The Dropshot

Jake's sick, Raz is recovered, and karma is real — so we kept it loose and answered your questions from the Discord this week.

We get into whether Apex hitting all-time-high player counts means anything for a Warzone comeback (short version: Warzone is the abusive ex who shows up with roses), why Zelda is a children's game, the most overrated franchises in gaming, when a game stops being a game and becomes a simulator (Tarkov vs. Squad vs. Hell Let Loose), whether AI will let you build GTA 6 in one prompt, the hardest gaming achievements we've ever earned, and a pile of off-topic chaos — first jobs, childhood cereal, the one-hair-on-your-steak test, and which historical event we'd go witness.

Plus: a new development on splitting donations, the DMZ deep-dive over on Patreon, and a behind-the-scenes look at how the show actually gets made now.

Got a question for us? Join the Discord (linked everywhere) and drop it in the Q&A channel. We may or may not answer it.

Jake's the optimist, Raz is the cynic — guess which one of us thinks Warzone could still be saved.

0:00 - Intro (Jake's sick, karma is real)

3:03 - New: splitting donations 50/50 with Jake

4:02 - Patreon + the DMZ deep-dive

9:17 - Best life advice you've gotten

9:43 - 'Tell the truth, or at least don't lie'

14:03 - Just start — stop making the perfect plan

15:49 - Our first jobs

21:29 - Does Apex's comeback mean hope for Warzone?

23:01 - Warzone is the abusive ex

23:52 - How the rebranded show is going + the AI workflow

26:42 - Selling your old CoD-era Dropshot merch

28:05 - When does a game become a simulator?

31:23 - Would you play a good new Call of Duty?

32:17 - It's all a tax write-off now

33:52 - How we approach open-world games

37:32 - Did you beat Radahn before the nerf?

41:14 - Our most interesting use of AI (this podcast)

44:05 - Claude's Fable 5 + the gov't shutting it down

45:47 - If AI could build any AAA game, what would it be?

49:17 - Most overrated game & movie franchises

51:16 - Zelda is a children's game (hot take)

56:01 - Most useless & most useful real-life skill

57:48 - Hardest gaming achievement (Hearthstone Legend)

1:06:28 - A food that reminds you of childhood

1:10:21 - One app you'd keep on your phone

1:12:16 - Worst restaurant experience + picky eaters

1:18:44 - The one-hair-on-your-steak test

1:24:51 - Weirdest thing you've ever Googled

1:29:15 - A historical event you'd witness

1:36:32 - Ranking awkward social situations

1:39:00 - A historical figure to have dinner with

1:44:17 - Followers you'd rather have

1:44:45 - Hardest game you've ever finished

1:47:18 - Outro + peripherals

_Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._

The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out!

🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time):

🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week

🔹The Dropshot:

🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod

🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast

🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot

🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/

🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast

🔹Razinon:

🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv

🔹Jakedown:

🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the summer of the delay. This week Raz and Jake break down two tactical shooters moving in opposite directions — Hell Let Loose: Vietnam getting pushed back to August after a rough beta, and Wardogs pulling its early access UP (something you basically never see) — and what each move says about a studio's confidence.

Then it's Summer Game Fest: the turn-based Star Wars Zero Company that's right up Raz's alley, the surprisingly good-looking Lords of the Fallen 2, and the story everyone's actually arguing about — God of War: Laufey, where Sony takes Kratos out of the lead and hands the axe to his late wife Faye. Creator David Jaffe called it live: "this is not God of War."

We get into whether dropping your icon is a bold swing or brand suicide, why the shooter genre feels stale and dead right now, and why most video games — yes, even in your favorite genre — just suck. Two friends, real takes, no script.

0:00 - Intro & the Summer of the Delay

1:27 - Hell Let Loose: Vietnam beta — what's broken

7:00 - Why the HLL: Vietnam delay to August is the right call

10:02 - Wardogs pulls its date UP (you never see this)

13:49 - Plot twist: Team17 publishes both games

15:57 - The shooter genre is stale and dying

20:14 - "These devs actually play video games"

26:30 - Summer Game Fest & why most games suck

29:59 - Keighley, Highguard & the single-player pivot

39:35 - Star Wars Zero Company — turn-based tactics

53:50 - Lords of the Fallen 2 reaction

57:23 - God of War: Laufey — they took Kratos out

1:04:23 - A 20-year fan: "I wanna play as Kratos"

1:23:04 - DMZ tomorrow on Patreon + shoutouts

_Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._

The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out!

🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time):

🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week

🔹The Dropshot:

🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod

🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast

🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot

🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/

🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast

🔹Razinon:

🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv

🔹Jakedown:

🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown

#TheDropshot #DropshotPodcast #GamingPodcast #GodOfWar #GodOfWarLaufey #Kratos #StarWarsZeroCompany #LordsOfTheFallen2 #Wardogs #HellLetLoose #CallOfDuty #SummerGameFest #SGF2026 #GamingNews #GamingCulture #HotTake #PodcastClips #Shorts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Modern Warfare 4 got revealed, 007 First Light is finally out, and the Hell Let Loose: Vietnam beta dropped — so naturally we spent an episode on the franchise we swore off, a Bond game that isn't quite Hitman, and a beta that can't hold a frame rate.

We get into the HLL: Vietnam open beta (the rubber-banding, the keybinds that won't stick, the studio's track record) and whether it's worth grabbing at the June 18 launch. Then 007 First Light: it's sitting at 88 on Metacritic and "best Bond since GoldenEye," but is it actually a let-down if you came in expecting Hitman? We break down why the reviews and the disappointment can both be right.

Then the big one — Modern Warfare 4. Korea-but-modern is a genuinely cool setting, Ballistic Authority gunplay, DMZ is back, it skips last-gen. We also get into the death of the Warzone era, where extraction shooters go next (Tarkov, Arc Raiders), and a detour into Elden Ring. And we close on Aliens.gov: the site the UFO community thought was disclosure, that turned out to be something very different.

Two friends, zero corporate takes. Jake's still open to it, Raz wants the whole thing to burn.

0:00 - Intro & what's on the docket

1:40 - Hell Let Loose: Vietnam beta — first impressions

8:54 - Will it survive a rough launch? (studio track record)

14:43 - Squad leader pains & why HLL needs friends

19:48 - 007 First Light — Hitman with a Bond skin?

25:08 - 7 hours in: the linearity let-down

31:44 - Why the reviews & the disappointment can both be right

34:20 - "Best Bond since GoldenEye?"

35:32 - Modern Warfare 4 reveal — the COD episode we said we'd never do

39:44 - Korea-but-modern: cool setting, Captain Price shoehorn

42:13 - Ballistic Authority, hipfire bloom & movement changes

49:00 - "We love feedback" — the minimap betrayal

53:50 - The death of the Warzone era & DMZ's return

59:24 - Where extraction shooters go next (Tarkov, Arc Raiders)

1:15:40 - Tarkov's update & the state of the genre

1:22:57 - Detour: getting pulled back into Elden Ring

1:33:37 - Closer — Aliens.gov: the UFO disclosure site that wasn't

1:40:07 - Discord, Patreon & sign-off

_Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._

The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out!

🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time):

🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week

🔹The Dropshot:

🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod

🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast

🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot

🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/

🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast

🔹Razinon:

🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv

🔹Jakedown:

🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown

#TheDropshot #GamingPodcast #PodcastClips #ModernWarfare4 #MW4 #CallOfDuty #COD #007FirstLight #JamesBond #HellLetLoose #Tarkov #ArcRaiders #EldenRing #UFO #UAP #Disclosure #InternetCulture #HotTake #GamingNews #Shorts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forza Horizon 6 dropped in Japan and we both went deep — Raz put in 27 hours, Jake is still learning. This week we break down everything: who this game is actually for, whether you need to be a car guy to enjoy it, and whether the critics are right about the Metacritic 92.

We go hard on the manual vs. automatic debate (Jake is on manual with clutch, Raz is on automatic — and Jake has opinions about that). We talk tuning depth vs. accessibility, the "same loop new map" criticism, and why Japan is a better setting than you might expect.

Then it gets personal: Jake refuses to drive Japanese rice burners in-game, breaks down exactly why a stock '69 Mustang beats a $300,000 Civic, and the Honda CRX takes a beating. Raz reveals his dream car is a 2010 Scion TC. It goes how you'd expect.

We also cover: the Halo Warthog hidden in your garage, online racing first impressions, fast traveling in a driving game (yes, Raz is doing it), and whether Forza Horizon 6 belongs in the Game of the Year conversation.

Jake thinks racing games should never win GOTY. Raz is slowly converting to manual. Neither of them know what camber is.

0:00 Intro – Fly Digi Racing Mode & Episode 588

3:49 Raz's Racing Game Resume (Gran Turismo 4 to 27 Hours of FH6)

5:40 Who Is Forza Horizon 6 Actually For?

19:59 Manual vs Automatic – Jake Makes His Case

23:10 Tuning Depth: Gear Ratios, Camber & Casual Accessibility

32:36 "I'm Not Becoming a Tradesman" – The Tuning Menu Rant

41:20 JDM vs Muscle Cars – Jake's Strong Opinions on Car Aesthetics

42:48 The Honda CRX Situation (And Why It's a Piece of S***)

1:03:57 Online Racing First Impressions

1:05:34 Raz's Dream Car Is a 2010 Scion TC (It's Not in the Game)

1:12:06 The Halo Warthog & Polaris Razor – Xbox Easter Eggs

1:15:57 Metacritic 92: Best Reviewed Game of 2026?

1:18:29 "Same Loop New Map" Criticism – Is It Valid?

1:21:57 AWD vs 4WD – Neither of Us Know Cars

1:33:49 Should Forza Horizon 6 Win Game of the Year?

1:38:31 Raz Is Fast Traveling in a Driving Game (On the Record)

1:41:56 Who Should Play This Game (And Who Shouldn't)

1:45:37 Outro – Patreon Plug & Next Week

_Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._

The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out!

🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time):

🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week

🔹The Dropshot:

🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod

🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast

🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot

🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/

🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast

🔹Razinon:

🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv

🔹Jakedown:

🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown

#TheDropshot #GamingPodcast #PodcastClips #GamingShorts #ForzaHorizon6 #ForzaHorizon #Forza #XboxGamePass #RacingGames #Xbox #PCGaming #GOTY2026 #GameOfTheYear #GamingNews #Metacritic #JDM #MuscleCar #GamingDebate #HotTake #GamingHumor #GamingOpinion #GamingCommunity
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

California's Stop Killing Games bill just cleared its first major hurdle — and if it becomes law, publishers won't be able to just flip the switch on your games anymore. We break down what the bill actually says, why the gaming industry is quietly panicking, and whether it'll even survive long enough to matter.

Then: Subnautica 2 launched in Early Access and immediately broke Steam records for the franchise — 1 million players in 2 hours, 2 million in 12. But behind the numbers is a wild story involving a studio lawsuit, a founder getting fired, and Krafton throwing its weight around. Is this a genuine comeback or a chaos success?

Plus — Forza Horizon 6 finally got a proper reveal, and we have thoughts.

And we go off the rails (in the best way) into zero-point energy. Someone announced a Casimir Effect chip that supposedly generates 1.5 volts. Jake's in. Raz is not. The debate goes places.

0:00 - Intro

0:57 - Stop Killing Games: What the Bill Actually Says

13:55 - CoD Made Single Player Require Internet on Purpose

17:17 - Raz: "I Don't Think These People Are Real Gamers"

26:27 - The Baseball Bat Problem (Digital vs Physical Ownership)

27:24 - Hell Let Loose Vietnam

38:47 - Subnautica 2 Early Access: 1M Players in 2 Hours

38:57 - The Krafton Lawsuit and Studio Drama

40:01 - Early Access: When Is It Okay?

41:20 - Is Subnautica 2 Actually Good?

46:55 - Forza Horizon 6 — First Look Reactions

57:35 - Pentagon Drops Declassified UFO Files

57:49 - Casimir Effect Chip: Free Energy or Complete BS?

59:15 - Raz: Does This Chip Even Make Sense?

1:02:57 - Raz: "I Don't Believe That This Chip Exists"

1:07:46 - Jake's Abiotic Oil Theory (Hear Him Out)

1:38:19 - Wrap

The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out!

🔹Streaming schedule (Pacific time):

🔸Saturday ~9 AM: Gaming news and stories of the week

🔹The Dropshot:

🔸Website: https://www.thedropshot.com

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDropshotPod

🔸Discord: https://discord.gg/B4Nsarq

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast

🔸Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot

🔸Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=YVR98VF4S945G

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedropshotpodcast/

🔸TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedropshotpodcast

🔹Razinon:

🔸Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/razinon

🔸Twitter: https://twitter.com/razinon

🔸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/razinonttv

🔹Jakedown:

🔸Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/jakedown_

🔸YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jakedown

#TheDropshot #GamingPodcast #PodcastClips #GamingCulture #StopKillingGames #GamePreservation #DigitalOwnership #Subnautica2 #ForzaHorizon6 #GamingNews #GamingIndustry #CallOfDuty #AB1921 #CasimirEffect #ZeroPointEnergy #UFO #ConspiracyTheory #JoeRogan #HotTake #GamingDebate #Podcast #GamingRant
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices