It's the Internet. You're busy, let's do this. Welcome to the Game
Mesticides podcast. This is the podcast where we decide everything about the world of
video games so you never have to think for yourself. I'm your host Jeff
Grubb. With me is Mike Manati. In today's episode, it's all bad.
It's all bad. I mean, the video games are good and they
sell and everyone said, yeah for now. There's a countdown on that,
apparently because we're firing everybody who makes them. Is this a good strategy.
We'll discuss this and more on today's episode of Games Deicides. In the meantime,
Mikey, how are you doing fine. I'm leaving imminently on a little
trip. I am kind of looking forward to that to just I'm looking forward
to getting some time away. You've earned it. It's you know, like,
okay, so it's just so great to be a goober in a theme
park. Of course. Oh, your biggest worry is like what ride has
the ideal wait time right now? And like while you're thinking about that,
there's like like five people trying to entertain you in the meantime, and there's
like firework shooting off some guys juggling over there. Somebody wants to sell you
a churo. I'm like, yeah, that's right. When I when I
am engaging in entertainment, one of the things I like to do is and
this is like to like make myself be more appreciative. Is I like to
think the amount of money spent per minute to entertain me. So I go
watch a movie and it's like, like, who cares how many other people
watching this? They spent two million dollars a minute to make me entertained by
this thing. That's awesome. I play a video game, I feel the
same way. Park too much money a minute these days? Yeah, a
little bit, Yeah, But I go to theme park and it just feels
like, well, this is infinite. I can't even calculate how much LEADER
imagine them. I can't even imagine it. I do think very fondly on
the time we were we spent at Disneyland. That was a very good time.
That Star Wars stuff was actually kind of special to me. I really
enjoyed that. So looking forward to getting back there. Just wait'll we get
like a full day and I really show you the magics. Yep, I'm
looking forward to me and stuff are talking more seriously about it all the time.
If we can afford it, we'll see, we'll see if we can
make it happen. But that's the idea. You know what, Let's get
into this show. Thanks for joining us, everybody. You can give more
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you could drop a super chat during the show here on YouTube. We'll
get to all of those before the end of the program. You have Mike's
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insane in the ring music on YouTube, for the use of our theme songs.
Thanks to one U versus CPU for our artwork and you could find more
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and it was just great to see. So thank you everybody. It means
a ton, all right, big topics, everyone's laying people off. The
entire industry is just like shedding jobs at least five percent, sometimes up to
eight percent at any one of these companies. Sony late a bunch of people
off. EA just did as well. As part of this is they are
scaling back on the kinds of games that they're making. They are making fewer
games. They are canceling games that either were announced most that weren't announced,
including at like it seems like that Twisted Metal game at Sony was canceled at
EA, that Star Wars first person shooter from Respawn was canceled. A handful
of things more have been likely put on ice as well. But really this
goes back to, Hey, the industry seems like a really tough place to
be to be working in right now. The companies have had years of growth,
They have been making bigger games than ever on the backs of incredible workers
who are they are now letting go sort of without remorse, and it feels
real bad. Mike, how are you feeling about it? It's obviously terrible
people losing their jobs. It would at least be some kind of silver lining.
You'd be like, well, at least these people maybe know what they're
doing and this is for the future of the industry. But we know they
don't know what they're doing. I mean, just look at EA canceling this
Mandalorian Star Wars game that everybody working on it thought was great, the playtesters
thought was great based on the biggest ip in the world by one of the
best game of opers in the world, and just canceled because a studio,
a publisher that thought going all in on you know, other people's ip on
license game was the move. So I was like, ah, no,
it wasn't, yep, and this is not You're not they don't know what
they're doing. It's not like you going from your guy, we know this.
I've heard that. That is the flip flop that has happened here a
couple like, not even a couple of years ago, last year, and
the year before it was we need ips from other companies because that's a safer
risk than anything else. And now it is suddenly a waste of money.
And so we're not going to make this game. Like you said, everything
in its favor, every box is checked except for one in that box is
do we have to hand a little bit of money at the end to Disney?
Yes, Okay, well we're not going to do that anymore. And
so what's the alternative that's not like that, Like there's just going to be
another game that's going to be releasing that that time frame a couple of years
now. Yeah, game might have been like four years away. That's that's
totally possible. Could be even further than that. They're just not going to
have a game from that studio of that kind in four years. Meanwhile,
they are, they're working on Apex Legends still, And I'm like, the
way the way it sounds like things are happening with that is they are,
if not winding it down definitely like pulling back on investing in that game now.
So it's like even like that money maker for them, that was the
backbone of not just respond, but of all of e A. Not EA
Sports. They kind of have a division between them now, but all of
EA games. Uh is they're they're like there's a you know these companies often
like go out to others to like make trailers for them and stuff. Well,
they they've just cut off that relationship completely. So it's like they are
not going to be promoting these games anymore. So they must just not have
faith in that either. So it's like, uh, okay, what what
what are you going to have over the next several years and four or five
years from now when you look back on the investments you are making now,
and really it's not investments, it is pulling back in every way. You're
gonna be in a situation where if people are wanting to buy games, you're
not gonna have anything to sell them. How is this a strategy for the
future, And we know the answer, it's not. It's a strategy for
next quarter, right, because now you don't have to pump money into that
game that you're like slightly worried about not getting a big return and on later.
It's all incredibly short sighted. The system is meant to encourage people to
take risks. This is something that you said right so that you know everybody
can make more money. But the system is broken. It's not it's only
designed to make sure you do well the next quarter, and then once you
get there, then maybe you'll worry about the next quarter and then you figure
out all these things that you did to three four years ago are really fucking
you up over there. But uh well, we'll deal with it now by
making even more problems for another future version of yourself and closing studios, canceling
games. I know there's good games coming out right now, and a lot
of that is because there was a lot of investment happening around this time three
four years absolutely, yeah, And it's just it's kind of scary to think
about what is this going to all look like in another few years, especially
now that it's it's it's trendy. It's just straight up trendy to lay people
off. It's keeping well. Now, we got to do it too.
We don't want to miss out on this opportunity if we're the one company that
has bad looking growth in our quarterly earnings. Because we are paying all these
people that we paid to make our fucking video games, We're gonna look like
schmucks, and so fuck cut them loose. We can't be out here alone
on a limb, no way. It sucks. It sucks. It's so
infuriating because it really is just it's such a broken system, and it's like,
clearly there's some huge disconnect. We can like see it. Like,
you know, they're so obsessed with the next quarter games take six years to
make, Like you just can't square that circle. It is like they're never
gonna be able to like think about games in any real, real long term
way, and so they're gonna just keep chasing the trend that is right in
front of their very eyes because they can't imagine trying to encourage a studio to
come up with a new idea, even though it was proven to like we're
talking about EA, proven to them over and over again that when you do
that with Respawn, you win. You did it with Jedi, You let
them figure out a game that would be good for that, let them like
just experiment a little bit. They won. They took what they were doing
with titan Fall, and they won eventually With Apex Legends, it's like you
have a studio with a model that works, and the whole idea coming out
of Apex Legends was we are going to model everything after Respawn, and a
couple years later, it's like fucking scrap that we're not even we're not even
trying that anymore. We never even actually let it like play out. We're
already giving up on it. You has not missed. I just can't believe
you just don't let them do what they want. But if you're disappointing the
sales of titan Fall two, guess whose fault that was? The assholes have
decided to release it right in the middle of Battlefield and Call of Duty,
one of the dumbest decisions that it was clearly a better game than them.
It would have done so well as a summer release. It was such a
great game, and if like, you just can't you can't help but only
look at the numbers, which is so bizarre. There are so many other
metrics that make a game company successful, like releasing good games that maybe aren't
the biggest deal in the world, that does good things for your company that
makes you money, that builds brand affinity, it does all these other things.
Like Titanfall two was good for EA in ways that I can't just show
it to them on a pie chart, but of course it was. And
we have to have a little imagination here. Yeah, this is an extreme
lack of imagination and an extreme lack of a belief in video games being the
answer to your problems. And it's such like a like one step four,
two steps back. Sometimes you feel like these companies are getting it, and
then they see their shadow when they come out of their hole for the winter
and it's six more weeks of canceling games and freaking out, and they are
you know, we talked about the laying people off and canceling games. Well
yeah, you said studios were closed EA Ridgeline that was working on the single
player stuff for Battlefield, Well they're shutting that down. And you like you
could see a world in which if you have a team dedicated to making single
player stuff for Battlefield, that can like get get that series back on track
in some ways, while you know another team is working on the core multiplayer
stuff. You get like a bad company back out there. People will go
buck wild for that if it hits correctly. So it's like, Nope,
you're just not gonna believe in that. Whatever. Sony closing down London Studios,
which did like The Getaway and now has recently been working on VR stuff,
and it's like, you made them work on VR games, so clear
you wanted you needed someone to make big VR games for PlayStation VR, and
then their games didn't sell very very well because you made them make games for
VR. How dare you close them? It's insane? Whose fault is this?
It is infuriating. I can't believe that we continue to get back here
over and over again. What's what scared them so much about making a Star
Wars game? They're still they're still making another Jedi game. And apparently that's
you know, because it's proven itself, right, that's something that it's a
story they could tell themselves. We've had success two times in a row.
We'll have it a third time. Yeah, well, guess what the hottest
thing in Star Wars right now is a freaking Mandalorian Like if I can't imagine
a safer thing. But aside from that, did did the Dead Space remake
like make more money for them than Star Wars Jedi Survivor or something, and
did that freak them out? I mean, I don't I don't know about
that. It probably made a decent enough of money. And here's what how
it was related to me. They fucking love not paying a FIFA. They're
like, man, we last year we didn't pay FIFA for the first time,
and our football game, our soccer game sold just as well. Uh
and so and we Basically they were able to use all that money they saved
then to invest in their studios and their employees and people around. No.
Uh and so they are now looking to replicate that across their entire portfolio.
Basically, they want to have that same sort of you know, money saved,
money earned situation happen over and over again. And it's like that is
such the opposite of the held wisdom that you were just saying to your company
last year. How did you have I mean just because one thing changed whatever?
I mean, It's like, do not see that it's not applicable to
do what you did with FIFA in the soccer game to other things. You
can't just take Star Wars out of your shooter and make something that is going
to have the appeal of that. It's going to take a lot of work.
It's possible, you can do it, but like you just took the
FIFA name off the soccer game and no one cared because you are the soccer
game for the entire world. It's not the same, right, I don't
know. So it's so especially troublesome because we do look at the numbers and
games are selling and people are showing up and everyone's so enthusiastic, and you
know, gaming's like the biggest content on YouTube, it's the biggest some of
the biggest content on TikTok. It is culturally bigger than it's ever been.
It is in no way resembling what the crash looked like in nineteen eighty three,
where it's like people were like, oh, video games were a fad,
they're not going to make good ones. I keep buying games and they're
all bad, and so I'm just done with games. And of course this
does not apply to the entire gaming market, but there was a significant reduction
and the amount of money that people were spending on games, and there's a
significant reduction of like your ability to buy games because stores said, see I'm
not gonna we're not gonna deal with you anymore. So it's like the access
to games went away. Games are everywhere you. Everywhere you turn, you
have a different option for a different kind of game. Like it's just such
a different place. And yet these companies are acting as if everything is going
to implode, and it's just it's just not how it's working. And if
they have evidence that it's going to change, and it's like they clearly don't.
That's not what this is about. This is about having a little bit
of growth show up on the chart for the next quarter. That's all this
is. And they are so much trying to justify cutting off all these people
for that. What the hell. It's just an incredible amount of freaking out
over a bit of stagnation and a bit of like a lack of growth,
And like, man, how are people going to react if times actually got
hard? Right? Yes? And I mean it might happen now because of
what they're doing right now, But I just don't know what anyone's up to.
You know, Xboxes is letting Toys for Bob just just go on its
own become independent. I think that's good news for Toys for Bob. The
options, if the options were shut down the studio or do this. This
is way better. I just can't understand how those were the only two options.
They make good games, that's the hardest part is to make good video
games. They do that. Microsoft should figure out the rest, like how
to get people to care about them and buy them. This is uh something
we're a little bit of a trend we're seeing in the last day or two.
Toys for Bob did this and Saber Saber thank you, Saber Interactive over
an Embracer U bought themselves out for five hundred million dollars. Investors involved that
are helping them do this. But yeah, so like they're not under Embracer
anymore, right, individs good cheesy Gearbox is gonna do something similar, which
I mean Embrace does have Gearbox, which seemed like the one shirt thing they
had. What the heck is the future there? Not? Well, Embracer,
it's just it has to like do a fire sale or or else face
bankruptcy. Like they're just it's a complete mess over there. Maybe they should
face bankruptcy. Yeah, yeah, exactly, Yeah, I mean the hopefully
they could sell as many of these studios or spin off as many of them
as possible before that happens, so that they don't go for like pennies on
the dollar. Like what is because like what is Microsoft thinking? Because Toys
for Bob is saying like, yeah, we're maybe even gonna partner with Microsoft,
So it sounds like they might just make a spyrookeey for Microsoft anything.
So again, no one knows it's doing. Microsoft strategy forever was just bye
bye bye bye bye, and now it's like, uh, it's probably just
better to like work with independent studios to make it. I don't know,
Mike, I do not get it at all. Actually, I really would
love someone to explain if someone involved knows why this happened, why this is
the best case scenario, or if it's not the best case scenario, please
reach out to me, get my DMS. I'll give you a secure way
to contact me. But I don't I don't get it from Microsoft's perspective,
Like you have game pass. Game pass is something that can work similar to
like the switch where it's once it's in someone's house, Like you want to
like have something for everybody. How are family games not a priority? I
feel like Phil Spencer has said it's a priority. You have one a studio
that may like one of the best family game developers in the world, and
it's not like, you know, not even like hashtag pejorative there. It's
just like, no, they make great games that has a broad appeal.
How are you not finding a way to be like, we can use them
to make something awesome that's very exciting. I mean we also like Benjo Kazui
is the obvious one. We always said, but like, whatever come up,
you have a million options there. Why are they spinning off to be
independent? If this is best for them, that's great. I just don't
get it, just doesn't. I just can't imagine it's best for Microsoft.
Why you just slip away again? I mean, I don't know. I
was kind of positing this earlier on my own. I just I just still
can't believe that Microsoft and Sony have just conceded the kind of kids gaming market
to Nintendo and to mobile gaming. And I get I get that kids just
naturally gravitates like mobile and screens and stuff. Doesn't mean you could just completely
give that up. You kinda have you kind of a kind of a space
for that. Beside from just hoping that Lego makes one game and be happy
that you happen to buy Minecraft ten years ago. It's gotta be something.
It's gotta be more than just well, we made two kids games for PlayStations
two years ago. That was great of us, wasn't it. I don't
know. Yeah. I mean someone sent me the chart today of of people
buying consoles, and it's like people who are eighteen to twenty five are buying
fewer consoles. And part of that's going to be, you know, gen
Z doesn't have like a ton of money to spend on consoles. That's going
to be part of that. The other part of it is they don't want
consoles as much. It's probably the bigger part of it is they don't want
consoles. But you're right, Why do you just concede and just say,
well, we're not even going to try Because you're right, Like the pipeline
of child fan to becoming a lifelong fan starts young. And there was that
story about that someone keeps sending to us about how like the Disney Adult is
a manufactured thing, and it's like this is like actually an impressive thing.
How they're able to pull this off and get people to feel this way?
How are these companies not recognizing that this is something that they could have a
hand in. Well there is one. It's the tenth though, and it
works very well for them. Yeah, it's Yeah. You started this off
by saying it's especially frustrating because it's like, if we thought they knew what
they were doing, some of this could be not justified. But you can
feel like at least we won't be back here in a year. And as
as it feels right now when we actually look at this is like they could
it could easily be worse in a year because they have no idea what they're
doing across the board. And yeah, it's frustrating. I'm trying to think
there's like any other aspects to cover of this. I mean, we talk
about the why of it all the time. You know, just things changed
fast out coming out of COVID, obviously, but the one thing about that
Mike that always drives me crazy is we yet it didn't actually decline all that
much coming out of COVID, Like the amount of money spent on games like
and this is like Cirkana report stuff, It was like maybe down one percent.
I think there was maybe a couple months there where it was like year
over here it's down three percent, but I think overall, and I would
have to look it up, but like twenty two compared to twenty twenty one,
and twenty three compared to twenty twenty two. Well, I know,
twenty twenty three compared to twenty twenty two up four percent, and that like
that does include like mobile and all this other stuff, but like software sales
for full game retail stuff was also up a couple percentage points, so it's
like things were still up. So it's like, at the very least,
a lot of the momentum that came out of the pandemic. They kept that.
The people that bought consoles during the pandemic were like, I'll still buy
a game here or there. The problem is just that they didn't see the
line keep going up the way it did throughout the pandemic, which during the
pandemic we were all saying, well, of course that's not gonna happen.
This is going to come to an end. How do these companies not know
that? How? I mean, I know they've got to make their bets,
but can't you have some sense of reality? I really that's the part
of it that is so hard for me to understand, Right, it's not
that things are bad, just that it's not growing as much as we want
to. And like you just have to think about that logically, Well,
things can't grow forever, like maybe sometimes they're going to slow down. Maybe
even sometimes you're gonna have bad years and you kind of have to be able
to stay the course a little bit. You have to be able to build
a war chest in those good years. Especially, you know, we're in
a world the population growth isn't booming like it used to. The economy is
uncertain a lot of the time. It's just not gonna be that insane growth
that gaming had like in those early years, especially when it was very new
and was starting from zero or minuscule. Right, we are just so beyond
like just the kind of natural insane growth that was going to happen for the
first thirty or forty years of this industry even existing. We got to figure
out what the new normal here is going to be. Yeah, if more
layoffs like this happen, it'll probably be sporadic. It does seem like this
is like, man, what companies are left? I mean left even it's
not like Nintendo's gonna do it, not gonna right, I mean, yeah,
I nemver say never, but it doesn't seem like they would do it.
And you know, there's there's like Sega. It seems like they're not
in a great position coming out of last year. Yeah, Sega hasn't actually
announced it yet. Huh, right, So let's I mean, I think
they had some layoffs last year, but I think there they seem like they
might be getting on this action as well. I hope not, or if
they do, I hope it's not too bad. But for the most part,
like the biggest, biggest companies seem like they're through this. I hope
that means we can start to get on the other side of this and get
past it. But but who knows. Honestly, who knows. Remember,
did like Ubisoft do the whole layoffs thing. Yes, they did right in
November, they did. They were real early. Well, then they could
get in on it again. It feels like they could. Yeah, And
it's you know, would be too surprised, right exactly, Scan Bones and
a bunch of other misfires. It isn't even like a funny joke like Suicide
Squad when it came out, It's gone both he was the only one talk
about it. Yeah, it is continues to be a rough thing where it's
the game themselves are so good and I'm enjoying so many of them right now.
We talk about several times about how we could put together top ten list.
I just I go from one game that I love to the next game
that I love, and it's like, you know, since Boldlatro even I'm
onto like two three other games now that I'm like, I just love playing
these games and knowing that there's this is due to an immense amount of talent
that has been brought up over the through the industry, over years and years,
people mentoring each other, a lot of ingrained talent from people who have
invested a lot of themselves and invested a lot of themselves into each other.
And then to have some idiot in a boardroom rip it apart because they're worried
about looking bad to an investor and the stock price might go down for one
quarter. It really makes me question what the fuck we're doing here. So
I hope we get past it all right, Yeah, any other thoughts about
this? If not, we can maybe move on to some super chats.
Now, let's move on to some super chats. All right, we'll do
that right after this quick break. Thanks for sticking with us, everybody,
and we're back. Mike. We have some super chats. Go ahead and
get into those for me right now. Please, Absolutely, we got quite
a few in here. Thank you so much, everybody. Mo dough Mufty
says, Hi, Jeff and Mike. When will Dragon H four be shown
and released? Yeah? I mean I expected it'll probably pop up this summer.
I don't know when it will be shown. It's the real answer.
Let's get that out here. I don't know when it will be shown.
I assume it'll be shown sometime this summer. Could happen in anytime, though
it will be released this year last I heard that is, and they're pretty
confident about that. Doesn't mean it's a guarantee. Could slip, but right
now, internally they expect to release it later this year, which is why
I took it in Fantasy Critic. All right, everyone, I apologize Shagaro
Memo's kind of wouding here tonight. Oh, let's get on it all right,
here we go. Bought a PS five to play foun Fantasy seven and
see those honkers. That's the idea of Sugar Mode. Of saying honkers is
very funny to me, that says, does this game have a one handed
shaggy? You gotta class it up a little bit. Whit Moto, You're
a come on, you're a family man. You can do better than that
shake. Come on. Oh grug says I said, I'd give Mike sent
money if he beat Mortal Comet Mythologies and bot God, he broke that game
in half. Also, remember how Dan mate you felt when he's saying he's
lost to Superman sixty four. You could tell him where to go after about
an hour of working. Oh broug, thank you so much, very generous,
Really do Panke's not gonna be able to help himself. He's going to
have to help. That's just that is my curses, because it's frustrating to
me to watch him like struggle with Wayte. That took me like it is
obvious what he should do, and it'll drive me. It's a like you
so not even struggling at our Zett just kind of like picking a second trying
to help. So I'm like, thank you, Mike, absolutely, I
get it, Like yeah, I know that feeling too, absolutely, especially
if like you already played it so the Marvelous Breadfish says the only layoff this
industry needs is for Jeff to lay off the Shimmacgammi tense fans on Twitter.
What the hell, man, haven't we suffered enough? What have you been
doing to the s MT fans? Jeff, I don't remember did something,
but I don't remember. For me it was Tuesday. Uh pookey egg for
superstants, say Shall said Jeff and Mike I started writing reviews again because of
this podcast. So here's five legit Australian dollar dues to entice them to packs
Australia. I'd love to go to Australia. Me too. Pas Australia a
good reason to make that happen. That would be incredible. I've never been,
I never I've never been the Southern Hemisphere. Actually it was just strange.
You know, where would I go? Right? No? Good country?
Home there? You got my vote there? Wow? Fuck you,
Conna was says Fuck the shareholders. Brian Corla says Tinfoil hat are companies biding
their time until AI is a viable tool for dev or human costs at a
minimum, with equal or more profit in the same timeframe. There are two
like the people in charge. While they're like idiots when it comes to creativity
and having a vision, they know that AI is mostly not going to be
able to do the things that people are promising. They'll be able to do
some stuff, absolutely, but you are going to need an artist controlling it
to get the results you want if you want to compete with other companies that
have the same tools as you and are going to be able to like,
you have to stand out in this industry. So you know, like there
was a thing that Unreal Engine did where it's like you press the button and
you get a city, and it's like, oh my god, now everyone's
gonna have an open world city. And so and all the people that are
employed to make these open world cities, they're going to be out of a
job. It's like no, no, no, they were just press that
button and they would shift all those people to adding details and interiors to all
these buildings so they can stand out from the crowd. It's an arms race,
and so no, these companies know that they can't get away with that,
and they so, yeah, it's not about that. Mc goombo.
The first super sight here says fun Fact and Superman sixty four, the only
way to get to the last level and see credits is by playing on Superman
difficulty. Make him suffer. Well, that's not even suffering if that's the
only way to write, that's just the credits in the final level. Yeah,
let's make sure that we remember this that he has to play on Superman
difficulty so much that one And it sounds like just the rules of Blake Club
too, Like that's like now he's going to say, he's gonna say that
the rule is you play whatever difficulty it's set to normally. I don't know
if it's Superman different. Yeah, but but but if it's not, If
by playing that way you don't beat it, then you got to play it
until you beat it. You gotta see credits. Yep. He's gonna be
like, well, if he didn't beat Quantchi and we'll be like, that's
not how you're supposed to beat the game, I sell credits And also that
won't matter. He'll still come up with something. But still, well,
yeah, you will be right vote him. So what can you do?
Yeah, you think you're gonna win an argument with I know, we won't,
I know, but we can. We have democracy on our side.
All right, Zoomier says he is dead to me, UBI is revived to
me, Well, let's see how long Ubi here? Uh? Game Fire
Kerberder says, just to show support to you guys, thank you so much,
game Fire, Thank you for Game Fire. Appreciate it. Power Mad
your cases will mentally prime for when gave it the year due to note competition,
there's a lot of competition. Yeah, yeah, I was wondering,
what do you think Final Fantasy seven reapers like goaty chances are gonna be assuming
like the rest of the playfields normal, because I mean, for for again,
for a game that has a ninety two am redit critic, you do
hear a lot of like criticism, all right, Yeah, I mean you,
and I know you say that. I think you're especially sensitive to it
because you are like so aware of everything about that game, and so would
people like from like my position, it feels like it's entirely glowing. And
yeah, I see some people saying some things and then I go look at
like, well, let's go see what like the shitty like low review score
guy is gonna say, And it's like, no, there is none of
that. Everyone's giving an eighty at the lowest. It feels like it's got
good a good shot of getting there. That's how you're right. I do
feel good. Ali Miracle says, here's a fiver for the capitalism. Thank
you, Ali Miracle Burrito says, Hey, my congratulations on completing Mortal Kombat
Mythologies. I know you're gonna say it's all in good fun. But when
Dan starts as Blake Gig, I hope he suffers just a little as a
treat wall Oh, he'll suffer. Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah,
the turnabout's fair play. Of course he's gonna suffer. You know. I
always like, I always thought, man, it'd be kind of just need
to say I beat Mortal Kombat Mythologies. And there's like a part of me
that's like, yeah, I was watching, I was like kind of walking
around yesterday after beating it, like my shit in stick is there a part
of me that's like feels nothing because that game did break you several times.
It was a lot worse than I was expecting. Yeah. Oh, Grugg
says Mike is still a boomer, Thank you, Grug. Derek, Mike,
any feelings about the Mega Man stuff in Street Fighter six? I didn't
see this actually, uh, what do we get in megas got now as
the show was starting, it's the usual stuff. You get a classic Mega
Man costume for your avatar, you get an avatar post that's Mega Man's jump.
Really, the only interesting things that they're adding Mega Man Power Battle is
the rotating arcade game, which is that's kind of cute. Oh that's pretty
neat. I like yeah. Otherwise it's like the usual stuff, just themes
around Mega Man. What I'm always just glad? Yes, sorry, all
right, yes cool? But like in Street Fighter five, we got like
really nice, really detailed schemes for like the actual characters. This is like,
yeah, why didn't you just did that work for real? Like what
are you doing? I'm sorry, I'm just like with the thtreet Fighter six
content, this has been happening and I'm being like weird, how because like
I wish there were more stuff you keel like, are they going to really
do just one set of new with skins for like a year or like what's
going on? Like I don't know, this is a fighting past too,
do I need to get this fighting pass? And I don't know. By
going back to Street I did finally so down a little bit on tech and
maybe I don't know. I don't know. I'm glad there's something. Look,
any any recognition of Megan Man is going to make me feel good no
matter how. And in the Mega Man T shirt, asking am I gonna
buy this Mega Man? That's a good point. Eddie's Alex says, why
is it always primal Rage? Just curious? Oh yeah, you got primal
Rage playing again. Now it's Prince of Persia this time. I actually just
changed it. I saw that super chat. Uh it should I just like
have that loaded on my mister, and I hadn't turned it off in a
couple of days. There was says surprise, Mike hasn't played Penny Breakaway yet.
It's basically two D. Sonic gave in three D but not actually three
song That makes sense too many though I didn't realize it was a little buggy.
I did play and I kind of played a preview capacity and really liked
it. Although people are saying it's buggy, maybe I'll wait a little bit.
I should have played it today when I was streaming, I didn't know
what the place I just played Suicide Squad. Uh. You know a ton
of people who want to watch people still play Suicide Squad, but I have
fun. I they're like that game like hit like really low numbers on Steam.
I wonder if it's going to have any bouts back here or there.
I hope it does. I mean I was just like when I went to
stream it, it was like the total viewers for the game. That's that,
like you know, OBS showed me was kind of dire. It's it
is. It is weird. At first, I was like, is this
what's scaring off? Like EA about licenses, but it's not like I don't
know, Warner Bers didn't have to pay for that license. They're Warner Brothers.
Yeah, credit is bad for them, but man, yeah, I
mean Iron Man and Black Panther will do better than that. So it is
just insane just how money, like how much of that like live service stuff
bullshit is in there just constantly, like all this like mild RPG stuff that
barely even makes a difference. Like every two seconds it is teaching you about
like some new stat and there's like five lines of texts explaining the stat and
you know it's just this minuscule difference. They won't even realize if they made
a fun shooting game I wish it was just kind of an open world like
superhero shooting game. That would have been fun. But it's just it is
just so dog piled by the bullshit. It's I just don't know what they
were thinking. Yeah, I mean they get blinded by the infinite growth thing.
I mean, I know it's the same story everybody, but right,
I guess they're like, well, this is this is stuff that will make
money if we have if ye know, a good game like an Arkham game
made some money, but imagine if people played it forever. Well imagine if
people don't play it for more than ten minutes. Yeah, yeah, you
nailed it. That's what happened. That's it for the super chats for now.
Thank you so much everybody. If you send more, we will read
them before the end of the show. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Mike. All Right, we're gonna take another quick break. When we
come back, we are going to get set up for our big discussion of
the night, which is the best games of twenty sixteen. We've been going
year by year. We're gonna keep going into twenty sixteen. Right after this
and we're back. And before we get in, we were in the break,
we were talking, Hey, what is that team of a respond that's
making that are they? Are they just gonna be able to turn that into
something else. Ramy Chat says, hey, that team's still together. So
game was canceled, the team was not. I mean I helped the game.
That's good to hear. I like, I don't know why the game
wouldn't just be air quotes canceled. Just make it a Bounty hundred game in
your Titan Phone universe. If that's what you're worried about. That don't get
better in some ways? Like but if papone thought this game was good and
you did all this work on it, it just seems insane to me,
Like they're so worried about money. How are they not worried about sunk costs?
How come that never matters? Yep, it's right now. Why is
that the one fallacy? Then it probably shows up in other ways. But
yeah, all right, let's see here, let's take a look. We
are going to do the best Games of twenty sixteen. That's where we're at.
What we are going to get into that right now. What we do
here is me and Mike we throw out some games. We take some recommendations
from podcast producers who support the show, and then we make a top five
list. Me and Mike. We have the final arbiters of this list.
Mike, where do you want to start? For the year twenty sixteen.
I can't believe this game is actually this old. This kind of shocked me
seeing it. But man, I played a lot of Overwatch in twenty sixteen
when that game was new and in a lot of ways unrefined. It maybe
hit better than it ever did. Again, I just remember even that open
beta. I was actually housing for my brother and I got on Lie my
one friend just playing that beta in I think we played for like eight hours
straight, and that time flew by like crazy. It was just so cool
seeing a team based shooter like this. And you know, I said before,
I kind of grew up on people just classic seeing that taken in this
direction with these incredibly fun, vibrant characters. Remember just how much everyone was
impressed by the reload animations. We kind of forget that now, but that
stuff was awesome. There was vibrant, is the way to put it.
That was such a vibrant, just fun video game for such a long time.
It's like I kind of like, when I think about Overwatch now,
I kind of get bummed out because it eventually, of course, it eventually
be gained something I didn't want to play anymore. I've thought I shouldn't expect
to play everything forever, but for a long time, Overwatch was the game
I was thinking about constantly. Yeah, I mean I feel the same.
I wasn't quite as Overwatch pilled as you were, but I played a ton
of it. I remember I got a big, fat like laptop with a
huge GPU in it for review and I would just sit on the couch and
watch TV with Steph and I would have like a little mouse kind of off
to the side on the couch that would work pretty well, and I would
just play NonStop while we were just watching stuff because I was just playing it
all the time. The game, it just feel it just did everything right
to like make something that was entertaining that you come back to and play for
what at the time felt like forever. And that was something that they do
they captured immediately and it was just so well polished right out of the gate.
For me, this this year is probably going to be Titan Fall two.
Titan Fall two is, yes, that is twenty sixteen, and it
is a magical game. I really like the multiplayer in titan Fall two.
Geh. There's parts of titan Fall one's multiplayer I like a little bit better,
but I had a ton of fun with titan Fall two's multiplayer. But
it has what I still think is probably my favorite shooter campaign of all time
in terms of just the amount of variety. How every level is just like,
here is four new ideas, and each idea is going to evolve in
to some other idea, and here's how these ideas intersect, and you're going
to feel the entire time, You're going to feel awesome. And if you
want to like really go out these enemies and use all of your abilities,
you're actually gonna feel extremely awesome. You're gonna probably feel cooler in this game
than you've ever felt before. And they just encourage that with their game design
and the way the world looks, and the characters actually are really really well
done. B D I think is his name, the robot I can never
remember the name, Yes, BD, that, yes, exactly, and
he throws you across the chasm and these it's just really awesome moments that punctuate
this awesome action. It's an incredible game that I adore and I'm pretty sure
was my game of the year that year. Probably would still be my game
of the Year for twenty sixteen. Yeah, I mean, it was certainly
at least my favorite single player shooter campaign since Half Life two, which is
like two thousand and four, just an insane amount of time. That gamepaign
is thank you. Yes, yes, that's why I can't remember the names,
because I can play BD one and BT different different robots and droids fit
yep, and yeah, you know what you're right. Like when we played
Type two's multiplayer not that long ago, it was still actually so much funny
and it was almost kind of infury, like, O, why can't I
just be playing this or at least some new version of this again? It's
been what eight years? Yeah, that's that's wild. I mean, I'm
interested to see where you go next for the next game, Mike count I
you know, I like Uncharted. I think on Chia four is absolutely one
of the best in the franchise, And it seems like an insane thing to
say, but I always say I feel like a Tria four is somehow a
little underrated. I agree that was a very fun video game. It actually
even had a pretty good multiplayer mode. You know, you had that grappling
hook mechandic like not grappling hook like Zoto, like actually throwing and swinging.
There's a lot of swinging involved, and it was fun in the single player
game. And I always liked that kind of uncharted method in there where it's
like fast paced stealth until you get caught, Like you're probably not gonna stealf
your whole way. It's like you do the best you can for a little
bit of stelf until you get caught, and then it turns into this kind
of frantic run and gun cover based firefight. There were some really cool set
pieces here, and there's great vehicle ones, like there's that there's that one
section where you are just kind of on a boat, so you're going to
different islands because they have like this pirate stuff. It really does feel like
this classic pirate treasure hunt in a really fun way, very pretty game.
Maybe I have to look at it again, but in my mind, I
don't think we really made games that look a lot better, if at all,
the uncharted for so Chatter four really sticks out to me as one of
the best in that franchise. Someone who doesn't really care for Uncharted, and
I love Uncharted for it was really good. I think a big part of
it, like you said, was the pirate stuff. It felt goonies like
to me, I'm a huge Goonies dude, and this game was felt like
it was nailing similar tones, which I always appreciate. I thought it was,
you know, it's lighthearted, but it still has some strong character stuff
that happens that connects these these characters on their journey, and I thought it
was like doesn't usually get in its own way, Like you are going to
explore this area and we're but while you're exploring, we're going to make sure
that that exploring is going to lead to the next fun thing. I think
at this time, is this the year that Quantum Break came out. I
think I was like playing Quantum Break like right after this, and I remember
getting so I've got very frustrated by Quantum Break. So I'm like, I'm
playing on Chartered four and it never is going to be in a situation where
like we're going to have you do something mundane or like kind of wasting your
time. And I go to play on quantum break. It's like your next
mission objective is leave this building. It's like, what what come on,
guys? What really? And so like I try to like really appreciate it
on Charter before at the time, where it's like it is this world that
you're living in and it feels like real spaces, but it's still designed like
a video game that cares about you having the entertaining time, and it was
kind of exquisitely designed for the time. And I think I bet if I
went back to this today, I would still really enjoy it. Yeah,
I mean there's like some I have, like some small of plaints, Like
there's definitely a bit of that the story getting like a little away from them
in terms of scale and scope and pushing the it's the character drama a bit
much like Nathan and Lena are yeh on the outside again and it's like just
because like Nathan won't be honest with her again, which is a lesson he
learned in like three other games at that point. But so otherwise mostly just
a game that I love, love, Love of Love. Doom twenty sixteen
is really good. Yes, this is a I remember kind of you and
I both being skeptical of this game. I remember myself being like that trailer
was pretty violent. I don't know if we need that in video games anymore,
and then playing and being like, what the fuck was I talking about?
This? Rule? That is I learned a lesson that I've learned from
that have since always enacted on, which is, you can't judge violence in
games until you have the context of actually playing it. And Doom taught me
that because once you're playing it, you're like, oh, I get it.
This is like almost comedic. This is almost like can you believe this
character even exists and is ripping these demons apart? And you run into a
room as the Doom Slayer and all these demons are freaking out because he's here
and he's gonna kill them, and that is awesome and it makes you feel
that in everything you do. It's such a good game. God, I
love Doom twenty sixteen, right, I love that Doom of all things is
what finally revitalized at PS a little bit when it STARNI gets stale. Honestly
saw some great games scar like Typho, but like cover base shooting had gotten
out of hand, right, This this was like originally gonna be like a
call of duty like Doom or something like that. Yeah, and here the
design a shooter that's like, no, you are running and you are being
aggressive, or else you are dead. And they made it work so well,
and they had these maps that were a ton of fun to explore.
That music obviously was incredible, just absolutely knocked it out of the park way
more than I way more exciting or relevant than I thought Doom could possibly be.
Past like that original nineties boon for the series. So good. Yeah,
you got a couple more you want to drop before we go to the
podcast. I feel a little bad taking this one from you, Jeff,
but you had your chance. Hit Man. Hell yeah, let's go many
now now. My top three from that year are definitely on the list.
So hit Man the first one started, and this was when it was like
gonna be just an episodic thing. The intro pack and a few of the
episodes started in twenty sixteen. I was a little late to this, Jeff,
because I just like my mind's like, I don't care about Hitman.
I don't know. I played demo for some three sixty game ons and it
didn't feel like mettle here solid, so I don't like it. Then when
I went back and played this, it is it is so special. It
is just doing things that other games aren't doing it right. It has that
kind of Groundhog's Day effect of just learning these It works both ways. So
it does work that first time you're going in and it is almost kind of
like this escape robe with all these different those all these moving parts. You're
kind of like navigating it the best that you can. But then when you
learn all the moving parts and you know when those parts are going to move
and where they're moving to and how you can manipulate them in all the different
ways you can approach and complete these different missions, it's just wonderful. Yes,
it is uh like going in there, like you said, and push,
like pushing into something, poking and prodding at something, and then seeing
like the cascading effect that that has that always sets off like the creative juices
of like, okay, that works, so I can do that and if
in that moment that first run, you might try it, and a lot
of times it will lead you down the path of you know, of one
of the like highlight emissions. It's like, no, we're going to guide
you to that, and you can do it that way for sure, but
sometimes you will just try something you know offhand, and if it works,
it's fantastic. But if it doesn't work, usually it ends in a way
that is very funny, that is a story, and then that builds on
your knowledge base when you go to replay it, you know, twenty times
and you get the mastery level for it, and they have a great system
of unlocking things that you could start the mission with by playing it over and
over again, so that really makes it rewarding to do so. And it
just have them like build a single player game that feels informed by live service
games, and you know, eventually, like obviously it is like a live
service game in many ways where they have these these targets that you can go
after that only exist for like three days and if you if you screw it
up or you get caught or you get killed, you can never try it
again. And it's like a really cool idea, and they have a lot
of different like plays on different things like that kind of works similar to that.
It's like it works great as the live service give even in the single
player campaign, like when you're doing that stuff, it's like they know,
some people are going to just throw themselves into this and that's maybe the best
way to experience it. So they really built it around that thinking, and
it really shows it comes through in a way that it doesn't hasn't really popped
up in many other single player games. That's like that's special word. It
just seems so apart from what everyone else is doing, which was like when
Squirt Nicks is like, well goodbye Io Interactive, I was flabbergasted, like,
did you guys not know what you have? How do you not know
what you have? Good? Is so hard? Like that's the hardest part.
Yep, you got to figure out the rest that point. Yep.
All right, Jeff, do you have one? I'm looking I got one
for you. Oh yeah, sure, Yeah, there's a lot of Jeff
games this year. Yes, because The Witness also came out. Ye okay,
I was going to get to The Witness eventually, yes, hell,
yes, all right, the Witness the creator. But the game is pretty
good. Yeah, it's fine. Jeff likes The Witness and and I like
Braid a lot, like what are we gonna do? Exactly? I fight
with johna blow on Twitter. I used to and like he was on Twitter
or whatever. I fought with a bunch of times. We know what it
is. Uh. The witness is really good though. It is a that
line drawing puzzle thing but blown out to like the nth degree, and then
it is wrapped in this really interesting storytelling technique of there are like statues,
and there are these videos you could find, and there are these audio logs,
and if you just like keep your ear open as you're like experiencing these
things and you step back and you try to like find a through line,
there's a lot of interesting stuff happening, Like the storytelling that's happening with that
that kind of does relate to how people solve things and think about things.
And then the terms of the line puzzles themselves are actually very very good,
And I mean I don't have a gaming moment where I felt more exaltation than
when I cleared both the challenge of like that time challenge that was procedurally generated,
so it was different every time, so you couldn't just learn it.
You had to just get good at the mechanics of solving the puzzles, and
you had to do it in a very short amount of time. Beating that
was very thrilling and then solve even one of the first people in the world
to solve the boat the boat door puzzle. That's like you don't even know
where to begin with this, and it's like, uh, I had no
chance on that. Yeah, it was like I was just like in the
zone with it where it's like I just came from the area where like it
has the most fundamental thing you need to know about this. But I'm also
like hearing these creaks and here, and I think that's what I'm supposed to
be, how I'm supposed to solve it and taking that stuff and put it
in a premiere pro and like looking at the wavelengths and stuff, and it's
like, I don't know, having that moment is going to be a very
singular thing, but for me it was really special. So yeah, the
Witness is definitely something I would consider for this year. And the Witness is
great. My big my big problem with it really is is that I wasn't
good enough. That was really my big issue with it. Right, It's
exactly my kind of puzzle games. So yes, it's very good. I
get it. I would also throw fire Watch out there, at least for
consideration. I think Firewatch is a It's one that I think it's misunderstood a
little bit because it sets itself up and maybe maybe this is a little bit
to their fault. It sets itself up as this mystery, as this sci
fi fantasy mystery that's happening, and a lot of that stuff's actually implied by
the story and it's not necessarily set out loud, although a couple of characters
do like say that stuff, but they're saying a lot of things, so
there are in a lot of conversations and that's just one of them. But
as players, we glom onto that that's what's happening here because it's a video
game. We're playing a video game, so all that stuff, that's the
mystical elements, that's what we should be paying attention to. And you get
to the end of the game, and I won't spoil exactly because I think
people should still go and experience it, but I've never played it. You
find out that that's not what was happening at all at all, and it
was the human beings that mattered the whole time. And I remember being a
gut punch for me and being really impressive in the game, was able to
pull that off and realizing that that was the themes that we ignore the human
beings and instead of focus on all these things that don't actually matter because they're
more interesting in the first place. And it's just a really well told story
and it tells it through this these through its mechanics, and really I think
it's just a cool looking game, and it's cool idea of you being alone
in the woods, is this fire watch person watching for fires up in this
tower. I just liked the idea of the setting and all that stuff.
It's it's a well done game. Stardo Valley came out and Try sixteen and
that just feels like a good relevant game. Still like this game obviously just
kind of kept getting better with time. But like Started Valley was kind of
like the last farm simulator game you'll ever need. It just completely lapped,
you know, the franchises that had been doing this forever, obviously taking a
ton of inspiration from those, but just putting it in a much more attractive
and fun package, streamlined in smart ways and elaborated in other correct ways.
Started Voye was just a game that once I started playing it, it was
so easy to just keep playing it and keep playing it and keep playing it.
I you know, stopped myself from starting it up again, like I
don't have because I know if I do that, it's gonna be like an
other seventy hours. Just dumped into that game because it is so much fun.
Muted anything else or should we get to the podcast producers. I have
a couples other ones I want to mention real quick, go ahead, sort
vain. Planet Coaster is fantastic. It's also kind of like the last Thing
Park game I almost ever really need that. You can just do a tone
with it. It's kind of the successor to those Planet those Rocers of Ticcoon
games that I loved growing up. I need to go back and actually play
more Planet Coaster. It is just a ton of fun. World of Warcraft
actually got It's one of its best expansions ever this year with Legion. Just
really smart. The way that they kind of really focus it on the identity
of what class you're playing as in. Each class had their own little class
hall it was called. It really kind of made being like in that class
it felt more important than being in your faction, which never really mattered all
that much to me. There's just a lot of good decisions in Legion.
It sort of felt like the finale of the story that they had been telling
since Warcraft three. So I think that's still a lot of people's favorite expansion.
It's very good stuff. Uh, anything else you want to bring up
before, I think that's look at the podcast producers. Now, all right,
let's start here with Adam Jus, who says Dark Souls three again.
Apologies as always, me and Mike just never got into Dark Souls all that
much. I mean, I always want to solve that. I was like,
oh, this year's gonna be there. I play Mother. I would
love to also play all the Dark Souls games. I would probably just start
with I don't do it in a way like we play through them together in
some weird way. I know they're not like co op games per se,
because yeah, I mean I haven't played any of these. I know.
I know like two is the one that gets a little bit of flat and
that some people defend it. But one of three are pretty universally just loved.
I understand, and of course I want to I want to play them
huge secro olfan though, everybody, so don't kill me. Damn Fiasco,
says Doom of course, Jamie h. Christmas Eve says Star New Valley,
Alex says World of Warcraft, Legion Slain says x Com two, Xcom two,
of course it was great. I think we gave a little bit of
love to Xcom one. We did give some love, yeah, yes,
and that deserved an x Com two actually also just straight up a great game.
Fraxis was actually in their ship in this time. They had Civilization six,
which I didn't play a huge amount of, but I still played some
in twenty sixteen min when it launched and still really enjoyed it. It wasn't
it. Wait, Civilization games kid better with time like all the other civilizations,
and it was Action six was that long ago? Yeah, that's why
Civilization seven is almost certainly coming out this year. Yeah, because I remember
in my mind that in my mind that didn't happen that long ago. In
my mind that I was surprised how soon that happened after Civilization five. I
don't want to know when Civilization five came out now I think exists. What
that was one of the years we've done already, but I think it was
quite some time. Twenty ten, okay, so ten, it was only
six years later we had that. It's been longer than that now, I
do like says six. I like the way that I really like the way
that the world leaders look at six. I think they're fun. I do
too, Uh Freedom MC liberty Ball says Dark Soul's three. Mister Bowler says
super Hot, which I've only ever played super Hot VR, which I love,
but some people people do love super Hot. Do you ever played this
game? Mike? A little bit here and there. I never really got
deep into the super Hot minds, to be honest, there might be one
that we could consider for like a game club discussion at some point. Doctor
Ryan says Tom Clancy's the Division, which is the game I think can go
really good. Yeah, it's a good game. This is why we have
Exstruction Shooters nowaday Yeah. Yeah, I like the Division. I think I
like the Division two even more. I do too, although I like the
setting the Division one more because the Division two is like summer in d C.
And I'm my guy looks hot and sticky. I don't want to go
there, Yeah, but you get to. I don't know. Division two
has that level in the air Space Museum that I love. Fair enough of
Texas says Titan Fall two. Alex A Gogo also says x Com two,
Separo's one Wing Angel Lucy says Stumper. Uh, Thumper is a good game
that I haven't played enough of which one is Stumpers. It's a it looks
like a tunnel shooter, Yes, but you muse rhythm tunnel shooter got Yes,
and it's I think you would be into it because it's like very aggressive
with it. It's music. It's kind of like hard, like hard rock
and stuff in music. Yes. Uh hosp says Star New Valley. Uh
Inmpanada Eaters is Mafia three. I could never get into the Mafia games.
I don't know what it is. I don't like the Mob. I can't.
I can't, I can't Roman. I can't even like them in like
a fun what are you doing? I not well negative Italian stereotypes with that,
like you know, like obviously Pirates were good people either, but like
I still find like Pirates stuff kind of fun. I don't find anything about
the Mob fun or cool revolutionary. But whatever Martin Scarce is, he makes
some fun every once in a while. Doctor Lynch says deusex mankind divided.
Oh wow, that was there twenty sixteen. I just feel like the last
real one. I can't keep them. I could never keep your there's one
Wait now I'm confused. There's human revolutions before May couldn't Ofvite was the sequel?
Felt like people didn't talk about nearly as exactly reason And that's why I
like lose track of it because it was just like I think it got lost
in twenty sixteen. There was a lot happening. There's a lot happening.
It's kind of have a rough year for that. Yeah, I wonder if
they would feel I know they were supposed to be making another one. I
wonder if they actually will. Teeth A Lockhart says Sega three D Classics Collection.
Hell, yeah, man, this is good stuff. It is a
good cover art for that. Tom Tommy Pittzel says Steven's Sausage Roll. Is
this on Steam? Because if it is, I'll put on my Steam deck
and I'm going to actually play because I know people love this game. What
is it? It's like one of those like I think it's like a sliding
block puzzle. Yeah, yeah, honestly, yeah, it's like that that
Black and White game they came out last year that John was super into it.
Oh, it's a socobon Is that what they are? Yes, yes,
I think it's something like that. Okay. Uh. JD. Camp
says hit Man twenty sixteen. God, whatever time I see this game,
I'm just like, oh, I should be playing that game, even though
I think this is a level for hit Man two. Yeah, you're right,
it is definitely a level for hit Man two. Iami. Yeah,
yes it is. Uh, Lenny Cool. Dick Denver says Kirby Planet Robobot.
Planet Robobot did rule. It's funny how little three DS kind of stuff
we're talking about this year we're away from the switch to start to fall off.
Huh exactly. I was going to talk about that, and actually to
slip my mind, it's like, man, this is such a good year
for me, even though there wasn't There's not a lot like top top,
top tier Nintendo stuff. And to be fair, I have not played Kirby
Planet robobotlant Robot's very good. It is a slow you're Nintendo like. This
was the year where their big game was Starfux Zero, which I liked fine,
didn't play with a lot of other people though, Yeah, very oddly
Slow Year from the Tow's definitely one of the best two D Kirby games.
I like Triple de Luxe. This is that, but Kirby could get into
Giant mechs. What a great idea. That's a good idea. Man Magic
going from Star Fox Zerrea Breath of the Wild the next year, Yeah,
villain Beck says over Watch, Yes, pretty, Breath of the Wild is
a cool character. What a great traces fine tracers fun. This always reminds
me of like, hey, why did that? And I can never remember
what it was called the that boss Key games not legendary, the one that
was made by what's the Cliff Wazenski his game? Oh no, no,
no, you know, look at this. You look at this cover and
you're like, that is a cool character with a cool face that I can
relate to, Like, that's a human being doing cool stuff. I can't
wait to see what this game is about. And then Lawbreakers is like,
We're going to just show you a bunch of people running away from the camera
and some of them gonna have weird tentacles and come an out of end robots.
You. Yeah, it's like such such the opposite of like what worked
for Overwatch, even though it was clear clearly trying to ape Overwatch. Shoot
Hot American Summer Sispony Island. Oh, what's that, Mike. I don't
know if it's aping Overwatch. I think they came out like the same time,
maybe even earlier. I forget, but yeah, I know what you
mean. Yeah, fair enough screaming Madden, says Madden seventeen. But he
put uh put agent forty seven into the gronk face there. That's pretty good,
Okay, put stadium level. Yes, the super Bowl. You had
to get someone during the Super Bowl, wouldn't that be good? Don't we
still have a map coming to us? I hope I think they did say
that. Yeah, I hope. I hope we're not just making that up.
That would be fantastic. Game Cube, Chris says, Inside, I
asked, WUSP says hit Man. Shout out to everyone, talk about it.
Side. We haven't brought that up at all. Yeah, I'm sorry.
I've never played Inside, so I just I don't It's not for me.
But if you I know a lot of people like Inside. I think
Inside I saw something I think about a lot. Do you ever saw that
that collectible? Do they they sell with this game that was like made up
a like some material. Other stuff is made out like for self, this
is like the Dune popcorn bucket. You don't know anyways, moving on,
always be clothing. Slash Corgi says, uh, what the fuck is this
is that that's to come to? Okay? Game it looked like metal like
that really threw me off from one of the I think that might be someone
actually that actually just a snake. Uh if I had a million layers this
Final Fantasy fifteen. We haven't seen many of these, but I know some
people do actually really like this game, despite that weird game spot List putting
it very low. That case, what list was weird? It got some
things right, I thought. I just looked at it like, I'm like,
this seems right except for nine. Yeah, well nine was real weird
and there's there's maybe some other things, but that was the one that struck
out to me. I actually liked it. They gave twelve that much love.
Yeah, fifteen was this year. Okay, I you know what I
liked fifteen And uh, it's a game that definitely wears it's sort of developmental
problems, like on its sleeve you can see them. I mean thirteen.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Still a really impressive game in a lot of
ways, and there's certain things about that I think actually have aged pretty well.
That open world was fun, the kind of bro trip thing did work.
The compt system was pretty neat, the summons were really impressive. Yeah,
I like fifteen ant the Savss Battlefield won, which is another game I
know people really love. Yeah, I think it's the last battlefield that people
really liked, right, yeah, I think that's the one they looked back
fondly on. And it's like twenty sixteen after this was what was the next
one after this? No, No, hollow Line wasn't the cup one that's
like that. I think Hardline was before this, to be honest, I
think I think the World War two one five was after this anyhow. Doominal
Crossing says A M two. I'll hire another metroid to remake Return of samus
Man. I still I still have that in a like Google drive, so
I always have access to it. It's great. Uh the tecond will five
says Uncharted four A thiefs and a great choice, beautiful Soup says Civilization six.
Uh. Octo says Tricky Towers, which I've never played, but this
looks pretty cool. Yeah, it's pretty good. Yeah, you gotta.
It's like it's like the reverse. You have to make a tower. What
is it? Yeah? Yeah, you don't clear lines. The blocks are
physical parts. They used to make as tall as a tower as you can.
But it starts caetering and ship and then you get power ups every so
often that can like help you keep the tower together. Nerth oh if you
are playing this, we need to play jist okay, sound that sounds fantastic.
Are is it like on Steam or what? Yeah, it's a Steam
game that's always like, you know, five bucks or whatever. Yeah,
it's great, fantastic, Okay, very cool. Wong gift, says Momo
Dora Reverie under the Moonlight, which looks uh, I'll say it looks like
a Hintai game. It probably is. Probably those are white Majors from Final
Fantasy, I think. In the cover, low Rules says Pokemon's Son.
All right, look Pokemon free second. Now I'm just going to be mean.
I don't look if you you know how like uh you know, Scott
was Sword has like this really slow beginning that people can play about god Pokemon's
Son like, just get on literally fifteen minutes, go over your baby.
Yeah right, no, man, I just play this game a couple of
months ago. It's literally I am impressed how they made fifteen minutes. I
feel like two hours because it is miserable. Oh my god, So all
these characters like, ah, this girl is like running on a bridge away
from this scario. It's like, you have a luau. You're being interested,
you like Kingdom Hearts. Shut the funk up. I'm actually really glad
you guys are arguing because it's taken this entire time for me to read what
this next one is. It's a cyberpunk bartender action. I think it says
Volhaula. Yeah, yeah, this game rules is pretty good. Yeah uh,
I used context clues. I got there. That rare monkey says odin
Sphere the Yeah, this is the enhanced version that came out that year.
Ocer is very good. I'll never forget. I bought Odin Sphere on PS
two when it came out, and my friend who didn't really play v games
anymore, was there, and he chastised me because he just assumed like two
D video games weren't really a thing anymore, and it was in the same
to him that I was spending I think it was thirty bucks at the time,
Scooty video game man. That makes me very mad. Mike, I'm
sorry he did intern understand. Uh. Breadfish says Shamagami ten say four apocalypse.
People like this. This isn't like, well, people, I don't
know what I did, and I'm like, got to keep it up.
Yeah, maybe I said that again, that wasn't me originally though. This
is this isn't like Persona five Royal or Persona for Golden. This is a
sequel to Shimmigambe Tensa four so and I think a lot of people even like
this more than the original. Wheeze Man, says Pokemon guy, which I
was wondering if anyone would bring up. This was that year? Was my
Pokemon has been around that long? Wow? Yep, Wow, this was
the year we were all walking around outside and people Poka stops. We should
have that game is probably gonna have a pretty big, like ten year anniversary,
and that's like two years away, ten years. And think about all
the other gives Diantic tried to make happen since then, right, maybe the
best one somehow. Oh, that's incredible. I remember Microsoft that like Minecraft
one, that you can build Minecraft stuff anywhere in the world. Yeah,
Cryorsis says Dark Souls. Three joy Z says okay, you can sure this
one? Did you break? I don't want to look at it like I
had to look it up. This is something to do with the Witness.
Yeah, this is witness reference. Look at that because it's a line there.
Okay, I'll look. It's like triggering something with me. You got
us, you got it? Uh b also says Valhalla Bugget Bugget. Dilla
says enter the gungein. Oh, he's awesome. H input name here says
hyper Light Drifter. Oh, they play that a little bit, A little
bit the same here. I'm like, I kind of regret not playing more
of it because it seems so cool. Riz Racer says Kirby Planet Robobot Klink
says the division. Uh Mitsurugi says Dragon Balls dragon Ball is Xeno Verse two
now is it dragon Ball x No? But I mean no, you're not
allowed to put that game up, okay. Isaac Clark says Lucky's Tail.
That's a cute game. I like it. It's a cute enough game that
got completely fucking lapped by Astrobot Rescue Mission. In terms of virtual reality three
D platforms uh Teriaki Blues says, The witness Big Tony the Final Fantasy Guy
says, Gears of War four will two Gears. People think of Gears of
War four because that's one I still know. I took Gars three. I
was like, I kind of had my fill of Gears for a while.
I know people like Gears five. I guess I'm not exactly sure what people
think of four. I have no idea. Willow Davis says, oh,
that's right. I'm just going to read the text, Okay. I don't
think that's Abigail's original spread Abigail with a massive cleavage. I just it looks
like Tifa level. Seriously. Uh, I see what you've done well here.
And then Daisy Man too says uh this fire Fates yeah right, yeah,
yeah, which was good. It just wasn't quite as good as Awakening
Camell is pretty good though, Uh, Adam, imagine that, Adam GC,
I think this is Pokemon go. Yeah? Is it another witnessing or
is it poke? Yes? Okay, good, got it. Laser Wolf
says uncharted for a Thief's end uh DMC depressed me crying, says Planet Robobot
Vision forty nine says doom, Ali Miracle says Vagina. But oh my gosh,
this is the year that uh, what's the same? Fire embum sharp
f sharp, mirage sessions, sessions sharp sessions. There you go. Jeff
gets the point. Yes, it is funny, like knowing that somebody had
to go in there like frame by frame kind of scrip out, but somebody
gotten mad about Do you think the person that scrubbed him out knows people got
mad about it? Or they're like just getting a job. I hope they
know. I hope they do too. They know. Adam Asleep says Firewatch.
Tears of the Boomer Pal twenty seventy seven says grow Up's favorite game.
Yeah, look, I'm sorry to go back. I can't believe I've been
thinking about vagina botes for eight years. Yeah, the vagina bones has just
been thinking something rattling around my brain for eight years now. That's not healthy.
That's yeah, it's not It's not great because it's also like a go
to joke for me, and it's like, oh no, that's really old
now. Dougman says Don Bradman Cricket for the Xbox. Yeah, we should
play some Don Bradman Cricket play this, we should play the rugby game.
I would like to play some of these. I like rand sports, like
oh Cricket. This is the only game Getty games that had the same titles
like Sega Genesis. Yes, and it looks it looks like it could straight
up just be a Saga Genesis cover too. Literally does That's like Tommy Laruss's
Baseball right there? Uh? Turbo Shawn says, Titan Fall two and then
but but Larry and Jiehattist but Larian but larryan Jihadists says, I don't know.
Is this what is this? That is oxen Free? Yeah? Okay,
oxen Free right the radio tuning thing, Okay, it's pretty I just
don't want to let this year go without giving a shout out to this neat
little game. Uh yeah, I know people really do like Oxen Free.
Did you ever play Oxen Free to Christian? Do you? I know,
I know I got around to play that one, but the first one.
I love it. It's pretty good. I remember the dialogue of this game
being like very real, like very oh, this is like yeah, people
don't talk like in video games, So I really like that. Ah right.
That means our list is, are we adding anything to Overwatch, titan
Fall two uncharted to four Thieves and Doom, hit Man twenty sixteen, The
Witness, Firewatch, and Stardew Valley Valley. It's like, I don't know.
It's like I could look, I could list things, I'd be lying
if I really thought that they were gonna make it in over something. Yeah.
I think that's the thing. It's like we already have a pretty like
competitive list as it is, like and a lot of them more games that
people did mention on here, Like part of me, what's to throw Planet
Robobot on there? Sure, but it does need it's probably not happening.
Yeah, I kind of work with what we have. Let's work with what
we have. Then I'm happy there's something that we can like guarantee move up,
like Overwatch and titan Fall two, and probably there's a lot. I
mean, honestly, it's just these first five. I was about to like
just say the first two, but is it Unoverwatch, Tite all two uncharded
for Doom and Hitman? What are the other ones that wouldn't make it?
Then The Witness, Firewatch, and stardew Valley. Well, okay, Star
New Value. You want you want to get Star New Valley on there somewhere?
Okay, Well how about this. I love The Witness and I love
Firewatch Firewatch. These are great games. I don't much feel the need to
flurish them on this list, especially when like they were not in my top
three and my top three from that year are here and I'm looking at them,
so I'm just gonna move these off. Yeah, yeah, that means
we have six. Yeah, it's hard because like I don't want Started Valley
often, yet I'm having a hard time like, oh, which one would
I get rid of for it? Which one would I get rid of for
it? I mean this, this will be a year where all six of
these games I've spent a lot of time with, and I think I've you
know, the ones you can beat, I've beaten except I think I did
a band m I run a Starting Valley at some point, but I still
played a ton of it. Let's figure out what's number one first. Let's
do that, because I think we're gonna be fighting. There's gonna be two
games fighting for the fifth spot. Then we'll figure it out that way.
I would put forth a titan Fall two is the best game, but that's
mostly me playing on hoping that you your negative not negative, but you're you're
like waning feelings of Overwatch. Will like, let me make that happen.
Yeah, it's hard because I really really I know. I know, and
I did too. I did. Like that's what I'm saying, Like,
I know it's deserving of number one in a lot of ways. I just
think, I look, I like our Watch more. I think you and
I think our community likes titan Fall two more. We can do titan Fall
to at number one yea. And I just think, like we put out
a list today, it's like for me, titan Fall two looks right there.
I think, you know, ten more years from now, we might
be able to look back and be like, no, Overwatch actually goes back
up. But in this moment, I think titan Fall two feels that's super
painful thing for me. I like titan Fall two a lot. But yeah,
then Overwatch two, yep, over Watch one, over Roger at two,
yes, then hit Man right, yes, I mean please yeah,
I think so it's it's fantastic. I mean, it's a game of the
Year were like, honestly, I think I think my Game of the Year
list at the time was titan Fall two, Doom, and then hit Man
and I. At any moment, any one of those could be well,
it'll probably go back forth between hit Man and titan Fall two and then Doom
kind of floating around there. Can we talk about like how they're released,
like hit Mass twenty sixteen ho ho cool was the episodic stuff every time,
like every couple of months and you map and like a year event at least
for me. Also like seeing other people like people John Ball making content and
watch it was really cool. It was really cool. That was It was
such a cool experiment that worked. And of course they bandoned eventually like square
Enix lost the faith, uh and and then when they're on their own,
like they just didn't That wouldn't be financially reasonable, but it was really cool
when it did happen. I see where this is going, and it's hurting
me a little bit. What do you think should be number four? Though
I think Doom should be number four, But I'm okay with any of these
three, mic I really am. I like all of them. Yeah,
okay, let me just all right, Well, for first off, put
Doom twenty sixteen next to that name. It's gonna you know me, sure'd
be crazy. Uh here's I think. I think a lot of people chat
and I get it. I want me to get rid of on Chart four.
And man, this kind of goes back to what I always say about
a Charter four where somehow I feel like this game is underrated. It part
it is like I think a lot of people have just kind of gotten over
on char four in a way that happened. That is what happened, because
like on Charter four comes out, it's really great. And then even like
a lot of people who I'm like, oh, you're a huge naughty Dog
fans, can you not wait for the next Uncharted? And they're like no,
there's not gonna be another Uncharted And I'm like, that doesn't bother you?
Like what that bothers me? And I don't care about that series.
It is such a good game and it came out as it's it's it's I
can't do it, Jeff. So you're gonna maybe have to be the one
to tell me that you think a Chara four should be off the list,
because the problem is I absolutely think that Doom and Star New Valley should be
on the list. I think all three games should be on the list,
but also pull out the three games we already have. So like, I'm
just a capable I'm just kind of deadlocked here, all right, if I
do this, it is, it's doing it for Let's just get that out
of the way, Okay, And then Mike, I put Uncharted four up
on five. I think, But but I I I don't know. I
somehow like I wanted to, and I somehow feel more wrong in some ways
not having started value on it. I know you're right, and not having
started value on the on the list looks weird, weirder than not not having
Uncharted. Yeah, it just does just does. What a good year?
It's a good year. We're we doing on Charted off? Yeah? I
hate that? Can we do this? Can we put started value even above
Doom actually forgetting Yeah, we're gonna do that, definitely. I think I
actually do want to do that. That's just so hard, like it just
has to be start. Would you, oh, would you give me a
charter Ford instead of Doom? What would you think of that? I Mean,
I don't love it, but I'm not. I don't hate it either.
I don't because I love Uncharted four. I really Doom is just clearly
like an important game, you know in a way that Due is just like
you know, and you start playing that like I was just pausing it there
when don't freak out. I agree that you probably can't do it, like
maybe I wish that a charter forards for the game. But you know,
I guess the importance of Chart four is that it's one of these games that
I mean, I charted is in a lot of ways. And I don't
want to say this is its legacy. Ask what kind of bad legacy?
But it has gotten us to this video games just have to be three hundred
dollars budget games now in some way yep, and match up with stuff,
Mike. It's a weird legacy right now. Yeah, I've got bad news.
I've tweeted it. So the list good, it is. The list
it is, it's hard, it's rough, and look, if it was
my list, I would have on Charter four maybe above similar things. But
I think this is right. It's I wasn't going into the remembering just how
good a year this was, but it was an insanely good Year Wow twenty
sixteen. Geez. The best games of twenty sixteen are a number five Doom
twenty sixteen and number four Stardew Valley, at number three hit Man twenty sixteen
and number two Overwatch, and number one is Titan Fall two. Those are
all games that are in some way in like my personal pantheon of if I
had to like set up a steam deck or something to take onto a deserted
island, there is no way that that team that does not have these five
games. Like it's even if I have limited space, all five of those
make it. So it's yeah, what are good? Good? It's hard
to be upset, although I meagine people will be upset out us about dar
Souls three. But what can you do? Do you want to do for
fun? Because we did this a nighte TI I five. I think you
have it on that thought. You want to go real quick year but a
year and just say what the game of the year is that we have picked?
Just sure one, Yeah, let's hit it. Should we go back
start from the beginning or work our way back for actually the dogs kind of
start at Z so let me get it up here. In a second,
kill some time for me. All right, I will kill some time for
you. God, I'm going to play the ten withst So I don't know
what else to do. I know you want to know boy name is Missus
Clay and she had person. Well, I the thing I lost nitrol because
I can't pay it anymore. I don't. I don't know. This card
doesn't want me to pay them for some reason. So I had like that
custom name, so like I had custom names on all the servers I use.
So when that thing went out, I just kept that name, that
joke name that I have with my friends the other Doom because it's a Dum
reference, the other Dum freaks of the Doom server. So you like,
I don't know, it's everywhere now and I didn't. I didn't change it.
So that's the story behind them. Butlai, the Terran she had,
she had happened like like two thousand years before the events on doing or something
like that. Well, like the robots got all like crazy and man,
so had we had to kill them all? What year did we start with?
Nineteen ninety five? Okay, I found back to two thousand and five.
I think I got it. It's got to be here somewhere, let's
here. I know, I thought, y'all, I thought it's like all
had it in one dog. I haven't like four different docks because after like
you get to the Z column. I'm just there's probably a way to get
it to repeat. But I'm like, oh, just start a new doc
for now, starting with two thousand and five, I have Okay, it's
rest Evel four. Uh, then it is Elite beat Agents in two thousand
and six. Two thousand and seven is Mario Galaxy. Two thousand and eight
is Mirror's Edge, two thousand and nine is Batman Arkham Asylum to twenty ten
super Mario Galaxy two. Then let's see in this other list. I'm really
proud of that Mirrors Dad. I must have put up a good fight on
that one. I think I was one of your big stands. Twenty eleven
was Skyrim. You guys won't even let me get what the f happened in
For twenty eleven, you wouldn't let me get Saints Row the Third at number
two. You have Ghost Trick at number two. Man, I must have
fell asleep. Trick's a better game. You were there. There was one
year you weren't there. Yeah, what was twenty e Love Read twenty eleven?
That might have been me and Mikey episode earlier. No, it was
I think I was there. It was a sky Rim I think, well
maybe No, we're the R five games real quick. It's okay. It's
Ghost Trick, Saints Row, the Third Portal two in Pokemon Black and White.
Well, there you go. It's on the list. Like what you
what you mentioned? It's number three instead of two. Yeah, it's not
a great game. What the fuck you christ? This is? This is
what happened, isn't it? In twenty twelve it was x COM Enemy Unknown
twenty thirteen, Zelda A Link between Worlds? The best game so far twenty
fourteen, Shovel Night, Middle Gear Solid five of the Phantom Pain in twenty
fifteen. Twenty sixteen is Titan Fall two man no offense like the Fan of
Pain. There's a lot of games from this list that I might have put
over a Phantom Pain. Yes, yes, better here, yeah, yeah,
twenty sixteen is incredible, Man, twenty seventeen is gonna be even better.
You're twenty seventeen next? So no, dang? Okay, all right,
let's take one last quick break just to make sure we get everything's sorted
here, and then we will do some super chats talk about what we've been
playing right after this. All right, and we're back, Mike, Let's
hit those superchats before we get to what we've been playing. Yeah sure,
let me find out exactly where we left off here. Wow, okay,
So yeah, Ram Vincent for the first sup cha I think so? I
said, Hey, Jeff, what's up? I missed any news that this
week. Appreciate you tons guys, A ton, thank you, Ray.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's nothing. Nothing happened. If people don't
recognize Rain Vincent been on the Giant Bomb couch, it's from respawn. Hey
oh cool, thanks for tuning that. Man, appreciate it, Love you,
bud uh Rito says for twenty sixteen days, X Man kind of vide
it. I had to get it out there. Underrated Joe, You know,
I, like everyone else, even though I loved Human Revolution, I
just never played a second of being kind of byed for some reason. Yeah,
touched it. Yeah, busy, I was just playing. It was
clearly just a busy year on it, just like it seemed like there was
a lack of excitement for it. So I was like, I guess I
don't need to play that. I don't know. There was like, I
mean, all the games that we put in our list were like part of
the zeitgeist, right like even like you know, titan Fall two didn't take
over the world, but it was like, I have to tell people about
this. I was part of my zeitgeist. Then Overwatch and Hitman started,
Valiant Doom all had some conversation happening around them, and it's like DIOSX just
did not, And so I was so easy to ignore and I must have
ignored it, Eden says, writing in to say Apex sent out a new
survey to players this week. That's a lot of questions about single player Apex
slash titan Fall two content, which they said didn't make enough money at that
time a few years ago when they tried it. Yeah. Yeah, I
mean I think there are to be a lot of like, hey, thinking
about what's next, what what what? What? How can we shift things
up? So hopefully everything's back on the table. I like Mike's idea of
taking what happened with uh the Star Wars first person shooter so far and doing
something else with it. I hope that I hope that's possible. Curtis Tates,
is, Jeff and Mike, what is your most memorable and our favorite
gaming related memory from your childhood. I mean the earliest stuff was any stuff
watching my brother play Mega Man or playing other games like that. Myself a
lot of a lot of Mega Man Disney games in Mario at that time.
Whenever I probably played meg Mahn. Ever, the Capcom lego came up,
I would get really excited and go cap oh God, yeah, apparent thing
that everybody my parents liked and whatnot. So yeah, that's kind of the
big one for me. Uh yeah, mine's the typical stuff of like getting
the ani As for my fifth birthday. I've talked about before that one really
sticks out, But now there's a ton of just like playing games in the
We had a finished basement, so just like having this like Little or Dungeon
as a kid that I could go down to play video games whenever I won,
and it was nice and cool down there. So it's like even the
summer, it was like this great retreat from the sun when we got them
playing outside, and those feelings are very very nostalgic for me. That's a
very special place in my heart for that. I in my childhood at home,
like my first room. This is like the home I like was in
from baby to about five night we moved. Like there was a wall that
had a bunch of these Mario stickers on. They're kind of big stickers,
right, that's cool. I love them. I was just like about today.
It was like the first time in my life I thought about them.
It occurred to me because I haven't thought about him in a while. Like,
you know, those didn't like just grow on the wall. My parents
like knew I liked Mario and got those for me and put them on the
wall for meet. That was really nice to them. I appreciate them.
That was great. It's funny, Like even then it was like, what
is Mike like he likes a video game? Yeah, right, when I
was like three. It's just I liked video games in Disney people. I've
always been that way. Michael cortests Microsoft really couldn't let them by themselves loves
out before they gutted them last month. Oh, anyways, keep up the
great work, y'all love the show. Well, well, they closed a
studio last month. I don't think they fired anyone from Toys for Bob,
I forget no, they did the toys. Bob was hit by the layoffs.
Yes, okay, I don't know what it was like. I don't
know if gut it is correct, but they were definitely significantly hit by it.
Prophecy O two says the secret best Pokemon like World of Final Fantasy is
one of my favorite games with Final Fantasy title. It also came out in
twenty sixteen. I remember our old editor Jason Wilson actually liked World of Final
Fantasy a lot. It's a game that I and a lot of other people
forget about, but it was It had like the classic ATB battle system.
It's like all these cheap characters, which I think whenever you do that,
you kind of run the risk of your game seeming unimportant. I think that's
just what happened with Persona Tactica and not too long ago. But yeah,
something I'll check that one out. Actually, Na ten Derek's Pokemon Go was
twenty sixteen, and also Watchdogs too Watchugs twos. Okay, yeah, I'm
not gonna rate that here one right, Yeah, I think so probably it
definitely course correct because the first Watchdogs took itself very seriously and this one,
like everything else around this time was kind of joking it up a lot more,
but I think that was probably the Watchdogs lead is kind of like what
what what are we even doing? This is kind of how I show it,
right, Like what is this? What's what's this game? I don't
even know anymore? Does anybody? No? I don't know. Conna,
what's his Prick Cross three D Round two? Danget, you're a pick Ross
freak. I mean we talked about Prickross three D last time. I think
here is Round two is just as good. It really is great. You
know, we talked about it because of the DS hidden Gems recently. That's
why. That's right, That's right, Yes, okay, that makes sense.
Done and Done says after seeing Mike overcome both Dan and Shinach. I'm
happy to find his next pack of Larkana. Love the show. Thank you,
Done and Done. I I can't wait to get more Arcana cards.
We finally like played a game with my brother Toolongo and we were just using
our uh starter decks off all the Ducktails cars and then like I'm like,
yeah, this keeps Funana has Disney? Has Disney noticed? Are you guys?
Influencers yet. I don't think they noticed just yet. Although any minute
now, though, I think it's gonna just look. I want a card
reveal. Think that's the thing they do. Yep, the last that I
think I am more than the two horns. There's not much of a horn
to too, trust me. I looks. But I want to reveal a
card and I think that I deserve that. I think you deserve it too,
and four Press says congratulations. Mikey On mitchsologies also Dan is a poop
poohead with poo poop for braids. Peas positive. That is harsh, love
it? Uh? And then Ali Miracle says eight years of vagina bones sure
isn't healthy? Yeah, yeah, that's very low body fact to even make
that work. I think so. Probably not. I don't. Yeah,
maybe it's good for you to be that. I'm not sure that's it for
now. Jeff, Hey, what you've been playing, buddy? Yeah?
I mean it was it still is mostly blatro. I did start up and
played a little bit more of Final Fantasy seven Rebirth because I was going to
get past the content. You told me to get pasted, and I was
told not to, so I stopped doing that. But sorry, Jeff,
I thought it was the right boo. But that's all right whatever, No,
it's fine. I'm like, it was cool to play because that's a
fun game from what I played so far with Like, it's really cool looking
and it's got a lot of cool stuff happening. Early on, I was
in to you, I'm trying to But aside from airy and all that stuff,
do you know the plot twist of the original fan Fantasy seven? No?
Interesting? Okay? Cool? Yeah, so that was neat, but
it really was a lot of billatro I did I think the embargoes up on
Expeditions a mud Runner game? Yeah, Solco reviews for that earlier today.
I started playing that and that immediately felt really good. I haven't played a
ton of that because I haven't playing a bunch of other stuff, but I
figured I would probably make a point for us to play that on content because
I think it seems like it's kind of a much better online multiplayer mode than
the previous mud Runner games have had, and it seems to fit that idea
maybe better than the mud Runner games did, So I think that might be
a good way to experience in the first the first few hours but either way,
like for those games, what attracted me to mud Runners originally was when
it was called spin Tires, and I just saw a gift of a big
fat truck tire tearing through the mud and kicking the mud up and deforming the
mud, and I'm like, that is my shit. That is what I
love about video games. And I went to go play the game and it
was that it felt just as good as I imagined it would feel. So
when I boot up this game and I'm immediately in a big truck that is
kind of like in this dried mud divot on the road, and like you're
getting the wheels to sort of like climb up the side of these divots so
that you can get some traction and then it slides back down in and it
just feels right and feels challenging to get just like to do this like simple
turn. I was like immediate, like, okay, it feels right to
me. That's half the battle. Now. I just hope that the game
side of it of do these challenges, do these do these we're going to
put a goal on your map, get to that goal. I hope that
that stuff is interesting. That's really where they improved for mud Runner to snow
Runner. Snow Runner was a much better game. This one seems like it
like has figured that stuff out even more. And if that's the case,
then I'm going to be truly in love. And I can't wait. Yeah
I might. I've never actually played as I was a spider much. You
like them? This one I'll have to check out. Yeah, Like,
yeah, I think we'll just we'll make a data of it on Giant Bomb
and we'll we'll play it and you know, get Dan in there and stuff.
We'll have a good time. Are you playing with Will or are you
playing it on the wheel? I know you have a wheel, but are
you playing it? I will get the wheel set up. Yeah, But
right now, I actually just boot it up on the steam Deck because I'm
like, hey, snow Runner ran pretty well in there, I bet,
And I think this game is coming out on Switch, so I bet this
game runs great on Steam Deck and it did. It runs falllessly. So
yeah, I've been playing it there mostly just so I could get in there.
Yeah, Mike, how about you, what have you been playing?
Well? I'm curious actually if you checked out Dark Forces the remaster? Oh
yeah, I did. I played the first two levels, and I'm gonna
play more of it and I think i'll try to play some of it on
on the site. Uh god, it's just immediately, it's just it's a
good game. I just like, yeah, I like, I like Doom
and I like Star Wars. When it's Doom, they just nailed it,
and it's it's a lot of fun. It's the best of the Doom clones.
I'm excited. Even though I just played it not too long ago,
I'm excited to play it again. There's only a few reviews out there right
now, and they're mostly positive. There's like, you know, I don't
want to pick a people's reviews. There's a couple like, oh, you
know, this is an old game, and it's like, you know,
maybe that's maybe that's an okay opinion. But people review movies. Nobody's like,
well this is an old movie. Yeah, I mean obviously it's different.
Sometimes it's different always like yeah, I said, for a lot of
people that's like, well it's just better now, and like, yeah,
I know it is. There's something about that too. I liked, but
I don't know, I'm excited. Did you know, is there a way
to choose those the kind of smoother or the original cut scenes. Is that
a thing? Yeah, yes, I think I think there's even like a
you could do it very quickly, like even though sign it to a button,
it's not automatically assigned to a button, but yes you can. Although
those cuttings didn't, the newer ones didn't bother me as much as I thought
they would. It's fine in motion, It's it's mostly fine. It's got
like some accessibility settings and and all that stuff. It's very easy to get
the game like just going and then you know, set up to run the
way you run wanted to run. So yeah, I'm very happy with it.
And there's just there's something about a three D first person shooter with two
D sprites that have those animations of like oh I just got shot and I'm
falling down and it looks so good blown up in HD like this. It's
I just love being in those games. It's just always this is a fun
little Star Wars story too. It's just kind of I don't know if adorable
is the word, but it kind of is. Yeah. I love Kyle
katarn I do I do, I do stuff, but he's great. Yeah,
I think I'm a more of a Kyle Guitaran guy. But I also
love Jedi Outcast a lot. Sure, Jedi Night I need to play.
I hope they remastered Jedi also, that would rar is kind of ironic for
me. I think people actually legitimate Kyle Kataran. Yeah, I think that's
absolutely true. I don't get that that makes a lot of sense me.
Uh gosh, there's so much fun faces having Rebirth last week. I actually
haven't gone back to it yet because it was a bit of like catching up
with some other things, although I really do want to. There's a lot
of other there's a lot of quests and things I want to finish up there.
But yeah, a lot more Bolatro if I finished quite a few runs
of that. It is sort of my I'm gonna kill time play this for
thirty minutes, or just unwine for a hot second, or you know,
one of your streams is on, Jeff and I'll play that while I watch
it, or something like that. It's fantastic for that still manages to be
a ton of fun. Been playing a lot of Persona three reloaded. Still
still playing that basically every night, and I do really like that. I
know, maybe it's almost seems like like something we've already talked about and moved
on, but I was still very impressed with the quality of that, and
it is like, make me think in a lot of ways, how I
actually do prefer the ways it was handled Persona three instead of person of five,
or at least that I liked it when the scale was maybe just a
little bit smaller in some ways, not that this is like it has to
be Persona three versus Persona five, which is still obviously an incredible game,
but there is something different and unique about Persona three that I am still appreciating
now, and it's a very nice remick, even if again, some of
the social links are weird. I just had a social link yesterday. One
of the social links is that there's a little guru plays at a playground.
You can be her friend, So that's already a little weird. And then
just recently she was crying and she's like, oh, my parents are getting
divorced, and I asked my dad why, and then he hit me,
and then my mom said it was my fault for being annoying, and like
you can't do anything except just be like, yeah, that sucks. That's
basically your nicest option, like I'll get the police. So it's just it's
like, well bye, I'm like, okay, this this is just really
weird the way you interact with these very tense or weird problems that your quote
unquote friends have. They get to a point where it's like like Persona four
and five still have a lot of these personal interactions, but they do handle
it more maturely. I don't know, like maybe it's hard to say.
Now. I'm kind of curious because it has been well since I played Persona
four, I'm like, what are Persona four social links better? Because they'll
be clear, not all of them are like that. There's still a lot
no, no, no, no, yeah, I know, yeah,
of course I'm not suggesting. Also, I think they they became less dark,
like in the more like friends. We're old friends, so she just
hang out and had adventures. Ideal, it's still pretty dark. But yeah.
Plus, like in Persona three, the only the the girl party members
could be social links because it was only a day thing and the at least
waits you don't have to date them to finish the social liaq, which is
the thing. But the guys don't have their own social links. And four
and forward. All the guys do also, So a lot of your social
links are just your party members in four and five. There's a lot more
still, but they're taking up a lot of those slots. Hey, guys,
I got a little bit of news here before we get out of here.
Bandy Namco has just announced Ridge Racer No. Thirtieth anniversary. What he
shirt told you Mike concert event happening in July. But but where's the concert?
Acting to go? Hey, gotta flying Mike you out to Japan?
Like like, sure, I wish there's more, but like that concert is
gonna fucking rule the best concert ever in Jeff. I mean, we haven't
gotten update from you, But do you think this is where they're going to
finally announce that big Ridge Racer project. I can't comment on an active investigation,
so okay, so I'm going, Hey, Greg Miller responded to your
top five, just say, grow up? What do you think it is?
He's upset? Upout? Do you think he Do you think he's talking
about the game? Grow up? Is? Sarah came call? All right,
we did talking about we need to finish the joke right now. Incredible.
I'm looking up inform sure this Ridge man Rich Race is gonna be thirty.
They should do they should up. They should do something with Ridge Racer.
They should do something with Ridge Racer. Absolutely, do we have any
other super chats? Mike? I think we're all caught up, right,
they were actually caught up. I'll double check, but no, I think
we're good. We are good. Last one was about vagina bones. Last
one was about vagina bones. The next one is probably gonna be about vagina
bones. That's because you're listening to Game Mess Decides with me, Jeff Grubbin,
Mike naughty, Mike Manatti. I know you're got to trip happen in
all that stuff. You looking forward to anything in particular for your excursion.
I don't know. Sometimes you simply know when you just recorded the worst podcast
industry, That's right. That's sometimes you simply know. Why is why was
that guy saying you have to come get him because our dad's picking us up
so early that he's just gonna stay here so like my dad doesn't wake up
his family. Oh incredible, my dad. My dad likes to get to
the airport very like, all right, bye. I don't know, it's
better than late, for sure. It doesn't bother me. I like stuff,
doesn't like getting there too early. But I'm like, when I'm traveling
alone, I'm like, I don't know if I'm there four or five hours
early. That doesn't even bother me a little bit. Right, never happens
when you're going to the airport with me. Usually you're kind of late and
I get worried. Well, yeah, listen, I'll go get there.
Well, I'll get there when I get there. If I'm traveling for work,
it's like it's something to work, I'll pay for it. I'm a
right. He don't get you. I gotta I got a couple of things
they do. I'll let you know what. I'm on my way. Don't
worry. I'm gonna be three hours away to seven am flight. You know,
they don't open the ticket counters till like two hours before the first player,
so they we're just gonna have to sit in like the entrance area.
We can't even get to the terminal probably or the gate. Go. Well,
now it's a lowercase you on the up and there's a period after it.
So he is just telling us to grow up? What is what is?
What is? Uh? Upset? I mean he likes the charted right.
I think he might be making a double uncentre there. I don't know.
Okay, uh chart listen to chart is very good. Absolutely, I
am this weekend, I am looking forward to just relax. You know,
I'm gonna just go to sleep. I haven't been burning at both ends and
I'm gonna stop that this week and just relax. All right, right,
thanks for listening. Until next time. I have a good one. To
take care of yourself, and goodbye. Call over next week. Sorry,
my bot, you know Chust you just said he said about the loveber next
week, I promise Columbra, but ain't happening today. Sorry, we promises
all the time. He can fuck the fuck up. I don't. Oh
yeah, all right, your s s anthem behind me? Motherfuckers. These
people are the people that makes the fucking product to make your profit. What
are you doing where you should see them as a fucking number piece of me?
The funk off. I'm so I'm so angry sometimes you should be terly.
I feeling like sad, which I don't like. I don't like feeling
sad when this happens. If I feel sad, I feel sad for a
little bit, and then I get angry because angry is like a good fuel
for this ship. Yeah, if you're sad, you kind of stop there.
It's like, oh, well everything so so much your brain kind of
doesn't search for the answer. But when you're angry, they're like, fuck
this ship, what's what's going on? So like lately you feel like kind
of more sad and angry because he's it's just so much like this and there's
so many, so many good games. Is like you pissing me off.
It's like the talented people having to suffer these workers. It's just like my
coming is hard, like just like you can't take it so passed yep.
And it's just like what people pointing out like it's it's all industries and it's
like, yeah, you feel that. Like anytime I go out to do
anything, everyone's so stressed out. Everyone feels like the direct their wits,
and no one feels good about interacting with other workers because everyone knows all the
other workers are abused or people are actively abusing workers in front of you because
they just want to have some control over their lives. So yeah, it's
just like the ship in shitten name, what does that phrase? Is?
Everywhere it shitification, that's what it is. It's just everywhere and it Yeah,
it makes me angry but also makes me want to retreat a little bit.
It's not a good feeling. All right, Hopefully more workers, like
more like unions and stuff that will help a lot, Like for real,
for real, it's gonna help you, I swear to God. Like that's
like more of a revolution somewhere. So it's got to be, like it's
got to go all through the political system in America. At least. We
need way more regulation you need Yes, let's go back, all right,
well let's get back into it right after this little pause. Okay, all
right, all right, Like every is like like scientific journalists and like every
like really kind of Messa will refer to the like it's like infinite growth as
like a fairy tale all the time, and they've been doing like ever since
last thing started, and it's laughable to me that a lot of people should
just repeated like it's a real thing. It's like no, they were like
they were saying that it's not real, that it is impossible to license state.
We're like, where are we doing and they were like no, yeah,
infinite growth. We gotta get bitch, you ain't Fortnite. Yeah,
there's like three of those, and like even the games like like Apex Legends,
they're like panicking about that the guy as close as any of you fuckers
are gonna get them. It just seems like they might be done with Apex
Legends. It seems like they are looking toward the end and going there.
Well, because then they have more games in the pipeline for from respond at
least. Uh huh. Yet they just turn the Boundy Hunter game into something
else then, I mean that that does happen with canceled games all the time,
right, That's what happened a Titan Fall game. Then, well,
yeah, they have the like in Tech two when you fight that guy at
the end, that that guy is like a hunter type deal deal about him.
There's bounty hunters with jet packs of guns in your sci fi universe also,
just and just move it to that. Fine, Oh that would be
cool. I want I'm so this pointing on the Helldiver sht pack that I'm
really I really need that in my life now. Yeah, it's about the
jet pack. Intel Divor is bad. That's not It's fine. I mean
it's not like you don't fly with it. That would be brill No,
you won't want to be broken. What do you mean if you could just
flying out there? I don't know if you could fly for that a little
while all the time. Of course, if you want to play a game
a good jet pack, then you should play Suicide Squads. All right,
let's bring it back in alright. We could have did this breakaway before this.
I was just saying, we'll always like talking ship about the liblitarian she
had is. But whatever, this is the breakdown. Yeah, it's all
included, all right. Listen, if you want to stitch together however you
want, feel free. I'm not. I will not. He's not gonna
cut himself out of the podcast. Are you crazy? Exactly? This is
content. I'm so excited. I'm gonna watch Done tomorrow. It's just Dune.
I got to rewatch Dune one. Not that I'm like gonna get up
to the movie theater anytime soon. So good. But I want to see
that movie real bad. Yeah, that's why they don't have computers, because
the literarian she hat. Okay, yeah, man, people, people are
already talking about twenty seventeen, and man, that's just gonna be a painful
one to do. Why bob Ge is gonna win, Like over my dead
body, we know what's gonna win. It's a question of what the other
jeeves will make the top five. It will make the top five, Yeah,
I know, because you'll die on that hill. I will die on
it. You're gonna clip through and then lose the game. Yeah. Oh
like that happened more than ten or fifteen times. I don't remember. M
hm. I don't remember what happened to me. I remember the car blowing
up for no reason. I don't remember that. That was pretty good,
But that was funny. All right, let's save this conversation for next week,
and let's talk about the Mantas, the people that replaced the ulitarium because
they didn't have computers, so they trained the prosecute coming right back in now,