Hello, Welcome to game Spot After Dark, episode number two hundred and twenty
seven. I'm your host this week, John Luke Shypeke, and I'm joined
by one of the only, Michael P. Hiam. Hey, y'all,
motherfuckers can't get rid of me, y'all don't want to get rid of me
because I was. Actually I have assignments to do for game Spot. I
feel like I feel like y'all are my teachers. They need to get this
done by day. We need this by tuesdays to submit deadline. I'm like,
all right, fucking fine, give me some money while you're at it.
So Hi, I'm I'm happy to be here. I'm here pro bono.
Yeah, I'm always pro boning. You know what I'm saying. Listen,
you can't have me on this podcast. What you're talking about. I
was once. I was once riding the ship, and now I'm just fucking
taking the ship, driving this ship straight into the you're in the back,
heckling. Yeah, it's about to be the Titanic too. Okay, okay,
uh, Michael, is just you and me? Yeah? Anyone else
here? No one could tell us no, No, we're gonna yeah,
We're gonna we're gonna be Wilin on this episode, right probably, you know,
I mean we got we got our white claus here. Yeah, there's
no lass when you're drinking claws. So ah, goodness, man, it's
been it's been a week. It's been a week. It's been a week.
It hasn't even been a week. It's been half a week. It's
been half a week. There's a lot of shit going on in the video
game world. I don't think I want to talk about every fucking every fucking
days. It's always it's always something, and it's it's it's really wild.
You're talking about layoffs and ship I'm talking about that. I'm talking about the
Xbox all the Xbox shit Tim Dog. Yeah yeah, they lost Tim Dog.
This has turned into the fucking funniest ship, I swear to god.
Okay, let's get okay, like all all business bullshit aside. I think
this is the funniest ship so far. Is Like there there's like a whole
swath of I guess influencer esque like brand sure people whatever, like you know
how it is. They got like hundreds of thousands of followers because everyone like
loves dipping into the console Wars like the type of people who like do Console
Wars type ship. But these are people who've like put their whole brand on
like yes, Fox Person, Yeah, and so I get it, Sure,
that's the hustle. But the funniest it is like when this thing came
out about Xbox considering going multiplatt with a lot of their in house games,
right, a lot of the Xbox like brand. I don't't call them brandam
bastards because that's like a very specific thing, but the brand influence, I
guess you could say we're like melting down. And then and then like one
other person was like trying to make this like your fucking apocalypse, and then
they were posting like Xbox lost this person lost, this person lost, this
person dark Days Ahead or some shit like that. And the first one was
someone named Tim Dog. But it's just the one everyone grabbed because the first
one is like Xbox lost Tim Dog. We're like get the emergency, but
like everything was like yo, they fucking lost Tim Dogs. Crazy. I
do think it's like interesting because it's like, you know, we live in
this world where people like are like these influencers for this brand, and we're
like seeing almost like the weird reality of it. We're like, well,
what happens when uh uh you know, something like this happens, and like
do I put my whole I stick my whole ship on this one brand and
then the brand does something I doesn't, I don't like or whatever, like
what do you do? And it's like sometimes, dude, someone said someone
on a I think it was reset era, someone sayss like, is this
what it's like to be broken up with or some shit cheated on or something
like it's not Trust me, I know it's not. I get why you'd
think that, but I don't. Maybe you've maybe if you haven't been broken
on this. I was gonna say, like, this is made in list
behavior, y'all. Y'all neat a fucking relax? Oh my god. Yeah,
it is always your turn on the Xbox, so relax. Yeah,
anyway, that's not on that. Yeah. So that's our report. Yep,
that's our report, in depth reporting on the fact that Xbox has lost
tim Dog. You hate to see it. I think if you actually want
to hear some more like in depth discussion, some actual nuance about it,
Lucy, can I know just recorded that's spot on that'll be up on Friday,
so you can if you actually want to hear some actual thoughtful ship,
you listen. I'm I'm digging, I'm in these streets. Okay, Yeah,
I'm just kidding. You shoul watch spot On. It's a very good
show. That's pretty good. Yeah. Well, uh, anyway, because
wed I'm not gonna say it. I don't mind uh Final Fantasy. You
saw it. You can tell me off camera. No, I was gonna
make a bit about how we hate Xbox and let's talk about Final because it's
a PlayStation. That's not That's not true at all. I'm a three year
Game Pass subscriber, so fuck you. No, I it's not record straight.
I genuinely love my series X more than my PS five. It crazy.
I actually I knew Xboxes in the pockets of big Xbox. Dude.
The quick resume. That shit's crazy crazy. Your power goes out, you
unplug it, you throw it like in the dumpster for five years, you
plug it back in and it's like, hey man, you want to pick
up that Gears of War three campaign and you're like, yeah, shimerd,
I do. Damn. That's crazy. That is wild tech. It is
wild. Not even my PC does. Yeah. So you know, Xbox
they got some cool stuff, but what they don't have is Final Fantasy seven
Rebirth. They don't and you gotta, you gotta check some of it out,
right, I did. I was on assignment for GameSpot dot com hit
video game website, and I went to LA to play four hours of Final
Fantasy seven Rebirth. Four hours, four hours. Yeah, it's quite a
bit. And let me tell you something, this game is fucking huge.
That was my my that was my headline for the previews. So I did
a really extensive preview on gameso dot com and I did a video collab with
the boy Richard lee A. I did a video version of that, so
y'all should peep that if you are interested and haven't checked it out yet.
But I butts play four hours, which is the opening four hours of the
game. Okay, and a lot, it is a lot. I did
not even scratch a service on what was available because so the game starts with
starts off with I mean, this is gonna make a lot of sense to
people who played the original Final Fantasy seven. If you only played remakes,
some of it won't make sense. So what happens after you leave Midgar is
that they go to the next closest town called Calm with a K and is
a calm town. It is very chill, quiet, calm before the storm.
Yes, oh wow, Yeah, that's a good way to put it,
because what happens in this game, what happens in Rebirth does not happen
in the original, which is Shinra basically tracks them down in Calm. Oh
no, yeah that you just like stop there and then just kind of just
keep moving. Yeah yeah, but here, what happens when this is playable,
and the demo that I played is you'r chilling calm. You go through
the whole flashback to Niebelheim, which which is an the original, and then
so you get to play a Sephroth. So the original Sephroth was an automatically
controlled character in your party and it was yes, and it was wild because
like it was a way of displaying just how fucking powerful Cephroth is. Yeah.
He would like do a move and it would just be like nine yeah
damage. Yeah, and you're like fucking like little baby ass cloud. He's
like, well, swinging is a little sore, like yeah, like sixteen
damage or whatever and stuff. I was like, move, get out the
way little little little punk ass motherfucker. So you go through the whole and
it's it's it's much bigger than how it was in the original game. So
yeah, I actually go through like a whole gameplay sequence. You spend time
in Ebleheim, uh, and this is all flashback, so you go through
that whole sequence. I won't go too much into detail because it is I
feel like it's not much, not extensive gameplay wise, but I think it's
something that people should experience for themselves. Yeah. Yeah, so I heard
a spoil a spoil story. Yeah, even though it's like the first thing
you do, it's I think it's available in the demo the public demo is.
Yeah, so I'm sure people have played that, and yeah, they'll
know they know. But after that, you get to you're in calm,
you're chilling, and they introduce you to the social elements. So there's like
social links in this game. I saw that, yeah, and I was
like a relationship bar. It felt interesting. So I was looking into that
and I actually talked to Kitase and Hamaguchi director producer director about that, and
I'm like, y'all doing some social elements here. They're like, yeah,
because the whole thing about rebirth is the theme of bonds, the bonds that
you share, the power of friendship is such a big, such a big
deal, and like Hamaguchi said, like this alongside all the other themes,
like that's what we're trying to emphasize with rebirth, which wasn't you know,
really part of the original seven. Of course you didn't have social links or
you know, relationship bars to fill in the original game. But here they've
kind of made it a mechanic that you take care of. So everything you
do in terms of interacting with them, like when you're in conversations and you
choose what to say to them that affects your relationship, that bar with them.
Crazy that there's like dialogue choices, Yeah what yeah, yeah, so
there's that, and there's the side quests. Sometimes they will be involved in
specific side quests, okay, and if you see it all the way through,
like the one I did with Earth to like you go to the Chuckoboat
ranch eventually, and then there's a side quest where hey, can you gather
these flowers? My mom really liked them and we want to remember Stuffy you
know, I'm a flower girl. Yeah, so when you complete that side
question. She's like, wow, Cloud, you're such a good person.
You got so much riz I love you. And it's like plus ten social
points, yeah, plus ten social points. Okay, So I saw like
how these things are mechanized in the gameplay sense. So yeah, it's it's
really interesting that they're going that route. But also once you step into the
grasslands, yeah, so you get chased out of Comba Shinra. You don't
encounter them, you escape basically, and then you step out into the open
world. Or I wouldn't say, okay, there's if you watch the state
of play, Rebirth is broken into different zones or regions, but the regions
themselves are like open worlds because you have towers to unlock, and then you
have all these side activities that pop up in your map. So you pull
up your map and there's all these icons for like collect this thing, fight
this special monster. Here's the side quest that starts here. Oh, it
takes you across the map and you go here. And so when I looked
at looked I pulled up the map, I was like, oh shit,
this is like kind of an open world game right in almost a traditional sense.
But the more I dug into it. The more time I spent doing
the things of that world, it felt very intentional rather than checklisting, right,
because you hear a you go to the tower, you unlock it,
and you're like, uh, oh no, you'd be softification kind of you
know thing. But no, no, not quite. It's still a little
bit of that, and it's still sometimes it feels like you're going through the
motions of an open world game. But I think the there's a lot of
variety in the things that you do and the things that you see from it.
Not all of it it's going to like super great. And I said
in my preview that the sometimes the moment to moment stuff isn't like that fascinating.
Sometimes there's there's a side quest where hey, get your chocobo and dig
up a secret treasure or whatever, and you sniff around like Truckle was like,
hey, it's over here, and then you press down on the deep
path and you dig it up. It's like cool, you got an item,
Like right, okay, that's what I guess. So there's Yeah,
there's just a lot of stuff that populates the map, and the map is
just is just the grasslands too. This is the first region that you go
to. It is fucking huge, and it's also tough to navigate too,
because it's not just a flat surface. Yeah, it's like the topography of
this place is wild. Like I can't if I see something on the map
across way, I can't just like bline, I just go go straight to
It's like, oh, there's cliffs here, I have to find the path
around. Okay, the path around takes me to this place. Now I'm
involved in something else, and then it's like a chain of events that happen
along the way when I'm just trying to do this one side quest. So
it's really interesting that this is the direction that Final Fantasy seven is going in.
Yeah, because uh, I was always curious, like, how are
they going to like translate the the like open world map, you know where
you're like a cloud like wandering around the map. Yeah, And I was
like, I was like, are they just gonna do that? That'd be
really weird, Like probably not. But then like, yeah, having it
be like a true one map open world I don't think would make sense.
So having in these different chunks that feels right, Yeah, you know,
because like I mean to be fair like the original game was kind of like
that where it was like, ah, Okay, you can't really go that
far until you unlock you know, the choke a bow and then you can
go through here or oha, you n locked the boat, now you can
go here. So the end the part where like, well what happens when
you get like you know, Sid's airship, Like that's the part that I'm
like, how does that work? Like do you get a fly or around?
Yeah? Like maybe that's for part three. I don't know three,
I don't know, so like that stuff's and I'm still curious about that,
but that the way they're handling it seems to like make sense, and like
how you would translate that that idea of like you know, like an open
uh you know, an open world to to like modern day for Final Fantasy.
Yeah, absolutely so yeah, because like before when when I finished Remake
and it ends at midguard and I'm like, how the fuck are they going
to build out the rest of this game because that game is so linear?
Yeah, And it felt like it had to be linear because of just like
I mean, it felt something about Remake felt like, oh it has there's
an element that has to limit the scale and scope because of like how high
fidelity it is, because of how just there's a lot of weight behind everything,
like the way you move, the way the talent, like the way
that that game works. I couldn't have imagined it as like a semi open
world game or just like a game of this scale size and scale. So
initially I was thinking after remake, they would probably put you on a pretty
set path where like, yes, there's a world around you, but you're
pretty much like funneled into a certain direction, like Okay, now we're going
to Calm, Now we're going to gold Saucer. Now we're going to Cosmo
Canyon, like all have it very intentionally laid out. Yeah, because I
just thought that that's the direction they were going in for this whole thing.
So when I step when we step out to the grasslands, I was like,
oh fuck, this is pretty intense. Yeah, and that couldn't affect
the pacing pretty dramatically, like because in the original game, like you don't
spend much time in the ground. It's not much to do. Yeah,
you just like you get the Choco bow and then you go to like what
the mine and then like you just move on right, Yeah, you calm
and go to the mine and then you go to uh the where you play
fort for Fort concoor right, you go to Fort Condor and then you do
the do the defense tower defense mini games like that one in the original was
ver. I tried it once and I was like, No, no PS
one era mini games in your RPGs. Yeah, usually not great. I
do love how they are still extremely committed to like mini games. What I've
seen, like you know, like the trailers have seen they're just like,
here's just so many fucking mini games. Yeah, yeah, like it's They're
they're definitely keeping the spirit of the PS one in that way, which is
like exciting. Yeah, it's really cool obviously, Like if you watch the
State of Play, they show a lot of the Gold Saucer, and the
Gold Saucer had a bunch of bunch of bullshit, Like, yeah, a
lot of cool shit that was in the I'm excited to see that stuff because
that's probably one of my favorite That's like one of the most memorable things about
Final Fantasy seven is like stepping into the Gold Saucer and just having this feeling
that a game world is so extensive and so different in various places, like
you come off of Final Fantasy six and it's you know, an SNS game
and you go from town to town, you fight, you go to different
regions and it's cool and all. But something about seven was like, oh,
there's just like different things happening. There's different like biomes, and there's
there's like a whole these are there's society. I felt like societies are living
in this world. Yeah, every town feels extremely different, like tie versus,
like midguar versus, like Coasta Dassul, like all that stuff felt like
very different from each other. Yeah. Then you have a Gold Saucer where
it's like this the Vegas like area where you can like gamble and race chocobos.
To be fair, I didn't super engage with the Gold Saucer in the
original, but also I didn't play seven until like only a few years ago.
Ya, so like you know, maybe the wonder of it really worked
for me in uh my my old age of twenty seven when I played it.
But I'm curious to see like how they interpret it with this one,
because like we love in some mini games, Yeah, yeah, there's there's
some there's a lot of It was a very goofy side, so a Final
Fantasy seven that's kind of always been there, but yeah, definitely, God
yeah, definitely seeing it in Rebirth and I think you saw some of it
in State of Play. Also with when they disguised themselves as sailors for the
ship. It was fucking hilarious. In the original game, it was fun
like Red thirteen with this disguise, Yeah, disguise a sailor and like all
the other guys are like he was normal, yeah, and the like that.
The animation the for the the NPC that is Red thirteen on that ship
is like walking all like like wobbly and ship. And I thought, then
you go up to it and read Thirteen's like yo yo, chicho, chill,
don't blow my cover, and that's still that's still in Rebirth and amazing.
Yeah, So I asked like Hamaguchi about how how it's like to translate
some of that goofy shit in a photorealistic game because you see it in a
PS one game like, oh, that's kind of whimsical, right, yeah,
especially because like I think when when they originally revealed like the remake of
of seven, and it looks like so like whoa, it's like realistic,
like you kind of expected them to be like not have that stuff in it,
but then like, oh man, like a wallmarket like was like so
goofy and I was like oh no, no, no, okay, Like
they're still very much like this shit is dumb. Yeah, like the best
way. You can't not have seven without that, yes, So yeah,
it's it's really impressive that they would go for this kind of scale because that's
not what I expected out of the seven remake series. But also I think
the way they're tying a lot of the gameplay systems into what you're actually doing
in the activities, like even going back to the social bonds mechanic that yeah.
Yeah, So you have like a whole sphere grid type thing that's called
folios, and these are all dedicated to like partner attacks and partner synergies.
So the more you have a party level aside from like everyone's normal level,
so the party level is unlocks more of the sphere grid. I'm just gonna
call it spear grid. It's called folios, but I'm just gonna call it
spear grid because it's a grid with spears and these unlocked like yeah, partner
attacks and stuff and like stat boosts with like oh if you have Earth and
Cloud, they can do this combo attack and then you get like win,
you do wind damage, so if the enemy is weak to win, you'll
get a multiplier on top of that and extra stagger damage also. Shit,
so there's there's an extra layer of depth that wasn't there in remake. And
this is all tied to there's also a weapon upgrade system, so you got
more You spend SP to unlock new things in the folios spear grid, and
that gets you more and more of these partner abilities. And then you have
a limited amount of SP which is also based on your weapon upgrade, so
you upgrade weapons for each character, and characters have separate tools of sp yes
to unlock their partner skills and shit. So okay, so like kind of
kind of like the way it worked in the last one, but not they
mixed it up. Yeah, because I remember like didn't remake it was like
each weapon had its own like or something. Yeah. Interesting, it's cool
that they're not just like one for one just like as same systems new like
they seem to actually be willing to like no, no, no, we
should like mix it up and change the way progression works. Yeah, so
it's an extra layerup. The one thing I'm kind of concerned about though now
that I thought about it, was like, maybe they're doing too much because
I can imagine someone who's going into this. Uh it's like, yo,
I can't wait to play the next installment in the seven remake series. I'll
call it Rebuild, the rebuild of Final Fantasy seven, And I can imagine
its being too overwhelmed by this stuff because it does part of me feels like
I could get out of hand where you jump into this and okay, I'm
the material system itself is already pretty like sure, uh take some thought and
to really make the most of the material system. And then every character has
their own fighting style that's very different from one another, especially like Tifa.
Oh right, yeah, totally. I really like playing his Tifa, but
it takes time to kind of wrap my head around it again, fully understand
the intricacies of like, oh, like the way you want to change stuff
and her like, uh, what's it called? Like, uh, the
the one like strength move that Like he was like you'd want to do that
and then like that could change that charges up. I remember like it took
me a while to like really get a handle on that stuff, because like
I don't think the game does like the original game didn't do like the best
job of like fully explaining like how in depth, like it actually goes like
it wasn't until I watched like Max talk to him. Yeah, who is
you know a wizard when it comes to games, Like I remember like he
put up like high to your Tifa gameplay where he's doing fucking like tech and
juggles where they're it. I was like, what can do that in this
game? Like That's insane? So yeah, you know, it's just I
just feel like this game like throws a lot at you, even as someone
who played a ton of Remake and I played Integrate. I replayed Remake when
Integrated came around, and even like jumping to this, I'm like, ooh,
this is fascinating. This is gonna be really fun, but it's gonna
take a lot of effort to get the most out of Yeah. So I
appreciate that because that makes it so much more of a deeper RPG. Like
I mean, I just think like some people are going to look at this
and be like, Wow, it's too much. Maybe you don't have to
engage with that stuff, but I will say that this game is pretty hard.
Oh okay, because when I when I did the preview demo, I
couldn't get past the the the five like the last boss of the demo,
because you need to spend a lot of time leveling up and thinking about your
party composition, your material set up, and the following stuff honestly helps a
lot. So I I and like, it's a it's a demo. So
I was like, fuck, I only have I did my interview and like,
okay, I only have like an hour left. Let me just see
what the next main story thing is available in this demo. And I was
like, oh, this is actually very difficult. So I do like that
the game isn't like a walk, like a breezy walk. Sure in the
sense I say it's my previews that I like it when games push back on
you and say, hey, you need to engage with these systems if you
want to keep moving forward, cause you know, you can have all these
these wild systems in place, but if you're not encouraged to engage with them,
then like what's the point of having them? Yeah, it's not fun.
You don't feel like you're taking the you're not playing the game. The
way they wanted. But also I'm not like, I'm not going to bump
up the difficulty just for the sake. It's like, yeah, I'll play
on normal mode and see how far this game pushes me. So I fought
mid Guard's armor. Who's who's the snake in the marshes? The big big
serpent in the marshes you didn't have to off? Yeah? Well so yeah,
so in the original, you go through the marshes and like the you
could see the little the little in the marshes, you could see it underground
and you just have to avoid it. That's why. That's why you get
a choke about you have to get a chokeboat to like cross the planet swash.
Yeah, so they do the same thing in this game, but it's
a little different because it's like, here's a swamp land, it's underwater,
and it will attack you in the swamp and that's how you get that boss
fight. You have to fight it though, but in the original you get
the chocobole so you don't have to fight it. And then you get to
the cave and then it's like for some reason, it's like on a steak.
Yeah, it's like dead. Yeah, you're like this, Yeah,
and then so I got to see, like in the I watched the footage
back of they gave us b roll, so I got to see what happens
afterwards. But it's really weird, Like everything I've played so far from the
demo and for what I know from like the state of play and all stuff,
is that things aren't just added, things aren't adding up and this is
intentional. This like the whole thing about Final Fantasy seven is that Clouds Memories
are so fucked up. It's like, yeah, it's like it doesn't make
sense, but not in the way that it worked in the original life or
something else, because yeah, No, remake was like that too, where
like you know the slight spoilers, I guess, but like there was like
Earth would say shit that You're like, how do you know that? Yeah,
we're like you know shit that you're not You're not supposed to or you're
you're like like there was like something weirds going on here. Yeah, that
they were very vague about in a way that was intriguing. And I was
like, also, like, remake is made in the in the context of
a post crisis core society we live in whole I said it like that as
much as Crisis Core. I mean, yeah, all of the like what
Advent Children Cerberus, which I'm Crisis Cours you don't want to have experience?
Yeah, yeah, and so yeah, things are very different in the like
now that this is made after Crisis Core, Like Crisis Core came out in
two thousand and seven, I think Original seven Final Fantasm came on nineteen ninety
seven. Yeah, so they can remake this, remake this story in the
context of, hey, you already know what happened in Crisis Core. So
there are things that you Crisis Core answers a lot of things that were weird
and seven and so the whole thing about like I mean, Zach is on
the fucking cover of this game, so yeah, he's going to be He's
in this game, which is really wild that because before you play seven,
that was kind of one of the mysteries. It's like, who is this
Zach guy and what does he have to do with Cloud. It's very vague
in the original too, Like it's extremely vague. Yeah, and not only
is it vague, I remember like specifically you can like miss key dialogue.
Yes, if you don't like have the right party members with you and you
have like you like kind of get it. But I remember like playing and
being like wow, like they really kept the shit vague in a way that
they're kind of doing in this one, like in a different way. Yeah,
it's interesting, you're gonna see you'll see it all. But it's just
yeah, it's it's kind of like this in like nothing is in sequential order,
like Sepharroth shows up. Is these hooded figures from like Kingdom Hearts or
Kingdom Hearts type shit, which I know people have feelings about. I know
that's someone who didn't play the original first. I didn't mind that stuff.
Yeah, I get it. Yeah, that's the the Kingdom Hearts isms obviously
weren't there in nineteen ninety seven, so some people might feel some type of
way about it, But like I like seven, I want to see what
they do with that kind of stuff. I think it would be very fascinating.
But yeah, it's uh, it's like, hey, you know what
happens to the original, you know what happens in Crisis Core. So we're
not doing that. As a matter of fact, We're going to play off
of all those things that you already know. For a new type of story.
Yeah, I mean you called it, you call it rebuild, and
I think that really isn't the perfect Like it's that you know Evangelian absolutely thing
where like you know what happened, and we're going to use that on purpose.
Y do that? So that's cool. Yeah, so definitely Final Fantasy
seven rebuild. Yeah, you cannot avoid Kingdom Hearts. Uh yeah, I
this game is going to be very big in a way that remake was not,
because remake was what you could go through. Remaking about thirty five forty
hours and yeah, everything fifty if you want to like max at all,
like this game fifty. But I opened that map, I'm like, oh,
buddy, I'm gonna probably spend forty hours just in the first like half
of this game. And it is. Yeah, it's a very big game,
dude. It's a heck of a time for one hundred hour RPGs.
It's somehow I ended up covering every single one of them, even Grand Blue.
No, not Grand Blue, right, I avoided Grand Blue, which
is I was thinking about picking that up because like, oh I want to
play some Grand Blue, but I am too busy with other things. Yeah,
yeah, I did obviously did infinite wealth. And then we were on
last week to talk about P three reload, and then I did the preview
four final Fantasy seven rebirth and uh yeah, that's uh what a time to
be alive, What a time to be a lot man. Shit, rebirth
is crazy. I'm excited for it. And obviously the State of Play showed.
It's one of those things where I heard they showed too much, So
I didn't watch the State of Play because I was on PTO and I was
and then and then I was like, oh, maybe I watch it later.
And then I saw everyone Twitter being like I wish I hadn't watched it
because they felt like they showed too much, and I was like, oh,
maybe I won't. They did the RGG thing, are they like oh
yeah, yeah, okay, then then yeah, I'm not gonna watch that.
Yeah, I'm gonna wait. I'm I'm kind of I'm kind of bummed
about Like, yeah, yeah, it's a it's kind of a trend where
like these big games are showing more than they need to, or I feel
like they they have the sense of we want to show our coolest shit,
so no one is like everyone can see what we're about. But that at
the same time you're showing your hand to it is. I felt this way
with Infinite Wealth because by the time I finished Infinite Wealth, I was like,
oh, I had seen most of this in the trailer. Yeah,
and these are like moment These are big moments where in retrospect that that like
you know, uh, the like early game reveal with Cure You and Wealth.
I was like, they really did not need to say that in Yeah,
I don't know, like and then like showed the whole like oh he
sees his old friends again. Yeah, fuck man, Like come on.
One of my favorite things about Like a Dragon in twenty twenty was like the
final chapters where a lot of that stuff comes together and you're like, yo,
yeah, I did not expect yeah, so and so to show up
and then I fight them and it's like they used them. Did also spoil
that though a trailer? Oh? Fuck? I think they did, but
I think I didn't see it, but I remember like not getting it,
but I think there was a trailer. I don't know if maybe it was
postgame or something, but I remember at some point they spoiled it and everyone
was like, why did you do that? Yeah? Also, like if
you know the voice like when they do the like the opening credits and you
see the voice actors and like, Okay, well I know that that character
is gonna show because that voice actor. That's true. I didn't even think
of that, but it's still like yeah, but it's like, okay,
what contacts are they going to show up? So, and it came around
in Infant Wealth, I'm like, oh, I guess I already Okay,
I guess they're going to show up fair enough. Still good though, because
like you just still don't know the what happens in the in those moments,
yeah, like what the the meat of Iteah? You finished Infant Wealth,
right, I have not? Still I hurled by Persona, But so what
I've been doing is George has been playing Persona and I've been like on the
steam that's just like grinding levels and the Hawaiian hout. Yeah yokohamahu. I'm
just like, oh, let's just get it. I'm trying to get the
uh the the suit for cure you. Yeah. Yeah, And I'm like
I'm going to get that. I'm gonna go grind and get that. I'm
close. I'm close. I think. I I don't know if I remember
if I officially promised it, but like I know, we want to spoil
we gotta do a spoiler cast to chat about that one. Definitely worth digging
into a lot of it. I do not like I know, and I
need to get to that stuff. I'm curious because, like, because it's
interesting, because I think there there have been a very wide range of opinions
on that game and its story on the internet. Like I've seen some people
expressed similar sentiments to you where they were really I have I haven't. Oh,
I saw a few people who shared specifically your sentiment that that they thought
the game did ichubon thirty Yeah, I think so, yes, especially once
you see once you like, finish this game, right. Yeah. And
I don't know what that is. I kind of I have some ideas in
my head, I kind of knowing that, but I've seen a couple of
people have that sentiment, but I'll see a lot of people didn't feel that
way, which I thought was really interesting and I was like, oh,
okay, there's a lot of mixed perception to that. Yeah. When when
reviews came out, I was kind of surprised about I mean, hats off
to RGG. Yeah, of course, like, obviously I've talked I've covered
the Yakuza series to one of the Yeah, the yaka series has been like
one of the key pillars of my career at covering games. Really, like
I owe a lot to the series for just like really changing how I view
games and what I've done in games coverage. So yeah, and across the
bort like when reviews came out, like everyone absolutely love Infinite Wealth, and
there's so much to love about Infinite Wealth. Sure, but as someone who's
been with the series for so long, is like seeing every piece of this
series, there are things where that that really stick out to me that I'm
like, oh, that's I don't want to say, oh, that's not
what this series is about or whatever, but I'm like, oh, you're
kind of you're kind of losing the thread here. These are some inconsistencies,
especially even just based off of like A Dragon twenty twenty and Guiden that was
just a couple months ago, where you have to like really strong games.
I loved both games, and then now they're they're combining forces in a way
that are like there's no way that they can drop the ball, and there's
some ways in which they do drop the ball. Yeah, that was kind
of disheartening to see that. Yeah, in the midst of having all these
incredible moments that are like I will never forget. No. I mean obviously
I haven't finished time and hit those moments yet, but I like, like
the first fifty hours I put in that game, I was like, dude,
like everything that's happening in this game fucking rules, Like, oh my
god, just like moment to moment. I mean, I was talking about
it with Richard Lee, who's been getting into it. He didn't think he
was gonna like Don Doco Island, I'm probably gonna that, yeah, and
he said hated the first hour. After that he's like it got me.
He's like, now he's like putting like twenty hours in it or whatever.
Yeah. I felt the same way the Infinite Wealth. Yeah. No,
I also got suckered into Don Doco. I know you did, I know,
I sure did you capture some footage and for the review, and I'm
like, yeah, I'm glad you got that deep into it, because that
shit is real deep into it. Yeah. I felt the same when the
first hour was like I don't know if I want to do this, and
then after a while I was like, fuck it, we're doing this.
But I think one of the best things about Infinite Wealth is just like how
much they put in that game and how like it feels like every couple of
hours, like like Mechanics and just like systems and mini games, like every
few hours they add a new thing, and you're just like they got to
run out of stuff to throw. You're in chapter eight and they're still introducing
new ship. They're still introducing new stuff, and I'm sitting there being like
it, and it's so rare to have a game do that where like I
like because because okay, so people always talk about, like, you know,
the idea of like short games versus long games, and my my philosophy
is I don't mind a long ass game as long as that game is like
able to engage me for like that hundred hours. And the problem I have
with a lot of like Ubisoft games, like a Far Cry for example,
is that like it it engages me for like a third of that time maybe,
and then it says just do not do that two more times, and
I go, but I just did all that. I don't want to and
like, you know, I'm not to say like Infinite Wealth is like perfect
or like there isn't any repetition, but it is constantly throwing new stuff at
you all the time. Where I never had that moment where I was like,
oh, I guess I'm doing this again. It's like no, man,
I can go do this new thing that they gave me, or I
can go do this, I can go do that, and it's like,
uh, like hats off to them, like it is yeah, wild how
much they pass. They're so to that game. Yeah, they're so good
at Like RGG is a kind of unmatched when it comes to optional content,
to where the optional content feels like essential, especially oh Infinite Wealth. Of
of all the ACA games, Infinite Wealth's optional content feels there's so much essential,
especially when you get security you stuff like that's the oh absolutely to me,
it's it's like it's weird that it even is optional because I'm just like
I should I said the same thing you like, why would you not do
all this? Yeah, it's wild, like and it's very good, extremely
good. Yes, it's it's really weird in some spots, but it is.
We'll get to it when we talk about House. But like some of
it, you're like okay, but then you're like, a you got me?
Yeah, yeah, always got me. There was one in particular that
I was like, really like, we're gonna okay, and then I was
like by the end, I'm like, now I'll kill That's how it is
every time with the yakas game. It's like I don't know about this all
right, Yeah, That's how I felt about yeah if it well, so
yeah, I'm real, I'm really excited to I have a bunch of friends
who have already for who reviewed the game, finished the game, and then
so well, I've talked extensively. But for you and I, Jean Luke
and I have a special connection right that goes back years. Jean Luke and
I have built our friendship upon the foundation of the Yakaza franchise. Yakuza in
Persona. Yeah. Yeah, so it's in our it is in our friendship
contract that we must uh do a spoiler castle spoiler Gus. Yeah. Yeah.
Honestly, it's really funny that a game from two thousand and six Persona
three would also warrant a spoiler cast. I would love to do one for
that. I would not just for us, I feel like for Evan Langer
I feel like that boy's probably he's probably rubbing it, like, yeah,
he's in Persona three spoiler cast, Like when are you gonna do it?
Like it was like our number one fan when been so much? You're did
he at you on Twitter when your preview for Persona three went up? But
the video hadn't gone up yet because Kurt was still working on it, and
he's like, hey, what do you video? I need that video?
And I was like, we got you, got you covered. It's like
I can't wait for the review. I'm like, well, you're gonna have
to go to IGN dot com for that one. You know what I'm saying,
you do, but I do. I do like that. We talked
about this last week. But the fact that now it's Jess and I so
I'm doing Persona coverage for i GM and that she's doing for game Spot,
and it's like, oh, I love no, I genuinely love that,
and I love Justice review. Yeah, oh my god, there's so like
I even talked about it. I'm really glad she got to got to review
it. I read a review and I'm like, fuck, man, like
damn, she really like I use a lot of words. My review is
my reviews tend to be very long, but her review is considerably shorter.
But still she finds a way to just get to the point and express it
so agreed so strongly in fewer words, And I think that's a real talent.
Oh absolutely, Like when she quoted the Iliot, I said this last
week, but I still think about that ship. I still think about that,
like that is such a good pull that summarizes the entire review. Like
I could just tell someone that, like that is what Persona three is about,
and I was just like beautifully written and has a lot of good perspective
on that that Now I like I tell people, like, yo, you
should I didn't consider this is not that she mentioned a review, So it's
really fun to see that now we are the ones covering those games. But
yeah, Persona three absolutely warrants a spoil like has because that is I don't
think Persona three gets enough credit for how fucking bold it was and how it
ends. Yeah, it's wild how I think you and we were talking about
it where it's like I I didn't really appreciate how bold that game was when
I first played it because maybe just like the age I was at or something
like it's like playing it now and like really thinking about it, I was
like, damn, that game was on some ship that I just like did
not really appreciate when I first played it because I was fifteen at the time
or whatever, and like, now, like, god, what fifteen years
later Jesus Christ thirty Christ, Yeah, Revolver you know he shouts out to
Revolver Jesus. Yeah, that's guy Dad persons or something. But dude,
yeah, that game, Like you know, watching Georgia play through it,
and I'm just like, man, this game was They were honest some shit.
It's yeah, like even I am, I'm surprised, I guess by
how many people are taken aback by how they summoned personas even just that it's
like oh sure, yeah, I'm like, oh yeah, I guess that
is Like huh, I never really considered that the shooting yourself in the fucking
head is wild. It's funny because it's such a meme. Obviously, it's
like yeah, and like everyone always like made fun of it, but like
the game itself kind of doesn't really make a big deal out of it.
It's it's interesting, but like there was a moment though, where where Georgia.
She just like got Ken a few days ago, and like she's like
looking through his menu and Ken's just like they're like holding the gun to his
like this, and she was like, Yo, this shit is crazy,
like putting this in this game that was a twelve year old kid or whatever.
Yeah, I'm just like, it's a twelve year old boy. Oh
my god. Uh. I can't remember if it was the if it was
the original P three intro, or if it was Portable's intro, but there
is a clip in the atro cutscene where Ken is at the escalators and he
just like he's with Cormaro and he just like takes a gun to his head,
and it's like that's all you see in the intro. I'm like,
why is this a little boy itself in the head? You see it in
the games, like okay, yeah, I already know how they summoned personas,
but you see that as your first impression of the game. You're like,
what the book. It's also funny seeing like gen Z's play the game,
Like maybe you played Persona first or something or five first, and then
I'll playing this because dude, some gen zs have like a way darker sense
of humor when it comes to that shit. So like they're they're cracking jokes
and I'm just like, yo, okay, like yeah, that's all right,
you'll go there. You're the one who said it. Yeah, oh
my god. Yeah, it's uh, it's pretty crazy, but like,
yeah, that shit P three is like you played in twenty twenty four and
then now kind of like, wow, this is forward thinking in a weird
in a weird way. Yeah, ford thinking time. We saw it on
the last podcast. But like it really does feel timeless, you know,
despite how like it is weirdly, like it's very much set in during a
specific time period in two thousand and seven or whatever, No, thousand and
nine, right, it came out in two thousand and seven, takes place
in Yeah, but even then, it's like the themes and what's happening,
You're like, yeah, this feels extremely timeless. Yeah, so it's really
weird. Twenty twenty four. Uh, Persona three is one of the best
games of the year. Person three is one of the best games of the
year. It's gonna be Yeah, it's gonna be extremely tough for that game
too. It's gonna be my game of the year. I already. I
I'll put it if I were, if you are betting on what would be
Michael Hyam's Game of the Year for twenty twenty four. Yeah, I mean
to be fair, like, well, uh, who knows what might get
announced? But this year, the second half of the year is it's not
really much going on right now. Yeah, we probably don't know yet.
We don't know. I mean I usually by come come key three time we'll
find out more morn Yeah, butt four funloaded the game pretty hard metaphor might
I don't know. It's hard to say because to be fair, I'm not
the biggest fan of fantasy anime. But I no, no, no,
I feel like fantasy anime has been cooking real hard lately. Oh yeah,
cooking really hard. Have you been watching Dungeon Mess sure, let me tell
you no. So, like I've been getting more into fantasy anime because I
like, I'm seeing like the good Ship where like I think I think the
reason I was kind off put by it is because most fantasy anime is like
that, like Asa Kai. But like I was like, dude, don't
want any of that ship like that's but like now I'm actually like seeing people
do much more interesting stuff with that space. Have you been watching Free Rent
talk to you about you haven't. I've heard of it, and I know
I really like it. I've been reading the mangah and so I I absolutely
love free Ren' I read, I'm reading, I'm currently reading the manga,
and then so going back to watch the anime, it's a it's it's it's
been a while since I have both read the manka and watch an anime for
something. Sure. So now when I'm like seeing I have this, I
have this, uh in my head, this the way things move in the
world of Free Re and based on what I read from the manga, and
then when I see in the anime, I'm like, oh fuck, this
is crazy. It's like even more beautiful than I ever expected. So I
felt about Chainsaw Man because that was the last time that I did with where
I read it first. And then we haven't talked about Chainsaw Man together,
but I know you got on that Chainsaw Man. You caught up on Chainsaw
Man and the manga. No, I'm a few I'm a little behind.
I need to like how behind. What's the last thing that happened? He
just went to like they try to like get him into their church. Okay,
you're deep. It's I'm close. I'm just like you've you've at least
finished the first arc. Oh yeah, oh yeah, no, no for
the first half. I finished the first half. I'm deep. I think
I'm just like a few chapters behind. But yeah, okay. They were
trying to get him into his church and they're like, yo, you can
get like and get and weird. Changeaw Man is so weird and I love
it and it's like really fascinating because it's like it's like shown in but it's
like not really shown in, and like it's interesting seeing like more people who
are into more traditional show and be liked. Chainsaw Man lost a plot and
I was like, dude, what are you talking? This is crazy chainsaw
Man is that shit is daring? Like, dude, that guy's on another
level with his stuff. Oh my god. I fucking cried talking about chainsaw
Man. I was at New Year's at a New Year's party, I was
talking about my my friend Eric fan Allen, friend of the show. He
he's the one who got me into change into reading chainsaw Man. Okay,
and then so I caught up and then I was like talking to him about
and I was like crying talking about like what happens at the end of the
first arc Wild. And I think the thing about chainsaw Man is that it's
so irreverent. It's so goofy and so violent, but the way it comes
together is very sincere. It's extremely sincere. Yeah. And I think the
thing about DENI like, I mean, I feel like a lot of us
are like, oh my god, I identify so much with this main character
from an Amber. So everyone feels that way about someone just like me for
real, just like me for real. Yeah, But there's something about specifically
a work where I'm at in life and like the things that like Denji is
the one character who is willing to like act and say what is on his
mind. Yeah, in a way that feels liberating, Oh yeah, to
where like oh damn, like he should say that or he should do that.
Yeah. And the way he like walks himself through the way he feels
about something feels very realistic to where like I go through that similar thought process
when I'm like what am I doing? Like this is what I want and
I'm chasing this thing, but at a certain point kind of like what am
I doing this for? And then he like goes through these mental gymnastics trying
to figure out what that is and he arrives at an answer and sometimes it's
a joke and it's really fun, yeah, but sometimes at the same time
it can be very like sobering, where yeah, I do feel that way
where I'm kind of like chasing this thing and I get it, but I'm
like feel unfulfilled for some reason. I'm Okay, what's the what am I
really after? Then? And Chaseawman goes through that whole thing multiple times and
in different ways, so it never feels like characters yeah, so yeah,
and for different characters and so, and especially the way that first arc ends
is like really fucking I should hurt a lot or it did. And it's
one of the things where because I know people where I saw a lot of
people like watch the anime and were like kind of cool on it based on
just like how hyped it was, and like it sucks because I'm just like,
dude, like that anime like barely even like gets to like, yeah,
like everything in that anime is good, but I'm like, dude,
that's not even like one tenth of like the good shit, Like it gets
so like and that's why I tell everyone like I think you just read it,
like yeah, you know, that's what everyone told me too, because
I was I watched the anime. I was like, oh, this is
cool. Yeah, sure, but it's like no, no, no,
read it. Yeah. And then when I saw I've I read caught up
on the manga, I went back to watch rewatch the first season chance and
then I was watching like at the so I know what it's like for someone
who maybe watched chainsaw Man having known what happens to the manga and you're so
excited. So I'm rewatching this and I'm like way more hyped on the rewatch
than it was the next time I watched it, because I'm just like Yoackey's
here, yeah, or just like oh, like did the way like I
think they nailed the way, like Power like behaves the voice actress like I
remember, like what was it Power? But also what's her name? Uh
uh no Cobenny. Yes. I remember people being mad at like the way
Coobenny behaved in the anime and they're like, dude, that's how I pictured
her all and I was like that's exact, and I was like, what
are you talking about? That is exactly how I pictured her. Like they
fucking nailed it, And I was like, did you not realize like how
much of a disaster? Yeah? She was. That's a that's her whole
thing. Yeah, she's a disaster who in like, uh, what's his
name? The creator Fujimoto Fujimoto, Like he's like she's like this punching bag
disaster that he's like refuses to like give a break. And it's like it's
so fucking good. And again it's like havevity, Like if you only watched
it, you're like, do you ever even got into like half the ship?
No? Do you know about the Do you know about the fan pole?
No? Wait, I think I do the with with her car?
Yes, yeah, how her car is like fan pole than her Yeah?
Oh I love her though, No, I love committing to her car.
Yeah yeah yeah, Oh my god. That's that's the thing. Like you
watched the anime, it ends on a pretty good note, but they're like
on the cusp of what makes what makes Chainsaw Man specially, and I think
the so they're they're turning the res arc into the movie that's the movie.
I think it's actually a smart way to do it because it's not that long.
It's not that long of an arc, and I'm like, that's actually
like a perfect length of a movie. Yeah, you know, yeah.
I like after I read the whole resarc, I'm like, okay, yeah,
I could see how this becomes a movie because it has the build up
and then the climax is like, really, oh my god, I can't
wait to see that animated. Did they If you think anything in the Chainsaw
Man Season one was wild, I want to see how they animate, like
the final Battle of the resarc, because that is some wild, wild ship.
Some of those panels are crazy. And then after that it isn't the
Inter International Assassination arc really fun? That is that is? That's that's when
they start to kick things into Yeah, and that's works against It almost feels
like a tournament arc in a weird way. It's like a tournament arc,
but like it's Fuji motives versus a tournament arc where it's like, yeah,
some of the ship that happens in that. If there's one takeaway from this,
it's like, dude, dollar fifty for a month, get the shown
in jump app and just read all changes. That's what I did that.
Yeah, I guarantee you best two bucks I'll ever spent one man. Yeah,
there's a lesbian harem. Not to spoil anything, but if you need,
if you got to, you gotta uh, you gotta go to a
link to a different thing to read it. You can't read it on the
Show and Jump app. Yeah, there's one chapter where it's desktop only.
Yeah, you have to go to the desktop because they're like, we're not
allowed to put this on the app. Yeah, I thought, because yeah,
so that's why I don't know if you know what Done Dotted on is,
Well, it's another manga, but you I can't. It's it's very
explicit, yeah, but not in like a Hen's Highway, but it's just
but just enough where the censors are like, I legally, yeah, you
cannot read it on the Show and Jump app, So I have to read
it on desktop, which is crazy. But yeah, there's one chapter in
Chainsaw Man where you have to read desktop. I was like, oh,
did they do like a like a high reds full color version and the like
we want you to see it in this full glory one page? Yeah,
that one that one. Okay, this is why I can't read. It's
like I'm on the plane and I'm like, I want to read this.
I don't care, like I'll watch HANDSI on an airplane, don't give a
shit. Wow. Yeah, but yeah I was. I read Chainsawman like
on airplane too, and like on my laptop, full screen, full brightness,
I don't go fuck, it's incredible, man Like, Yeah, definitely
that, and like Free Rent is also which is like complete opposite of that
where it's very charming. Uh yeah, I would highly recommend Free Ran after
Chainsaw Man. I think it's like a good what's the what's the word,
like the palate cleanser, because like Chainsawman's so fucking violent, sure that,
uh like in a good way. And then Free Rent is a lot more
calm and a lot more like taking in the sights because there's some of the
most beautiful background work I've ever seen in Amanca and in Free Rean. But
yeah, and then like Dungeon Meshi is like yo, d like just it's
such a perfect palate cleanser or not palate cleanser. It is like a perfect
companion to having just like played through Bowler's Gate because yeah, because of how
much it like plays off of like the kind of d and d tropes.
But then do you like the way it like breaks down the ecology of like
these monsters and like, oh, like how would you cut up you know,
like a suit of armor and eat it like a clam or whatever?
Like what the like? Who that creator was like on some next level stuff?
Also apparently apparently she like put the mongo on hold to I think?
Is queen ship fair? Yeah, no one can get mad. She did
come back with some wild ideas for like the next chapters, like trust me
if you're if you have reservations at Oh, she's not making any more chapters
because's plaining balls gate. She's gonna come back and cook. Yes, she's
she's on. She's on like a like a like a retreat. It's come
up with some ideas because yeah, it's yeah, Dungeon Meshi is like just
it's very wholesome and adorable and and yeah, I'm a big fan of Yeah
that's that's a trigger joint too. Yeah, so yeah, I recommend the
banka as well. Is the anime? Does the anime have a is it
to meet the cat Girl? No? Okay, do you know who she
is? Okay, there's a cat girl in Dungeon Meshia and no one told
me about this. Wow. I had to find out myself. And I
saw like some fan art, let's just call it that, and I was
like, oh, who's this character? And then I traced a I did
a reverse search and I was like, oh, this is a character from
Dungeon Meshi. Why didn't anyone tell me that there's a cat girl. I
would have read this sooner. Yeah, I said, yeah, there's a
cat girl in it. But uh, yeah, Dungeon Meshi is really cool.
Yeah, man, manga anime Like I was like, fantasy yeah anyway.
And the whole reason we brought this up was because a metaphor yeah anyway,
which I am excited to see, Like okay, like what's like a
big budget like fantasy anime made from the Persona team, Like I mean they
got the style down for sure, like just looking at it, absolutely and
it was funny. Like I still wasn't sure like exactly what the game was
going to be like, and I was like, oh, it won't be
like not quite Persona. But then I was watching a trailer and it has
like calendar day, it has like people hanging out and did a little like
dude, lot and I'm like, wait, is this but fantasy like that?
Okay? Okay, Like I like something that was familiar, familiar enough,
familiar enough, but then twists on it and yeah and like one of
the party members reminds me of Chadori from Persona three and oh sure, yeah,
Hulkenberg, I'm interested to see. Yeah, it's the year of the
elf Girl. Okay, yeah, free ran Marcio from Dungeon Mashi and then
Hulgenberg and metaphor who else is out there? Let me know, you're the
elf girl. I'm get down with that. You're the elf girl. You
know what I'm saying. Are there any No, there's no elf girls in
Rebirth? No. No, there's Mugles, though sadly not. Yeah.
The Moogles in seven remake and Rebirth freak me out. I say something about
of them. I don't like it. It's weird. Why did you see
that? Sorry? No, I don't fuck with them. It's yeah,
I don't get it, especially because like sixteens mougle looked fine. Yeah sixteens
like straight from like the fourteen Mogle Yeah, and I was like, yeah,
I changed that. Yeah, they nailed that design like twenty plus years
ago. Why would you why would you change it? Yeah? And also
the because they don't talk. They don't speak, like they make Google noises
and they have dialogue and like, oh it's cute. Yeah, like that
that's what the Googles in in seven rebuild. They talk, they talk like
they say things, and you're like, that's not right. I'm like,
no, they technically did talk in the original game, like you know,
well the original game wasn't voice though, but exactly. But so it's like
it's like but like hearing them talk, it's like that's the difference because it's
yeah, because it's like you're like, well, okay, they talked in
the original game, but you didn't hear it. So I guess it makes
sense that they're like, well, we're gonna make them actually talk because like
they did talk, yeah, but in sixteen, but then make Google noise
and they say things, and Clive is just like, oh, I guess
I understand Google talk right, funny should have done it. Yeah, So
yeah, weird choice, like, oh, clouds could have been like,
yo, the Maco Maco infusion is hitting different. Now understand how Google's talk.
That is the thing I'm I'm the most I'm most curious about in uh
rebirth. Rebirth is how I'm gonna feel about it compared to sixteen, Oh,
because like sixteen was there are things I like about sixteen. There are
things I don't like about sixteen, but I think kind of like fundamentally sixteen
was trying to chart its own path and kind of it's like tone and you
know, like a lot of people complain about being less an RPG, where
from what I've seen of what they've shown of seven Rebirth, I'm like,
oh, that is a final Fantasy, ass Final Fantasy, And it's like
interesting to see like they had the game that was, you know, more
experimental in what Final Fantasy could be, and then like this is like almost
the crowd pleaser of like A but don't worry, like we still still remember
we still got that that Final Fantasy. So I'm kind of curious. I
almost feel like Square is going to be looking at like the overall reception and
sales of the two, even though it's like, I don't know, it's
it's sure. I think it's hard to compare because like, well, okay,
well one is like a remake of seven, which is one of the
most bloved games of all time, you know, but I don't know,
it's it's I almost feel like we're we're like we're on like the tip of
like where Final Fantasy could go next. Yeah, yeah, if that makes
sense. Yeah, wait till Dontreil comes in the summertime, let me tell
you about peak Final Fantasy. But no, Yeah, to bring all back
to rebirth, you'all find out soon more. That game comes out this month.
Dude, that's crazy, but yeah, that is. It is one
of the games, Like, okay, that's that one of the one of
the games of the year. Yeah, that end and metaphor like the two
front runners to de throne that should possibly de throne Persona three Reload. They
have a chance. But as I said yesterday or I said on the BombCast
re Vengeance, that Persona three Reload is probably my favorite game of all time,
So it's gonna kind of that's kind of a block at that point.
Yeah, you would have to be my next favorite game of all time to
even broach being my game of the year this year. So that's a wrap
on that I didn't even think of when it's coming out. I mean,
very different game, but I am excited about. It's like Stalker two.
Probably like Stalker two because like, dude, I love I love Stalker Metro.
There's a lot of DNA both development wise, yeah, style like like
I'm really rooting for that game to be something special. Same. I fucking
love Stalker, man. I felt like I feel like after because Stocker K
they had a shadow Chernobyl, which is the first game, and then they
had two expansions after that. It was a call it Pripriat and Clear Sky.
Clear Sky was fine, but it didn't it felt like, oh,
this is the end of Stalker, like we're never going to like revisit this
in a way. Yeah, And that was like two thousand and thirteen twelve.
That because a shadow Chernobyl came out in two thousand and seven. Yeah,
I think Calid Pripiot was two thousand and nine and twenty ten was Clear
Sky. I think. So it's been fourteen years since we have anything from
Stalker, and like Stocker two has always been this thing that has been referenced
and then it was announced like four years ago. Holy shit, we're gonna
revisit Stalker and it's actually gonna come out this year, it seems. But
yeah, Stocker is really special where it's like I love like Eastern European kind
of poist apocalyptic type shit. Obviously you mentioned Metro Metro is like one of
my favorite series, but something special about Stoker because of how complex that world
and its systems are and how like unforgiving that world is. Absolutely that game
is like extremely unforgiving in some good ways, some bad way, very some
very and the janky ways is what I'm hoping they aren't now with two,
which seems to be the case, like from what they've shown, like you
know, but yeah, like I think there's something about the yeah, like
the kind of storytelling that Stalker tells that still feels like extremely unique and like
you can only get from you know, developers from that that side of the
world. Like I don't think an American studio could ever make something like Stocker.
They just don't have that like cultural perspective. Oh yeah, there's hell
that kind of story. Yeah, you see it a lot in Metro too,
Like oh totally yeah. Like the there's something about like the Eastern European
storytelling that is very like dark and oppressive. But I think after Metro Exodus,
there's like an element of like, well, Metro always had like this
element of hopefulness that is embedded into how like fucked up that world? Yeah,
is that is like very unique that like Metro Exit. Yeah, Metro
Exodus in particular was like yeah, I love Metro Exodus for Yeah, not
to get to like well spoilers, this game came out like how long ago,
but it reminded me of how a lot of RPGs make me feel,
where it felt like a complete, like full arc of a story instead of
something that was dark and depressing for the sake of being dark and depressing.
Yeah. So yes, stalk or two Man, that's I can't believe that's
gonna come out, I know, right, Yeah, they gave a release
date. Yeah. So, like Xbox has a lot of things lined up
for this year, I think this could really be their year. You know,
Tim Dog might be happy. Yeah, honestly, I think Tim Dog
should be excited because like a vout is coming this year. Hell Blay too,
Well, I'm really excited for help Will Potter's Hill Blade toon, Yes,
Will Potter's Hip Blade too, Like Matt Rory's Alpha Protocol, we have
Will Potter's Yeah, Jake Decker's avout. Yeah, it's it's it's really funny,
like they have a lot of bangers this year, or hopefully a lot
of bangers this year, and I think under the raidar. Maybe Stocker two
might be under the radar, but I would encourage people to check that out
because like Stalker is very special. Oh yeah yeah, and hope this game
kind of channels a lot of the same energy me too. Yeah, man,
that'll be up there for sure. In my most that is one of
my most anticipated games for a very like ever since it was officially announced.
Yeah, I'm like Stalker two when please so seriously, Yeah, it's been
one of those games. I'm also like I believe it when I see it.
Yeahs too, that's like I don't want to get excited, Yeah,
because that that the Stalker series, That brand has been like through some tumultuous
shit with like it's original developers and like the rights from like for like GSE
Game World, the developers, Like yeah, they had like a I can't
remember exactly, I did an article one of like years ago, but it
was like there's like a lot of a struggle, like Holt to retain the
Stoker brand. People stealing code are being accused of stealing. There was wild.
It was like there's like a version of stock or two from years ago
that just does not exist anymore. That's crazy. So shit man, yeah
man, uh well shit, I mean that's what you've been playing that stuff.
But we've been going for a bit. Yeah. I had some other
stuff I was gonna talk about, but no, no, no, no,
no, it's like it's not even like I don't know. I was
playing like I've been playing a hotel dusk. Yeah, I saw that,
which, uh it was the weirdest thing because okay, dude, I was
like it was like last week. It was eleven o'clock at night, and
I just like got up and I can and I had what I can only
describe as like an insatiable urge to play a DS game. Okay that makes
sense, Like I just got It's like the spirit of Curtain Divina like took
over my body and I was like, I have to get a DS.
Kurt was inside you, yeah, and I already had a DS, but
I was like, I have to I need to play a game on this
And I was like hotels fucking shot up in the middle of the night,
like a scared Georgia breaks right away. Oh. So I went to our
our local uh local game stories shout out to the Experience Share and almeh yeah,
and uh they they had a copy of a Hotel Doest with the box
and the manual and I was pay it was it was like thirty five,
no way, it was pretty good. So so originally they had a I
found just a you know, car only and it was like seventeen eighteen.
I was like, okay, well good with that's fine. And I saw
the other one for like thirty five and I was like, not that.
I I kind of manual. So I only started it. So I'm not
that deep, but like already I'm like, oh, I'm mean you understand
Kurt now, I mean I already understood that. I definitely under stan kurtin
out too, playing that ship like a booklet. Yeah yeah, and just
like the little all the little aesthetics and like that's a Kurt core game,
Kurt core game, and I'm excited to get into it. So I played
that. I played. Uh. I also played like Mario three d Land.
I don't know. I was just looking for like a random to play.
I don't know, I don't know what's going on with me? I
just decided to play like I was really rad fucking sick. I think that
was the thing. I think I was just like, man, I missed
the D pill. I got DS pilled again again for the third time.
Yeah, man, DS is like special man like those those are a lot
of those games just also timeless. I think one of my homies Eric again,
Eric van Allen, has been playing Radiant History of Perfect Chronology and like
Radio Storia. Man, I feel like that's been so overlooked in terms of
RPGs, like, oh, sure, great Japanese RPGs. Man, like
Radio Historia, I would love to see like a game not remake, but
I mean they Alice put out the the the etran Odyssey collection, and that's
a that's a game that is so embedded in being dual screen, and they
made it work for the most part. So I feel like they can like
dip into I think Alliance Alive. Did that ever get a switch port?
I don't know if it did, maybe, but that was another I remember
that I remember that one. Yeah, Alliance Alive and Radiant Historia are like
very good RPGs. Yeah. I think I've talked about this before but I
definitely feel like we have by losing the DS and the three DS and like
handheld games, We've like we lost this like wave of these like kind of
smaller scale experimental like you know, RPGs and stuff that like we're being made
on those systems. I feel like they don't have a home anymore. And
I'm just like, man, I really like I didn't appreciate that stuff when
we had, and I feel like now that it's gone, I'm sitting there
and be like, man, like I need that stuff back, Yeah,
come back, please promise. It feel like games nowadays have to be they
have to be big, they have to be ambitious in a way that is,
and also crowd pleasers. Yeah yeah sure. And back then it's kind
of like, I don't know, we're gonna fucking do like a grid based
RBG whatever that is almost reminds you of Golden Son in a way. That's
what rating his Storio is kind of like, So, I don't know,
DS man funk all these other games, the DS, Yeah, DS,
I don't know, re Rebirth of the DS, I don't know. You
could play what no, no, no, no, I'll say, is
there a Final Fantasy game on ds. Oh yeah, I think they remade
this. Oh what about they did like all of like one, two,
three, four. Yeah, they did a bunch of them. Yeah,
they did a bunch of They did one through four with the three D graphics.
Yeah, so we can play those instead of Rebirth. I don't know,
play and Q two again because he yeah, my god, d the
little so off topic, but the did you catch that? They put a
bunch of like different Persona music's in reload, like as a little easter eggs
when you're doing the film festival and you're watching all the movies, they're playing
different tracks and they play use a popcorn or is it corn dog from US?
Yeah, they use cornd Door from Persona Q. They used Chia's theme,
which is like the dragons from from the Arena yea, and that's why
they used Lisa's theme from Persona two one of that. Catch that? And
uh, when you do the crane game in front of arcade, it plays
the Stomi Tatashi pharmacy from Persona one of that And I was like, this
game is wow, yeah, really excited. It's like a hardcore Persona fan.
Oh game of the Year, Game of the Year. I'm gonna Octopath
Traveler to that ship instead, I was gonna call I'm calling back. I
believe. I don't think you'll have to try as hard. Yeah, I
got back. I think you'll have more and more of a back. Yes,
ok, them Hath. It was a bit of an uphill battle that
I won won. But Persona three is my next target. I'm not gonna
like I'm still gonna be a freelancer some shit. I'm gonna be like fucking
I don't know, like a banker on Wall Street or something. I'm gonna
come back and be like bringing back for a game of your discussions because I
have some shit to take care of. Y'all stay tuned for that. Yeah,
stay tuned for that, and stay tuned for hopefully our spoiler casts for
both those Persona and Infinite Wealth. We'll make it happen. And I imagine
at some point y'all would want to do a rebirth one as well. Uh
oh definitely, yeah, Yeah, we'll definitely want to do a rebirth one
when that comes out. Good miss. It is wild with video games right
now. Man, it feels like twenty twenty three all over again. Yeah,
you're ready for dragging dragons Dogma two. Actually, yeah, I'm I
never played the first one, but I I'm like, I want to.
I want to see what it's all about. You want to see you on
another eighty hour. Yeah, everyone's talking about their ponds or something. I'm
like, what's going on. I need to climbing on climbing on dragons or
something. I don't know, it seems cool. I'm excited for it.
Uh, but uh yeah, I think we'll have to, uh, you
know, see what see what the deal is, uh when those games come
out in the future. So I guess Michael, thank you for for hanging
out with me. Always a pleasure. I like these one on ones we
do me too. I think they're fun. Yeah, this is this is
the best ship you Jake my ass. I'm just kidding. I hope you're
okay, man, all right, everybody after you're dark. Shouts out to
Jake Decker. Shout out to Jake Decker. Uh, this has been your
weekly video game podcast. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you wall
and next time. Bum bum