirmed plans for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas remakes, continued Starfield support and a new version of its technology called Creation Engine 3.
- DLJuly 19 · 10 min
The Odyssey Is Incredible
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has generated plenty of conversation surrounding its casting, sound mix and decision to adapt the classic story again. After seeing the film, I think most of that controversy distracts from what actually makes it special.
- DLJuly 18 · 8 min
Xbox vs. PlayStation Is Missing the Bigger Story
Xbox and PlayStation have both experienced major layoffs, studio closures and restructuring, but the way those stories are covered often feels very different.When Xbox cuts jobs, it is frequently presented as evidence that the entire brand is collapsing. When PlayStation closes studios, cuts staff or restructures Bungie, the coverage often moves on much faster or treats each story as an isolated problem.
- DLJuly 17 · 10 min
Bethesda Game Studios Just Dropped A MASSIVE Announcement
Bethesda Game Studios has revealed its long-term roadmap for Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and Starfield. The biggest announcements include confirmation that Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas remasters are in development, Obsidian Entertainment is partnering with Bethesda on a new Fallout project, and The Elder Scrolls VI is now the studio’s primary development focus.
- DLJuly 16 · 51 min
Path of Exile’s Developers Just Called Out AAA Development
Path of Exile 1 is getting another major expansion, and I sat down with game director Mark Roberts and designer Octavian Morosan to talk about the future of the game. We discuss Grinding Gear Games’ surprisingly small and efficient development team, major changes designed to help new players, systems being brought over from Path of Exile 2, how the studio reuses assets across both games, its proprietary engine, secret content, datamining bait and why developers keep hiding bananas throughout Path of Exile. We also talk about the possibility of a Path of Exile movie or card game, favorite bosses, lessons from past leagues and how the team plans to keep growing Path of Exile 1 alongside Path of Exile 2.