Speaker 1: Gang, Happy New Year.
Speaker 2: Wow, we're back and we did it.
Speaker 1: We've been in here this whole time.
Speaker 3: I like how twenty twenty six is better than twenty
twenty five in every way.
Speaker 2: Everything, everything got fixed, especially.
Speaker 1: Because of that thing that just happened.
Speaker 3: Oh God, I don't want to celebrate too much about
you guys.
Speaker 1: Remember when Mike did a backflip to celebrate the New year. Yeah,
that's crazy. I think you would do that.
Speaker 4: He filled with cheese sticks.
Speaker 2: Right, great sign my dear falls, help my.
Speaker 5: DearS all sign.
Speaker 6: I want to recreate.
Speaker 7: Lieutenant Dan depressed at the bar confetti gift with Mike, my.
Speaker 2: Lieutenant Thanner Force Gun Folks.
Speaker 5: It's day four, the final day for Giant Bomb's Game
of the Year. We've had three lovely, lovely days of
fun filled categories. Maybe minus something on day three. Maybe
Kats was a mistake Andrew Lloyd Webber maybe about it,
but in general, but Day four this is the main event.
Gang here today we are going to be crowning our
top ten and ultimately our Game of the Year. Shouts
out again to our dear friends at main Gear. Go
to main gear dot com slash Giant Bomb, go by
yourself PC, thanks for letting us use the space we deeply,
deeply appreciate shall I don't think i've introduced myself. I'm
your host, Gianna Choa, joining me as always co captain
of the ship. Jeff grub Yo, Sean Turbo, Shan, Sean McDowell, Hello,
Chuck Towski, Hey, Dan reichert Hi, Jeff Backlar, Yes, bad boy,
Mike Manatti.
Speaker 2: Old sign and whatnot? What and what and whatnot and whatnot?
Speaker 5: And we got Will Crosby on the ones and twos,
shouts out to Wheel, thanks well, and shouts out to
you all for joining us throughout this journey of Game
of the Year twenty twenty five. We're near the end
of the road, gang, So what we're gonna do. We're
gonna go down the line starting with Mikey all the
way to Chuck, and we'll wrap back around listing off
a game and then afterwards we'll just do wrapper rapid
poo poo far and then we'll get to the cutting process.
Speaker 3: Before we get started, can I point out show Sean's
did this really nice thing. I'm making this tear maker
list that has categories where he put all the major
games from the year in the list that you could,
you could drag them into your top ten liked, didn't like,
man didn't play, and the only two games I have
and didn't like are Mind's Eye and Metroid Prime.
Speaker 1: For good company, there.
Speaker 2: That is.
Speaker 5: I'm not done yet, Mommy. All right, mister Manati, when
you already, I would love for you to kick things off.
Blue Prints okay, blue Oh it's already crossed. You have
the control shift F or control shift five five.
Speaker 1: That'd be cross if we cross that off. Found it?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 2: Dispatch my turn, Yes, Silent Hill, Sectory, Baby.
Speaker 8: Steps, Shenobi, Art of Vengeance, Seance of Blake Manner.
Speaker 1: Oh no, no, no, it goes back to Snake.
Speaker 2: Yeah, boy, I never absorbed that, my bad.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, it's a little bit of blood, ancient blood.
And then what I wasn't ready for me. I'm not
going death standing too.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 8: Donkey Kong Bonanza, Oh ship me.
Speaker 3: Uh, let's go with Tony Ox pro Skater three plus.
Speaker 4: Four Lego Party.
Speaker 6: I'm gonna say blip oh plus.
Speaker 5: Oh, I will do Claire Obscure. What was that, Claire Obscure?
Speaker 4: That's not gonna make it.
Speaker 2: I go now, Yes, the Night Silk song.
Speaker 5: Do I go again? Well, now we can just go
rapid fire if there's any like snak okay, all right,
all right, two.
Speaker 2: Point Museum, Ghost of Yota.
Speaker 4: It's now that it's free for all.
Speaker 3: No, it's not. No, I thought, oh you wanted him
The Snap Ghost of.
Speaker 1: Despote, Chenoby, Art of Vengeance. We that right, Skate Story,
I got you? Sure?
Speaker 2: Question on there yet? No, I'll put it on there.
Pokemon Legends z A Mega Bunk Absolom. I want to
come my legacy collection Art Raiders, Yeah, ooh what?
Speaker 1: Oh yeah? What Final Fantasy Tactics, The Evil's.
Speaker 3: Chronicles, Fucking Kirby air Riders.
Speaker 4: Do I waste my breath? Metrond Prime, Yeah, Metro.
Speaker 8: Just just throw stuff out of us, just like I'm
throwing something on that won't make you very far. Jane
the one hundred Line Last Defense Academy. Man, that's one
of the ones I wish.
Speaker 5: I tried to know. It's a commitment one hundred numeracle
or spelled out. It's spelled out, spelled that one hundred
line Academy also shout out while we're here, High Roll Warriors,
Age of Imprisonment.
Speaker 2: Called Duty Black Ops seven fuck Simpsons, Fortnite Wow, okay
as good as hell?
Speaker 6: Yeah, but it's eligible.
Speaker 1: I still think you're all all wrong.
Speaker 9: Ball pits, uh, donkey, come Bonanza, Thank you, Luminous, arise sure,
oh kys.
Speaker 5: I surprised no one said it right.
Speaker 4: No one did say that.
Speaker 1: What Kingdom come deliverance to Kingdom? Got pop from Will?
Speaker 2: And did you do we wanna do?
Speaker 1: Metal gear?
Speaker 4: I don't see making top ten. It'll probably make my
personal top ten.
Speaker 3: But once upon akademari, I mean, if we want to
put them on there, we can.
Speaker 4: That's a MGS three delta middle of your solid delta
snake eater.
Speaker 5: There's not three, believe it or not. Yeah.
Speaker 8: Wait, do we mafia the Old Country?
Speaker 5: The Old Country? I don't think we peak on the peak.
I put peak on all games, all right?
Speaker 1: All right?
Speaker 5: Do we feel like we got it all out of
our system?
Speaker 3: See anything else? I'm gonna keep looking to listen a
little bit loud.
Speaker 5: A game that I do want to shout out that
I didn't play enough of, but I got to the
point that I wanted to is promise Mascot Agency. Imagine
if it's just all of the yakuza shouts out to
my boy young. Yeah, all of the Yakuza mini games,
but grub what if you could grind on rails?
Speaker 3: Everyone look at this game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so just imagine I'm.
Speaker 3: Gonna play this one. Get back home.
Speaker 2: That's what fiction love.
Speaker 1: Yeah, like that's good. You want to put it on
my gosh?
Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm so sorry.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we can do a shout out to games we
didn't get to spend time with. Uh uh uh uh
else where are you going there?
Speaker 2: I believe in you, Dan, you want Megabond Cup there?
Speaker 1: Did you got? Okay?
Speaker 6: Yeah, we got Citizens Sleeper.
Speaker 1: I was like Star Wars Citizen enough, Citizen Sleeper too. Yeah,
I want because you get to it, because I really
like the first one.
Speaker 5: But I just wanted to get out loud that's never
been worded. Not on the list, not on the list,
but Citizens Sleeper two good game. Not for everyone though.
Speaker 1: I'm janifesting it twenty twenty six.
Speaker 8: Sure anybody got anything else?
Speaker 3: Anything?
Speaker 2: Nothing? This is not locked. We can always.
Speaker 4: I think we could, like you know, go round and
offer ones that we maybe put on that we aren't no,
aren't going to make it. I just want to shout
out to Simpons Fortnite it was awesome. It reminded me
it's been a couple years since I played Fortnite and
it's still super super fun. And that was like one
of the smartest, Like I P integrations.
Speaker 5: How do we want to do this? Do we just
want to cross them out?
Speaker 1: You can?
Speaker 2: I'd say, control X and bring them down table and
put you.
Speaker 6: Control build the building notions real quick.
Speaker 1: I think.
Speaker 4: I think if you control XM to get them out
of the waycause with all the cross through here, I
will just make a bam down there to throw them
in there.
Speaker 5: You go the bammer perfect.
Speaker 2: Okay, Well okay, then well if Op seven is that's
a joke.
Speaker 1: Right, that one sucks.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a joke.
Speaker 1: Yeah that's a bad game.
Speaker 3: You just control X and then don't control v R.
Speaker 5: Yeah that can it's all spoke. What do they do there?
That was stupid?
Speaker 1: Do we want Battlefield six on this exactly? Now?
Speaker 2: They had to apologize for Black Ops seven. That was
funny when they did that.
Speaker 4: I just wanted to mention about because like, I actually
liked it way more than I expected to. I don't
see any world.
Speaker 2: I liked that, and I liked them the outer worlds too.
I was kind of confused that like a lot of
the people I thought would be sickles for these French
rows like these just don't hit the same as the
as the joints.
Speaker 5: I'm like, right, I was.
Speaker 1: I was prepared to go pretty hard for a vowed
to be somewhere somewhere, you know, I.
Speaker 4: Just want to make sure it was mentioned, because I
really do think it's it's a great one of those
I think you'll think it might be in your ten
at all, or if it is. If it is, it'll
be like in a nine or ten.
Speaker 1: Outside it's near the bottom of my ten. Yeah, Okay,
I just it's such a love letter to like a
moral and where it's it's like this weird, really deeply
imagined world, and I just think that's phenomenal to get
in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 4: The combat and the like the mobility and stuff is
like much better than one I'm used to from style games.
Speaker 1: It feels good.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I really liked Out of Worlds too, which I don't
even think we put up here, But since we're doing
this call out in this moment, yeah, it was a
good game.
Speaker 2: But so Time Flights is cute and all, but I
don't know if it's gonna fly. Cool. That's awesome, Thanks buddy.
Did anyone else play ooh yeah, yeah cool, I did.
Speaker 1: Cool.
Speaker 2: It's a really good two hour little metroid brainia kind
of thing.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I did not coin that.
Speaker 2: It's really fun. It escalates well. I love it. How
like in each layer there's like a right path and
left path, and you could like the left path is
usually a one room and then you go to the
next area and you could get through it right away.
You just don't know how to to go down this
longer right path to actually kind of learn a new
mechanics not you get an ability usually talk to just
learning something new you can do with the bomb, so
you can.
Speaker 5: Actually progress over there.
Speaker 4: So the knowledge is your treasure, that's right.
Speaker 5: Wow. Yeah. Also you can cut it.
Speaker 4: Okay, I'm probably the only one little fight for luminous, right.
Speaker 2: I like Luminus, but it's rough.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we can take luminis out, but it is fantastic.
Speaker 5: Yeah, ok yeah, okay, everyone's being so charitable. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I enjoy kind of cum deliverance too. I didn't get
super far in it. I definitely see what's there. I
don't I don't know if, like many other people even
played that much of it here I play, I.
Speaker 3: Think I played about the same moment as you do.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I like it, but top ten, that's not gonna happen.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, I think it definitely needed to be mentioned
and I want to spend time on it.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I'd be happy to play more of it
and the bammer it goes.
Speaker 3: What was the are you doing?
Speaker 4: Like one pip?
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's good, that's perfect.
Speaker 5: It's better.
Speaker 3: There was one that I said once upon a Katamari.
Speaker 2: I like it a lot.
Speaker 3: I don't it's there's there's no way it's gonna be Yeah,
but it's one of the times very cool, like so
happy to have Camari back and action like.
Speaker 4: Fun little ideas that aren't just you know, make the
ball as big as possible, like they do gimmick levels
that are really fun.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I felt similar away about Rolling Live, like it's
cool how they did kind of adapt it to the
mobile formula. I think it works very really well.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I really like Uma Musume for what it
is and such a great like mobile time waster. I
don't think it no, like I really like, it's not
gonna make my top ten. I don't think it makes
ures either.
Speaker 5: Jan probably it's like right at the finish line of
like entering the top ten. But I also don't want
Dance to go to jail for any type of association.
Speaker 4: I appreciate that, Thank you so much.
Speaker 1: Yes, it really is, Like so slick plays really well,
like had that really fun cultural moment. Yeah, I really
enjoyed that.
Speaker 5: And for what it's worth. For as scummy as some
gotchas can be, like I've played and I've seen them
out of the game not spend a single time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, this game feels like more generous than all of those.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Fuck, I don't even have it in me to try
to get Metroid Prime four on here. Considering the tenor
of that conversation.
Speaker 2: I really like wanted to be like I'm with Dan
and I really love it, and.
Speaker 4: I just I mean, I'm literally like looking at my
top ten just before this and like there's a chance
it's still my number one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I know that's fine.
Speaker 4: I just like I don't. I can very much tell
that there's not gonna it's not gonna it's not gonna
crack this.
Speaker 5: There's no way, Okay, I am moving Metroid Prime four
to the bamur uh blippo.
Speaker 3: Plus, I enjoyed my time with it. I don't think
it's top ten, but it's it's no, Yeah, I just
appreciate very.
Speaker 1: Weird one more stuff like that.
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hope.
Speaker 3: It inspires like a whole genre for sure. Like that.
Speaker 1: I hope to play it keeps branking stuff out, all right.
Speaker 2: I was happy to shadow Kirby Air Rights Room because
that game is better than I expected, and I enjoy it.
Speaker 3: Top ten is going to be a big ask like that.
There's a chance it's like top ten on mine, same
number ten.
Speaker 5: Same yeah, like I think it is probably might be
the last spot in mind, but as a collective top ten,
I don't think so.
Speaker 2: Who would have thought Jeffy would have liked the Kirby
Air Riders more than Metroid Pride.
Speaker 3: I legit think I like Drag and Drive more than
I like Metro.
Speaker 1: It's you're right, and that's wrong. You justus.
Speaker 3: I did put like Dragon Drive in man, I put
Metroid Prime and didn't like.
Speaker 1: So wait, did we talk about the welcome tour at all?
Speaker 3: For the yeah on there?
Speaker 2: Yeah no, you're not going to make it. I like
it put it in the Bammer.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the Bammer for biggest Disappointment, which one welcome to her.
Speaker 3: I mean the conversation is like so played out at
this point because it was like, yeah, you're right, the
ten dollars too much.
Speaker 8: The price is disappointing. The like tech them only stuff
is cool. I ended up liking it, I'll say, because
I'm the only one who put a lot of time
into it. One hundred Line Defense Academy as the follow
up to both Don and Rappa and the Zero Time
Dilemma games.
Speaker 1: It's awesome. It's really cool.
Speaker 8: It does some very interesting things in the story and
where all that goes. I don't even want to say here,
even though we will be getting into some spoilers, just
because I want people to experience some of that stuff.
And yeah, the tactics of it all is very cool.
It's a great tactics game that plays with things, you know,
jan I think kind of what we maybe wanted out
of Demon School.
Speaker 1: I got more out of hundred lines.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I wish I'd devoted more time to a hundred
line because I did enjoy the combat. I just I
think when it came out, I just had to bounce
off of it.
Speaker 8: It does cool things, like you know, like grew up.
I think you would appreciate this, Like sacrificing your units
gets you more score because if you do it like
sort of stylishly and take a bunch of people out,
you're playing risk reward of losing teammates for the rest
of the round. But you know, you get to take
people out. It's very fun. Yeah, and if you know,
you know, they do some wild stuff with the story,
like people are talking about, like, hey, when the title
screen changes, first time teles screen changes in this game
is very cool. But uh yeah, I think you won't
fly with this list.
Speaker 4: I have to ask because I feel like no one's
really played Ghost of Yote here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but like I feel bad about that. Yeah yeah man.
Speaker 4: And I think I just need to at least give
it to do here as the only one who, like
you know, played.
Speaker 2: Fair really strongly. But it's still you.
Speaker 4: I mean, I feel stronger about Metroid Prime four, and
I know that's not gonna make it, but I guess
this is like this isn't you guys disliking it, This
is just not playing it.
Speaker 1: It's really great.
Speaker 4: I mean, I like it. A lot more in Sushma.
I burnt out on Sushima this one. It's been a
slow burn play for me. I've been playing over the
last you know, since like October. I want to say
yeah and uh man, sucker punch is just killed. I've
always liked soccer punches approached open worlds. I love the
Infamous games. I thought Sushima did really cool things. I
think this is just uh was put together and they
had such a clear vision for this game. It's a
simple revenge story with everything about the UI, and it's
got the stuff like you know, the the win taking
you to your next direction, stuff like that works. But
even like the map itself and going through the menus
and everything, just everything has this very just kind of
cohesive theme and vision to it. And the combat itself
is unbelievably satisfying. It's there's not a lot that it
does that is revolutionary, and like the open world space
or the combat or anything, it's just all executed the
extremely well, even all your like little quick fire weapons
and stuff like that, and the upgrade pass for all
your weapons and tools and everything. It is. It does
everything extremely well. It doesn't necessarily do anything super new,
but it's one of the most gorgeous games I've ever played.
It is one of the most satisfying games I've played
this year. Yeah, it's it's It's just a tremendous game.
Speaker 5: I've I've definitely bookmarked it to be like the game
to play during the holidays, the same thing. And well
this time we got off.
Speaker 4: But yeah, I don't know. I'll I'll ask you guys
if you think there's any chance, you know, I like
it a lot.
Speaker 3: I don't know if we should do leave it for now? Yeah,
all right, I think first, is it on your list?
And you know, I know you said you hadn't really you.
Speaker 4: Know, Tay, I've got a loose list here right now,
I've got a like number five or six.
Speaker 5: Okay, Yeah, it's like, right, do we want to take
a quick pivot and perhaps maybe put nail down some locks?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, let's bold Expedition thirty three Hades to Blueprints.
Speaker 8: You're going pretty fast. I think the two for sure
for sure are Expedition thirty three and Dispatch.
Speaker 3: I would I mean Blueprints is dispatch then, yeah, Dispatches
up there for sure.
Speaker 5: I would also do Hades too.
Speaker 2: I wonder there might be a little bit of a
talk there. I think maybe, but I think it's it's
because I really want it on there, but there are
going to be some games that like maybe aren't as.
Speaker 1: Probably it's not locked.
Speaker 4: Then yeah, okay, I think Schnobi has a lot of
love from this group.
Speaker 2: It does, I will say, as like the person who
maybe is more familiar with the old Shnobi games, I
really like the game. There was a part of me.
I don't know if disappointed is the word, but I
wish it I felt a little bit more like the
old Choi game. The game is the amazing combat, and
that is like ninety percent of what it is. I
wish there was a bit more platform I wish there's
there's not even that much level design. Really, it's largely
like fight arena to fight arena, to fight arena.
Speaker 4: It's some kind of the more spectacle ones or you're
surfing and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: It's bonus levels.
Speaker 8: Levels do more with that, like the like the cyberpunk level.
Speaker 2: I don't even like it's kind of half fast metroid
vinya approach where it's like go back to levels now
you have abilities on a lot of things, Like I'm
not going back to a level.
Speaker 1: I man, I did see.
Speaker 2: I'm like, now, if you want to make a Metroid Vena, that's.
Speaker 8: I mean, I just didn't do that and you didn't
think about it.
Speaker 4: I did it and found it like satisfying to go back,
and now I can write I'm.
Speaker 3: A showan where I'm as I'm playing through it, it's like,
I'm okay with not going back. I'm playing this character actor.
It doesn't force you to in that's the character action.
Speaker 5: It's a great care I like it.
Speaker 2: I think, I mean it might even be like low
in my top ten. It might just miss it, but yeah,
just there's part of me. It's like, you know, because
like the old Chanobe games, they're actually come more running
guns than they are melee games. It's all about throwing
Q and I. So it's a different flavor. But it
is very well done obviously, and it looks gorgeous with
the two d art.
Speaker 5: I'm gonna say that I believe Peak is a lock
for this top ten.
Speaker 3: As I was looking through the list and I was
kind of suing another thing could be in this conversation,
I think Peak probably is that one.
Speaker 1: Yeah, are we really saying that Haites two. Is it
a lock?
Speaker 3: It's like very close to a lock. But I think
Mike's right there. It's like when we're doing like the
weather check of like maybe there's something else that we
want to reward, and Hades two could be in that
conversation for something that's like maybe we bump out Haites
two just because we've rewarded Haiti so much.
Speaker 2: I don't think that's gonna like, Look, I'm getting worried
that I haven't really been hearing too many other people
talking about Silksong the way I love Choking Song, The
Silk Song and Haites two are on that short list
of like top three games.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Haites two, Silk.
Speaker 3: Song, Silk Song is certainly in my top five depending
on the day.
Speaker 1: I'm like, is Haiti's two my favorite game this year?
Like I have that struggle.
Speaker 2: I bet Silk Song and Haites two are probably locks, and.
Speaker 8: I think I think we can go back to Cuts then, yeah.
Speaker 2: Cuts Mafia, the Old Country, I know it's like it was.
It's really good.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, that's the one I meant to cut earlier.
Thank you, Mike.
Speaker 2: Yes, it's not.
Speaker 3: The Old Country is surprisingly good. It's not top ten.
Speaker 6: Oh wow, you guys are.
Speaker 1: Relasting.
Speaker 4: All right, Mike, you're gonna keep a two point museum
on here?
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, let's go.
Speaker 2: Mike, let's go.
Speaker 5: You.
Speaker 2: That is so I don't want to be dramatic yet
that game is so freaking good. I know it's like
not necessarily a genre a lot of other people are playing, yeah,
but I enjoyed when you maybe play it. Yeah, it
is satisfying.
Speaker 1: I'm so surprised because I I played the hospital one
and I played the University one, and I haven't played
this one, And I'm like, is it is it because
Mike didn't play the other ones or is this like I.
Speaker 2: Don't know I did, I didn't, just like I got
a code for this one. I just like museums. Honestly,
all these games review really yeah, review well, and it's
like it doesn't get talked about a ton, and it's
just so satisfic to play. It has a really nice,
very British sense of humor. The first museum you're doing,
you're not like getting t Rex bones, It's like some
made up dinosaur. And then it gets weirder from there,
where one of the museums you have is a ghost
museum and you have to go and capture ghosts, and
if you get a medieval ghost, you have to put
him in a medieval room and theme it like that
so that the guests can go and look at it
through the glass windows and he's happy, so it won't
go around and disrupt the museum.
Speaker 1: It's like it's just like the.
Speaker 2: One type of museum you have the aquarium. You got
to make sure you have the right fish.
Speaker 5: And it stick around. It'll stick around for now. I
know that we've had a lot of fun with Arc Raiders, but.
Speaker 2: It's a special game.
Speaker 4: I don't know if it needs to be an I've
had really good experiences with that game, but also like
it kind of every time I play in between things,
it's like, I don't like this loot system and it's
extraction shooter, where like loot is like the hook and
it's like a billion rubber parts and wires and shit,
and like organizing it every time it's kind of painting
the ass and like none of it's super exciting to get.
Speaker 3: It's all the big ideas got right. I think, yeah,
you're right.
Speaker 2: Some of the smaller designs are a little bit like
by the numbers.
Speaker 4: Kind of Everything I like about it is just the
moments with the friends I've been playing with. It's like
the game there's a good job of facilitating that, but
I don't love it.
Speaker 1: Like if you actually go all in and engage with
that game, it becomes grindy. I believe, like that is
what the game turns into, Like we need to go
get six pairs for my rooster, and like, yeah, it
turns into that we could drop. I really like it.
Speaker 2: I know I've been defending Ballpin a lot, but like
it might be in my top ten, but not like
super high.
Speaker 5: That's fine if everyone else isn't that high on it.
Speaker 3: Do you think between us two? I think it's most
US two that we'll be able to get Sectory on the.
Speaker 4: Top I might like it is one of the best
one of those, Like I just to be clear.
Speaker 3: Because my two point museum is going to be baby steps,
I'm gonna like I'll drop Secretory for that, but I
think both should be on the top ten. There's not
a lot I.
Speaker 4: Don't want to drop Secretory.
Speaker 8: I like Sectory enough that I don't think it's going
anywhere I was just doing.
Speaker 5: I feel like you guys have hypnotized me in a
way by the way you talk about Sector, and I've
only ever looked at the game that I feel like
I would have said it's an easy lock for the ten.
Speaker 3: Okay, I feel that way for sure. I just want
we're not gonna bold it yet. Yeah, we're not bolding
it yet.
Speaker 2: Tony Hawks Fruce Skater three and four. It's rough because
I do like it a ton I love it. There's
not too much wrong with it. No, you know, we
are just we are doing this again. These teams are very,
very good, and I had so much fun playing it.
Speaker 4: I mean, I'm a huge mark for this and I
just looked and it's like it's kind of sitting around
eighteen for me.
Speaker 2: Okay, then like, yeah, it's you know, it's hard with
kind of remasters are very strict remakes. Same thing with
Snake Eater.
Speaker 4: You know, I'll put them in the same I would
be willing, like those are two of my favorite games,
like ever, ever, and these are great remakes of them.
I don't think this is a killer year. I don't
think it's top ten either.
Speaker 5: Okay, I'm removing Tony Hawk.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a running team for me as well, right, Yeah,
like I loved it.
Speaker 5: All that same tiped in, did you say.
Speaker 4: Metal gear down?
Speaker 5: He did a great job with it. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Well, let me ask you in a kind of similar
vein GM, like how strong you feel about that? Dan?
I just.
Speaker 5: I think what after playing through Evilise Chronicles, it really
cemented home to me that I think I prefer the
story and everything with Advance. And maybe that's me being
a little freak when I checked out Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
This is no slight at all against Evilise Chronicles. It's
a beautiful story, political intrigue. Again, we mentioned it earlier
in the week, but like a lot of the sentiments
still echo very similar things to what we're going through today.
I just don't think it's going to be in the
top ten.
Speaker 1: With the record I put this on this list, this
will probably make it into my top ten. I think
the voice acting really elevates this, and they've done a masterful,
amazing job. I don't think it makes this.
Speaker 3: Group's top I don't believe that Ben stars in it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you're right.
Speaker 5: I think for his amazing of a performance as that
he gives us verso, I would have fought for his
performance and Evilly's Chronicles to actually win.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Doctor, I don't know if you'll know this. I'll
sacrifice Megabank. I feel like I'm the only one on
that one. It's it's it's just great. It's, like I said,
the second best, like Vampire Survivors, like I've ever played,
and one that has like a meaningful addition in terms
of the perspective.
Speaker 5: Yeah, in three D it's great.
Speaker 2: I'll do Despelothi as well.
Speaker 3: But then I'd like to get a count how many
games we have, unless unless there is anyone else for displility,
if I'm alone.
Speaker 10: On Despelotte, I'm with you, Grus. It's I mean, it's
it's it got me to like soccer. Yeah, it is
a very singular thing. It's the like the game that
I come in on this year.
Speaker 3: I would most recommend people give a shot because it's
short and it's transportive, like you will be in another
person's shooes in a way that almost no other game does.
Speaker 8: Who we Gotta rep in Split Fiction.
Speaker 5: I like it.
Speaker 11: It's a good come on in Joseph Fahre, He's in
the Goose.
Speaker 6: I think it's the best one they've made.
Speaker 4: It's around twenty two for me right now.
Speaker 6: Twenty two.
Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah, I I you know, I just tremendous amount
of fun playing that game in like a weekend, Like.
Speaker 4: At the end, like that last section is like, on
a technical level, doing.
Speaker 7: Some pretty incredible Yeah, I think there is. I think
this is a victim of its release timing as well.
Speaker 2: A little bit like it is very similar to the
last game that they did, which like, you know, like
that last game, and I think most people think it's worse.
It takes you did much better at the Game Awards,
for example, I just.
Speaker 1: Numbered the list. This isn't in order just to get
a count.
Speaker 6: When I just count, I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 2: I think maybe a little longer with split fiction, sure's
might drop.
Speaker 6: Ch just can get fucked. I feel like, I, you know,
i've I've actually finished.
Speaker 7: That game, and I uh yeah, I don't know. I
just I just enjoyed kind of the little fences.
Speaker 5: Ye.
Speaker 1: I'm happy that blue.
Speaker 5: I'm happy that Bluebird team had another good game.
Speaker 6: Yeah. I wonder if like they're gonna do more with
this one.
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 7: I also think it's like so fucking disgusting, you know,
almost too almost to a fault, not not fully. Uh yeah,
I think there was a really it also hit a
really good time of year, and I think it was
fresh enough that it stood on its own. And yeah,
Jane like them getting their own new I P. I
don't know how much guess is gonna be in the
tank for this one, but.
Speaker 5: Yeah, or if this like winds up leading them to
be able to I don't know, perhaps help out with
more remakes or whatever of other horror franchises.
Speaker 7: The thing I'll say is like, the thing why I
would never go to bat for it is that it's
just dead space, like it is the mo dead Space
fucking game, every right. I think the the story is
interesting as far as those go. With the whole twelve
Monkeys kind of angle, I like that, but yeah, it's it's.
Speaker 6: Not going to be able to hang.
Speaker 3: We've played Hygro Warriors, Age of Imprisonment and Luso of
the Year instead.
Speaker 8: That's the funny thing, you know. I like that game.
Speaker 3: It's less of a musso right, it's very not very light,
but lighter.
Speaker 8: I think they've been going this direction with all the
Nintendo Warriors games, where it becomes less and less of
a dynasty Warriors and more of a character action game.
And I think that's why Age of Imprisonment I like
so much is because it just does feel like a
chaotic Bayonetta or Cry more than it does a Dynasty Warriors.
And the way it ties into Tiers of the Kingdom,
I think it's it's it's fantastic because they planned for it.
They plan for this to be the thing where you
have that story. Non ton of story in Tears of
the Kingdom is link story. Zelda goes off, does her
own thing, and they tell that story in this game
with a different style because it fits the time period
more and everything and what she's doing with all these people.
Speaker 3: It feels like it's from the same universe and like
it like you are very attached to Tears of the Kingdom,
like this is going to deliver on all those emotions
here as well.
Speaker 5: Well.
Speaker 8: I think if you like those games, like I would
even say, like Dan, I don't think you've checked out.
Speaker 4: No I haven't, But honestly listening to you just now
talk about it and the stuff with the moment or
what was the dual beam thing makes me way more
because I mean I was just thinking, like, oh, it's
another one of those, but it sounds like it's more there's.
Speaker 8: Still a lot of that in there, that's still the
core of it. But I think they dialed it back
in just the right ways that it feels awesome, and
if you do like those games, those Zelda's, I don't
really recommend it. But also, no, probably not making this list.
Speaker 4: Okay, I think I will play it now because of
what you're saying. Yeah, likewise, is Perah in it?
Speaker 1: Yes?
Speaker 3: Right, isn't no, because it's in the past.
Speaker 1: Stop talking about there's still some baddies. Yeah, don't worry, Danda.
Speaker 2: I'm curious about Pokemon Shaw because I think, like I
didn't end up liking it more in like fourteen or
fifteen for me, and I think you liked it too,
Like how strongly did you feel about this Pokemon?
Speaker 8: I feel like, let me put this way, it's not
my top five, but I do still really like it.
I'm looking at the list and I'm like, maybe it
can stick around a little longer and we see if
it lands at the bottom. But if we got twenty
one left, I may like to talk about similar ones
a little bit more. I guess I don't know, because Chuck,
you played a good about it, right, and so like
if you and Jan want to like chime in here
on this one.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think this is my second favorite Pokemon game,
between the Switch and switch To. Sure, my first one
is let's go. Yeah, that's great. I know that's a
less popular opinion than you think. Okay, Yeah, I think
Za is like such a fresh take. It's like, ah,
you guys, finally, thank you so much for like doing something.
And also like it plays great on the Switch too,
And I talked about that before about how switch To
is like finally like, oh now I want to play this,
and that extends the Pokemon legends. I think. I think
it's a lot of fun. I think the the ideas
there if when I'm all the platforming stuff kind of
drags it down for me, and just some of the
the modern Pokemon clunk is definitely present here, so that
drags it a little out of my.
Speaker 8: Interesting because they definitely stripped a bunch of that out.
Speaker 1: Oh like Arcus is like kind of real some of
like the different mounts that you have and like swamp
into it. It's like, oh, this could have been cool,
but it doesn't.
Speaker 5: Work for me.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I feel very similar to Chuck. I really enjoy what
they did with the combat system and actually making all
of the moves matter and like actually having a use
for them. I think the part where it I don't
even know it's going to wind up on my top
ten at this point, just because it for me is
still kind of stuck in like some of the Pokemon jink, Like, yeah,
it is a million dollar franchise and there's still like
modern conveniences that.
Speaker 8: It still has millions, the single most successful franchise on Earth.
Speaker 1: Then there's no excuse.
Speaker 2: And I think I think it made a lot of improvements,
and I think they still have some work to do,
and there's still missed opportunities here presentation wise, obviously, even
though it's running better, Yeah, it could still look much better.
And for a game that like wants you to climb
scaffolds and go up the building so much like them
moving around the platforming not.
Speaker 5: Very good at it, very clumsy, it's very funky.
Speaker 1: Can you imagine if this game had, like, you know,
a director that cared about narrative and like wanted voice
acting and the story wasn't completely crazy?
Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, I like it.
Speaker 8: I like all the characters in Za and That's what
Pokemon's always been good at. Like there's only like two
Pokemon games a good story, but they always have like
many strong characters because they need to sell them on
trading cards and merchant and stuff like that. I'll say,
in some ways, it is the Pokemon game I've always
wanted because of the combat. I've always wanted the games
to play like the TV show, and that was really
cool living out that fantasy. But I am still a
little lukewarm on the game of well, because I think
it's like a solid eight is where I am like
a four star game, you know, like it's I like
it a lot, I'm not totally in love with it.
So if y'all are even.
Speaker 1: More lukewarm than I am, we can their best effort
at this in years, and I hope they keept going
down the right way path.
Speaker 5: Yeah, all right, into the bammer the pokemons go.
Speaker 6: We got twenty though, we got a top twenty cut half.
Speaker 1: I feel like I've snuck seance of Blake Manner into
the top twenty.
Speaker 2: It's good.
Speaker 6: I'm glad you find said something.
Speaker 1: But it's because I think Mike Jan jurf Grub, I
think you guys just go fuck with It's.
Speaker 4: So easy for you to just I think you really would.
Speaker 1: It's this like eighteen hundred Irish Gothic horror. You're going,
you're a detective, you have detective vision. Everything you do
when you investigate little clues takes a minute off of
your clock. You have a set schedule, like it's over
this weekend. At this manner, you're investigating the disappearance of
someone you've been hired to go find her, and everything
you do is like taking time off that clock. You
want to like ask someone about, hey, why do you
have that dust on your sleeve? Or like why why
do you have this like side eye that you're given
to some other character? But you're like is this a
good use of my time? Right? And then while you're
walking around this manner, which like you have this map
and like four different levels of this manner, doors are locked,
you get keys unlock them. Then like things out of
the corner of your eye. You're like, oh, was that
a ghost? Or like mirror shatters while you're walking by it,
angel statues like after you pass them, they turn ninety
degrees toward where you're walking. It's like, oh, it's like
such a love letter to just like Gothic lit. And
I don't mean like blackmail polish. I mean I mean
like the genre of literature. It's really phenomenal. There are
dozens of characters that are all possible culprits in this disappearance,
and that supernatural vibe that's also blanketing this thing. It's like,
it's so great. If you love Blueprints, you will love
Sancel blake manor. I really think, Mike, you should play
it on a Monday for Monday Mornings Missed with Mitch.
I think it's a beautiful fit for that. Yeah, hard
for me in my position to argue for it to
make our list at the end of the day, but
gu You've sold.
Speaker 6: Me on watching a YouTube video of some of the games.
Speaker 3: He's that Mike played for Monday Mornings Missed with Mitch,
and I think maybe eventually we can get around to that,
because I think that'd be fun.
Speaker 7: It's exactly I mean that in the best way, though, Chuck, like,
it takes a lot to do this, so like, thank you,
I'm serious, I will check that out.
Speaker 5: Okay, we are now down to nineteen and then.
Speaker 2: There were nineteen Yeah, MK Legacy collection. That's like how
high are we getting that I think.
Speaker 4: About it, So, first of all, turn that seat into
a k oh I'm sorry.
Speaker 3: It's especially funny if you do play this game, you
watch a documentary, how stupid they think it is.
Speaker 2: That's all case.
Speaker 4: That's the beauty Mortal kmbat right, is that it's like
it strikes that tone perfectly of like it is incredibly
goofy story and characters but played straight face, and like
that's my favorite.
Speaker 3: Shit, it's a bunch of dudes in Chicago going, wouldn't
it be cool if?
Speaker 4: And then they did it and it became the biggest.
Speaker 3: And you get to watch a documentary about it and
then go play the games and see like how it
all came together. It's awesome.
Speaker 4: It's but also everything we've talked about it is due
to the presentation and the documentary and everything, and that
is the main Like I have hopped in from time
to time and played the different versions and stuff like that.
We did the tournament. That was fun. I still love
playing Mortal Kombat, but it is just a collection of
older games. I mean, it's it's I love the fact
that you can do the unlimited fatality time and there's
like like the training stuff, Like they added a lot
of belts and whistles and stuff that definitely elevates it
over your usual retro collection on top of just the
documentary stuff. But yeah, it's a stacked year. I don't
think it's gonna make it in top ten, but it is. God,
it might be my favorite like retro collection ever.
Speaker 3: I mean, this will be on my top him and
it's it's a special way of doing this kind of thing.
I hope we get a ton more of it. Let's
let's bammer. Is this the only way to watch any
of those documentaries? I think so probably, but there's probably
some of this stuff is scattered in other places.
Speaker 4: This is the way to watch the presentation and the
timeline right and everything, and the way you can zoom
in and all these like documents and drawing.
Speaker 3: And it's like important to like there's real journal Chris
Kohler's there, like get like an editor's eye, like collecting
all this stuff and showing it to you and be
like this is what matters. And they don't overwhelm you
with like here's everything they do that occasionally with U
it's like here is John Tobias's journal where he was
drawing all these characters and saying what kind of character
archetype this is going to be? And you could dive
into that if you want, But every like blurb is
just like a paragraph of here's what it is, here's
why it matters, here's what it means to the people.
Speaker 2: Let's get to the next thing.
Speaker 8: Yeah, well is that EVO. I got to talk to
Dan Amrick about the game worked on as well. Yeah,
he did tell me that, like they work pretty closely
with another oman because there's a bit of a lull
app after after they finished, you know, the majority of
content on m K one. They're like, there is a
little bit of time for us to like actually get
in there and work with them to make more of
a definitive experience. And I think that really shows.
Speaker 4: The amount of anecdotes that like, even as a big
fan of those games, that I had never heard. Like
one that stuck with me was, you know, the first
game in the arcade, it would say like, oh, right,
to you just send a self a dress and bound
blope to this address in Chicago and we'll send you
the comic book and you give us ten dollars or whatever,
and as like Boone and Tobias were like packaging all
these comic books and stuff. They would personally write on
these things like bullshit. They'd be like, Sonia has a
slide attack before so many Easter every button combination, How
do you do Sonya slide like? I think this sho
is so funny.
Speaker 1: I love it.
Speaker 5: Yeah, yes, okay, well we've eliminated another one and sent
that to the bammer.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it. Maybe now is time for Split
Fiction to go.
Speaker 1: Two point museum? Yes, is this a two for one deal? No, Mike,
I don't know if you're.
Speaker 8: Well, I mean I will agree with Mike. I haven't
heard much of a defense for Split Fiction.
Speaker 10: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I think we have several of us that played it
and enjoyed it.
Speaker 1: Right, but like, do you like love it? Like top ten?
Speaker 6: I mean on my top ten for sure.
Speaker 1: Okay, that's what I'm looking for.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I don't you know, Mike, I just don't know.
I don't know, Dick about two point Museum.
Speaker 2: Well, I've only been talking about how great the game
is since Mark. I'm not going to hear that we
can't do because we didn't play.
Speaker 7: No, I understand, but you might as well be speaking Sanskrit.
I have no idea.
Speaker 3: It's so good though, we don't have like I don't
think because you like offered up split fiction, we have
to go after two point museum.
Speaker 6: I just like, I think that's a fun thing to do.
Speaker 4: A little longer.
Speaker 8: I have cut split fiction, okay, I mean because we'll
say what.
Speaker 6: Split fiction like. The story is kind of is it's.
Speaker 2: It's stupid, and the characters are unlikable and.
Speaker 6: Everyone's unlikable, and it's not about.
Speaker 2: The story, and.
Speaker 3: I can't wait to play it.
Speaker 6: I'm just playing it.
Speaker 5: For the.
Speaker 1: Like.
Speaker 2: Of course I wouldn't it's me, of course I wouldn't
be doing that.
Speaker 7: It's funny though, is like, uh, yeah you're not Dan,
Yeah no, you hate you love stories and games.
Speaker 6: I think you know, people will come up.
Speaker 7: I would recommend this to a lot of people, and
then the first thing that they would say to me
after playing, you know a good portion of it is.
Speaker 6: Like, oh my god, this could be a movie.
Speaker 7: This story is so good, and I'm just like, my
friend's dumb, my friend's stupid.
Speaker 6: I think I need new friends. Because that is not
the takeaway.
Speaker 7: The takeaway is not like, wow, oh my god, this
needs to be greenlit immediately. It's now it's fucking fun
to play with someone on the couch, and it's really
interesting and very gameplay and it's like, you know, cooperative
and anyway.
Speaker 6: Yeah, so split fiction. Yeah, I'm fine with the Get
in the Boot.
Speaker 7: I do think if it came out in the second
half of the year it would have helped.
Speaker 5: Yeah, may nominate two things to get cut, those two
things being Silent Hill f Wow, I really like it.
I think it's like probably six on my list this
year as well as.
Speaker 2: Absolutely these are both little rough of me.
Speaker 6: I'm surprised the Silent Hill f general.
Speaker 1: Are we wait?
Speaker 6: Are you a piece of ship?
Speaker 1: You're getting too much heat?
Speaker 6: All right, but I feel like.
Speaker 7: I thought for a while that you and I were
gonna have to like fight off the zombies on our
little silent hill.
Speaker 5: You and I may have to fight for a different thing,
you know together.
Speaker 4: Look, you know we are very.
Speaker 2: Much aligned with these two after other people's babies press
except for two point Museum.
Speaker 1: Can we talk about two point m a little more so?
I played their two previous games. Yeah, and so I'm
gonna describe my understanding these games you are building out
like in this case museum, but it was a hospital
university before you need to have like you know, have
your bathroom set up, have like the different offices that
they need for like in faculty and staff, and also
like and you're talking about the the venues for the exhibits.
In the case of university, you would be like a classroom,
the hospital be like X ray room, like surgery and stuff.
And that's that's really fun. It's like a great management
sim that way. But like how I would one hundred
percent guess that this is a true realization and their
humor is probably way forward in this because they've done
it like three times, no, probably more at.
Speaker 2: What makes this game special is the progression and the
variety because again you're you have multiple museums. It's not
just like they're, oh, the aquariums next to the museum.
There are different maps you open up, so it's like, Okay,
work on the Natural Iscer Museum until you get this
many guests and you get this kind of approval rating
and you maybe do this milestone completed exhibit. Well then
now now you're going through the aquariument it's a different
thing entirely. It's a different building. That you're setting up,
and then one of them is like, oh, it turns
out aliens are real. You're making a space museum, and
like you're sending the archaeologists out in space. You're not
just getting back exhibits, you're getting back batteries of different shapes.
You kind have to figure out like, oh, this exhibit
has a circle and a triangle on it. If they
put a circle in a triangle battery next to these,
it activates, and now the space gate is opening. So
like each of these museums has their own little kind
of gameplay loop and a completely different vibe. They can
get really into the weeds with decorating them and making
them look nice, and that doesn't matter too for the
exhibit rating and how much people like them. So how
many donations you get, and make sure you have the
donation boxes placed in the right place, and be sure
you have the right security systems. You have to have cameras,
you want patrolling policemen. There's even like very specific challenges
where there's already this big museum and you just have
to make sure no more than ten thieves escape in
the next thirty minutes or something like that sings with
people trying to steal your shit.
Speaker 5: And sometimes they can't practicing robbing the louve by playing this.
Speaker 2: Game, maybe that's how they got the idea.
Speaker 1: The other games are definitely like that, where you would
you'd have like, oh, like a project hospital, you need
to balance their budget, go and fix their ship, right,
or like yeah, yeah, you would really like those games
because like it sounds, it sounds like this is just elevated.
They've really gone for it. I think what you're describing
has more layers, like the whole like getting batteries from
outer spit that was not really a thing in those
other games. I don't think you were like the hospital
one so much. I think you would love that.
Speaker 3: Anniversally one we did not address jan saying getting rid
of Absolom, and I don't want to. I don't want
to cut it either, but it's like it is, we
are getting pretty hairy. These are the conversations we're gonna
have to start having soon. I don't know, is I
am not sold still on like Absolum. Several of us
played and feel very strongly about two point Museum.
Speaker 2: Okay, all right, we're gonna keep going on. Like Mike
is two point Museum your game of the year. It's
not my game of the year. Okay, What I do
want to hear more than just well we didn't play it, I.
Speaker 1: Know, speak to it.
Speaker 7: And here's the thing, right, like no one is arguing
your conviction, right, Like no one's arguing how you feel.
Speaker 2: Like I would like to hear about this below time.
I'd like to hear about skates Story.
Speaker 6: I think it's you know, it's it's there. There's nothing
we can do with this with I mean, I.
Speaker 3: Played to the Poor Museum and everything you say is true,
and I agree, and I liked I liked it more
than Skate Story.
Speaker 2: I did. Yeah, Uh, skate Story.
Speaker 5: I think the latter half of it has made uh
put into my own baby steps and echoes kind of
similar sentiment to what that game presents. And I wasn't
expecting to get very emotional with a skateboarding game, but
it is from hell and obviously a trailers very well,
it looks really fucking neat, But underneath all the glitz
and glamour, there's like a very profound message about that
you can apply to anything. And I think I mentioned
this the other week, but just like the act of
like falling down, getting back up, your body shattering, and
your body being a metaphor for whatever else. Maybe you're
spending too much time in a job or a relationship
or something, but you just keep going. You have to
keep going, and then maybe perhaps this time you will
get to the bottom, or you'll get to the finish line.
How it lands with the whole Moon thing, I'm not
quite sure.
Speaker 7: Yeah, well, I think there's like a very unique, like
almost like Lynchian poetry about that game that like no
one can even dare to try and emulate. And I
think there's such a unique like artistic vision that was
realized with a game like this where it's like, shit,
I don't know how Sam convinced people to give money
for this and do all that stuff, but man, it's
very difficult to argue with what the end product was.
I think it's a game that you feel things in
it through so many different ways where even if you
aren't able to like sniff out the narrative stuff right
like you obviously are able to apply it to other
things in your life. There's so many other like visual
storytelling and kind of like illusions in that game that
you are meant to grapple with the game does not
You cannot play that game like, oh, I'm gonna just
nail some sick tricks like Nope, it's it's it's so
much more than that. And I think it simultaneously like
has these very sort of like loose metaphors, but you
are forced to reckon with them because you cannot make
sense of anything unless you open yourself up to the
experience and do that. And I, uh yeah, and I think,
like you know, like for me, two out of those
three boxes.
Speaker 6: We're going to be ticked. But the fact that like
that third box.
Speaker 7: Of like the the feeling that you are able to
tangibly uh uh get out of that whole thing, It's like, Wow,
this is unexpected.
Speaker 6: I was I thought I was just gonna be a
cool little.
Speaker 7: Demon boy and just you know, messing around in in
like a hardcore video, but it was so much more
than that.
Speaker 6: I think. That's uh, that is amazing.
Speaker 7: And like I said, there's a poetry going on in
that game that is unlike anything I've ever read or
seen before.
Speaker 3: Can I just real quickly, I'm sorry, can I throw
something that like a test real quick?
Speaker 1: Uh?
Speaker 3: Let's cut donkey Kong Binanza. Oh okay, okay, so so
what would you guys cut before? Donk No, I was
not your games.
Speaker 1: I got my well I've killed a.
Speaker 3: Lot of my no, I know, but like you cut before.
Speaker 8: Offer, a Lego party is just outside my I think
it's number eleven. I'm curious how many more people have
in their like top ten that would make it an
our time.
Speaker 2: I don't know. I think it's probably gonna be. I
think you're probably right.
Speaker 7: Lego parties in my top ten for sure. That's just
because I live with a ten year old. Sure, okay,
you know, but in my own mind, you know, like, yeah,
I think for this group, yeah, I think it's great.
I mean I don't think anyone has. I think we
all I equally love this game.
Speaker 4: No, no, I will say that, like look for all
the jokes and everything about like Mario Party and everything,
it's it's a horseship game in a lot of ways
and everything, and.
Speaker 6: Oh that feels so good.
Speaker 4: Of course, of course it's horshit.
Speaker 1: A year ago, it.
Speaker 4: Was fucking no, it's always it's always been horseship. But
it's been my kind of horseship, and it's been my
family's kind of worship.
Speaker 6: You're a personal family brand of horseship, right, But I
mean it really is.
Speaker 4: Genuinely a thing that like every hill, every time and
such since I've moved away from home, every time I
go home, it's I am making sure I am packing
this stuff I need in the dock and everything, because
it's like, Okay, we're gonna do Christmas Eve at Grandma's
and we're gonna come back. We're gonna have dinner and
you have some drinks and then we're gonna load up
Lego Party. And it's been like even as like my
sister's gotten married, bring him in on it. We have
a niece now when it's like we you know, we'll
play long of her like you know here you're playing
as you know, and stuff like that. It is genuinely
a family thing we look forward to every time whenever
they come to visit me and everything, and for all
of its Horseship Mario Party, it the fun of family moments.
Speaker 1: Everything.
Speaker 4: It overcame all the bullshit. Lego Party now takes all
of that and now that is our new thing. Like
and I was like, my sister Katie came up recently
and I was like, hey, I know this is a
hard sell because Mario Party is like our family thing.
Try this and they loved and so now it's a
thing where it's like Thanksgiving we did I want to
be Christmas time. I don't be playing this game and
hopefully sequels it for years to come. It's it's just
that much fun. It is so much more refined than
Mario Party has ever been.
Speaker 5: It is so fucked up that I constantly think of
what if they just did Mario Lego?
Speaker 4: Yes, no, that is I give.
Speaker 1: Le Mario Party.
Speaker 2: Do you have this with my top ten? I would
like it to stay, but I don't have it higher
than see.
Speaker 6: I think everyone loves it, but no one is like
it's freak.
Speaker 2: Is no one's top five. But it does feel representative
of us in a way where it's like it's.
Speaker 1: Kind of so then maybe it does stick across like
a bottom top of ten. Maybe I would love that.
Speaker 2: Maybe we feel that strongly about peak.
Speaker 5: I haven't highlighted. I was about to suggest we cut it.
Really yeah, I.
Speaker 2: Mean I like it, but I never like got to
the peak.
Speaker 1: Do I recommend that we have our so not just
the bammer, but our our middle layer?
Speaker 3: Well, we could could we could start locking some more
stuff here in here.
Speaker 4: In a second, why don't we read just for the
audio listeners, let's read the second team we have like.
Speaker 5: You start if you can see it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and the seventeen that are still one by one Blueprints, Dispatch,
Silent Hill, Sectory, Baby.
Speaker 1: Steps should be death Stranding to loop around DK Bonanza,
Lego Party.
Speaker 3: Claire Obscure Expedition thirty three.
Speaker 2: On two point Museum, Skate Story, Haites, what a game, Absolute.
Speaker 6: And peak, which now feels like we should cut.
Speaker 4: I know, I actually, I know I'm going knives out
on two point Museum. But there's a reason for it
where it's like I played two point Campus, I played
two point Hospital. They're both really good and like the
humor is great and everything, and like such, I liked
it a lot, and so like Mike, you was saying that, like,
oh you didn't play it as an excuse, It's like,
well no, because I've played those games before, and I
have heard you talk about this a lot this year,
and nothing you said about it has made me think
it is this like next evolution of this type of game.
Speaker 1: It just sounds like it's another good one of.
Speaker 2: The sectory the next evolution of geometry wars.
Speaker 3: It is, but it's also a refined version of it.
If you're saying two point museum is the most refined
version of this, I'm Mike, I'm still on your side.
I'm keeping two point museum.
Speaker 5: I feel like we could cut a couple of other
things before two point.
Speaker 1: I would like to pile on to the idea of
cutting absolum.
Speaker 3: And I want to be like, just I like, glancing
at this list, I think realistically we have of four
spots because there's about there's between six and eight that
are gonna be a lock among this audience. I thought
peak might be so if we're talking about that, maybe
it's between six and eight. So we're like, we're talking
about like four spots really for some of these games
that are on the bubble, Yeah, yeah, And that's like
that'd be like ten games there that we're talking about
four spots.
Speaker 5: I would personally be okay cutting desk Polote.
Speaker 3: But I know it may I think we cut Despolote, okay, Yeah,
Because I mean again, like I'm gonna be going all
in on baby Steps. I can't do that for both
these and baby Dispilote is again transportive in a way
that almost no other game is. It will make you
feel like you wear another persons shoes. It will make
you like when you're holding your mother's hand and she's
dragging you through and she's having a conversation on the
phone with another adult and you're just looking around and
you're seeing the game being played on the screen. It's mesmerizing.
It's so it's amazing. But we can cut it back.
Speaker 5: Lar just want to get your pulse check here. I
think I would be okay cutting skates story. I Another
small point I want to add is that I think
it's very rare when you look at a game you
can just like it feels like you were looking inside
someone's brain and their soul and just like what their
guts are made out of. And I think it's very
poignant that like the character you play has made out
of glass. And I think it's a representation of like
Sam is just about what he is, which is like
sick music and skated and cool funts. If we had
the best font of the year, we.
Speaker 6: Should have done it. Would it was funny. It would
have been a face off between Silent.
Speaker 5: Hill and yeah, story, you and I would have been
knives out at each other.
Speaker 2: Sara, I like absolutely a lot. I think it might
be its time now. It's really good. There's a lot
of very good roguelakes this year.
Speaker 5: Hear me, hear me out, hear me out. What if
we cut blueprints?
Speaker 12: No, Nogue, I'm not gonna say what I think you
know last year I guessed almost everything right or where
we Yeah, give it a shot.
Speaker 6: That piece of paper, Okay.
Speaker 2: All right, it's death Straining to really being in the
top time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was gonna bring it up.
Speaker 6: I'm surprised. I'm surprised by that.
Speaker 1: If you guys get rid of games, I like better
than death training too. On this list Blueprints, Dispatch, Shanobi, Bonanza,
clare obscure.
Speaker 3: That's that point made. Yeah, I think that's time to go.
Speaker 4: I mean it's my number five, okay, And you know
I'm the Kajima guy.
Speaker 1: I know I'm your I'm your back up on death
Straining too, and I yeah, it might be time.
Speaker 5: I love that they have a second one.
Speaker 1: I do think it's insane that we're keeping two points.
Speaker 2: I don't get what you put museum is the same.
Speaker 1: Because we played the other one, yes, and it's like
they're good.
Speaker 2: You can't play this one.
Speaker 1: You have not sold it.
Speaker 2: As I talked about it a lot, sounded nice about
a same game where you run a museum, where you're
gonna be like, well, I mean.
Speaker 4: I would like that game.
Speaker 1: You're not sneaking away. You did effectively say you're cutting
skate story. And I think it's time as well, like because.
Speaker 2: Like the stuff I think right like oh man, like
I have a caman exhibit, I have to monitor monitor
its temperature. I think that rules. I bet you're probably
not as excited about those games are very charming and funny.
On the one area, it's like a science place. So
you also have like a workshop. And I made robot
staff and they were the ones cleaning my whole museum there,
and they.
Speaker 1: Had to charge.
Speaker 2: They had charge stations, but the charge stations could also
be exhibits, and I can create little tours. You have
to manage a tours to make sure that they have
a good pace and they go to really nicely decorated exhibits.
Speaker 5: I think the thing that we have to factor in
is that part of two point museums appeal and especially
after hearing Mikey talk about it is that it is
very adjacent to a theme park.
Speaker 1: Yes, okay, I'm putting out there.
Speaker 8: I feel his time to play this card with two
point museum reminder. That's Giant Bombs top ten. Yes, Games
of the Year.
Speaker 2: Yes, but he's part of Giants.
Speaker 8: I know, I know, but hang on, hear me out.
If it was his number one, then absolutely I can
see the argument because I made the argument last year.
Speaker 1: But it was also with a game that other people liked.
Speaker 8: And I'm not feeling the groups that I would much.
Speaker 5: Rather cut peak and absolom before.
Speaker 4: But numerous people on staff have really enjoyed quite a
bit like and again and what Sean was just saying
being Giant Bombs list, I think we have to give
some priority to the fact that several of us really
like this game. And again, it'd be one thing if
it's your number one, of your help. Madrid was my
game of the year, possibly, you know.
Speaker 2: It's it can go.
Speaker 5: Now, it can go, Mike, Thank you.
Speaker 2: I wanted. I want to give it a real good shot.
Speaker 1: I loved it Games I wanted. You have convinced me
I need to go pack, you know, Mike.
Speaker 5: I'm going to go back and I hate these games?
Speaker 2: Do we do we decide on silent health? Not really?
I still I still like it a lot.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I like it a lot. I feel like that
feels like a very much a number ten to me.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think that's like at the bottom.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Lego Party, we got to.
Speaker 3: Cut four more.
Speaker 2: Man, it's or something so giant bombing.
Speaker 4: I mean I would love Lego Party like a number ten.
I think feel right? You know number ten?
Speaker 8: Is it time for us Sectory fans to convene?
Speaker 2: Yeah, let me ask you guys, the Secretory fans, would
you rather have Sectorian there the Lego Party?
Speaker 1: No? Yeah, that's you like Secretory better?
Speaker 4: Absolutely better Sectary Sectory.
Speaker 1: Okay, maybe maybe it is.
Speaker 4: Maybe I could see the argument for an absolute time,
but it is just a real good time.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 2: I love it.
Speaker 3: Uh yeah, Sectories like in my it's gonna be my
top three, it's it's yeah, it's real good.
Speaker 4: But I I would take absolutely down.
Speaker 3: But let's keep Sectory for now. Yeah, okay, one where
it's like I can see that at top ten or
number ten?
Speaker 5: Yeah? Do we have too many of those games?
Speaker 1: We clearly do?
Speaker 2: We like those ones.
Speaker 3: That we've all said could be number ten. There's going
to be a battle between all those I think, ye.
Speaker 5: A battle for the bottom, a battle of the bottom riches.
Speaker 8: Should we go back to locks, maybe to see how
many spots we have to fill if we're confident in locks, maybe,
I mean, yeah, maybe three away?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, okay, we're close.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Okay, you guys still feel that's strong about Shanenoby
right now?
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think's on this list.
Speaker 5: Okay, let's go through U.
Speaker 8: I'll put this out there because you know this will
play into the conversation. Shanoby is still my game of
the year, and a lot of people on It's like.
Speaker 3: It's one of my favorite character action games I've played
in a long time.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and maybe the best two D one of those.
Speaker 5: Yes, I think it is the best. Then I think
we should cut Peak. I think we should push it
off the mountain. It feels like Party or Peak, right, Yeah,
I would.
Speaker 4: I would take Peak down before Lego Party.
Speaker 1: I guess I would to.
Speaker 3: I like, I really like Peaking. I thought Peak was
going to make this list.
Speaker 5: Say Party, of course, you want to say something.
Speaker 1: I like Peak a lot. I haven't got to do
many multiplayer experiences this year because I was, you know,
spending twelve hours a day on websites and ship I
don't get it. I want to play more multiplayer games.
You need to play Lego party with me.
Speaker 2: Invite me.
Speaker 5: I would.
Speaker 6: The cutest.
Speaker 2: That's adorable, and we'll make it happen.
Speaker 5: Miss games with friends. We'll make a manifike of you. Okay,
that's yeah, I play.
Speaker 2: Two point is that two player?
Speaker 1: You don't know?
Speaker 2: This is insane.
Speaker 3: Actually we got to cut two more.
Speaker 1: Yes, I don't like you don't want to get crazy, Let's
get fucking crazy. Let's cut haites to.
Speaker 2: Keep going.
Speaker 1: That's crazy to think about it. Think about it. I'm
gonna shoot hot about that.
Speaker 5: All of these miscellaneous other games I feel like represent
pockets of all of them.
Speaker 2: What's the next big evolution in eighties two?
Speaker 1: It's also okay, it's what I wanted to happen.
Speaker 5: I thought it was amazing when you got to meet, uh,
persephone your mom in Hades, and it always felt like
a huge thing to accomplish. Anytime I went to the
Pantheon of the Gods, I was very disappointed.
Speaker 2: Kind of like, all right, do it again. Also, the
ending was bad and they had to redo it.
Speaker 5: Yes, that's true. I don't think that knocks it out
of the top ten because.
Speaker 2: This game plays so fuck it has a much worse
reason for you to like keep playing the game, even.
Speaker 4: Though no, I disagree completely because like Haities one, story wise,
what's that? I don't care. Like Haites one, I beat
once and I was like, great, that was awesome. Boy,
what a great gameplay experience. And Hai, I knew you
we supposed to ten times to get the real ending.
But I was like, I beat it. I saw credits
Hades two, I beat it, And it's like, I think,
variety of factors with the gameplay just being having way
more going on there, and then the going out and
going up stuff and everything adding to the variety. I
I heard like, what twelve times you gotta beat it?
And I was like, I got no problem with that.
I'm gonna keep doing it. I'm keep planting my stuff,
gonna keep doing all my incantations. Like I felt the
drive to continue playing it and beating it over and
over and over again and going beyond when I got
the real ending, I'm still played way more of it.
So I do think Hades two has a much stronger
pull than the first one did keep going.
Speaker 1: I think this game is Haites two is beautiful. It
looks way better than the first one. I think the
soundtrack is better somehow, Darren Korb like one. I like
the moment when you roll credit like the first roll
credits or whatever, and you're writing on the app. What
are you writing on? Is that the horse like a
picacer I don't remember, but like or like Artemis by
the water singing, you can go join the duet. The
music is just like a warm blanket in this game.
Speaker 8: And yeah, it just shout we should cut loophole, nice Dan.
I feel about Destraining too. How you felt about Two
Point Museum. I just I can't. I don't want to
take chuck.
Speaker 1: Here's my problem. Yeah, so I've played Secretory. I haven't
played enough Secretory. Okay, I would from right where I'm
seeing right now, I would cut that before I would
cut Destraining too.
Speaker 2: Well, we were told, oh no, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3: Well we do have two, we do have two to
get rid of. Well yeah, but I like when we're
talking about get rid of Haites two instead of Secretory.
Speaker 2: Real.
Speaker 4: Yeah feels wild.
Speaker 1: I think I'm the opposite Dan where like a game
to really really grab me, like it needs to have
like narrative and story and like have something kind of
pulling me that way. Weird, you guys hired a nerd
first time. So that's that's some of my things with Sectory.
I'm gonna I really like it. It's arcadie. I want
to pick it up, and it's like gonna be a
perfect thing for me to pick up and play whenever.
Speaker 4: But mm hmm, okay, I'll say this out of Sectory
Destranding two and Hades two, if I had to cut one, oh,
I think I'd cut desk Ruinding two.
Speaker 1: Damn wow.
Speaker 3: I was not expecting that.
Speaker 4: Yeah, let's Dostraining too will be higher than Secretory on
my list. But because Sectory has enthusiasm for more than
just me, sure, I think that belongs on a Giant
Bond list more.
Speaker 1: Let's I know we've talked about deinting a lot, I'm
doing it. I think this game would have been such
a clear top three for me if the stuff in
between those amazing action sequences and cut scenes of stuff,
if that stuff was a little better, right, And so
I think there's a lot there, Like there could be like,
I hope his next projects kind of lean into that
stuff like they will actually yeah.
Speaker 5: Yeah, hear me out, hear me out.
Speaker 6: You want to some crazy you hate the dice in it?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 5: No, no, you know I talking about representation a lot
you guys as like a person of color, especially because
you're the host.
Speaker 1: Yes, that's where I'm going.
Speaker 5: Man, Maybe we cut eleven and it's Hades two. That's
at eleven right now.
Speaker 6: Like you and I think, Mike, you seem real horny
to do that.
Speaker 5: I'm not really.
Speaker 2: I mean, I look, I would love to see toyo,
but I just it's and it's like it's almost exactly
what I was arguing against. It's just a game I
didn't really care about. I like, I just don't really
care about Geometry Wars doing that with Okay, more stuff,
got it.
Speaker 5: I think that we should we should go through and
lock stuff and see what doesn't get locked.
Speaker 1: If we If we cut Hades two here, I think
I'd start smoking.
Speaker 6: Smoke, have a friend.
Speaker 1: When I go outside to get air, it's not to
get air for no reason, sorry for you to find
out like this. We also start.
Speaker 2: Ordering things and just see what happens. To be eleven.
Speaker 1: Can I I want to point I want to point something, Chuck.
I think Silk Song is overrated here.
Speaker 2: I think is my number one game, but they think
the song is the best generational Yeah.
Speaker 1: Problem how it didn't value my time. It was not
accessible for someone in my position, Like I didn't have
the time to into a game like Silk Song and
to be frustrated, to be angry. I'm not as good
of a gamer as Mike and that game did not
welcome me.
Speaker 8: Guys, Donkey Kong, I don't think we've been talking around.
I think we should talk about Donkey Kong. We're like
we assume as top ten and I wanted to be
in top twen.
Speaker 1: I want to make that clear.
Speaker 2: That's what we're talking about. To get rid of Lego Party. Honestly,
I'm putting this out there.
Speaker 1: I kind of want to talk to like grubbing Dan. Yeah.
Speaker 8: I like Sectory. I don't love it.
Speaker 1: That's the one that's kind of on the chopping block
for me.
Speaker 4: I mean, I like variety on the top ten, and
Sectory is the one game this entire year, not just
on this list, that like makes my brain feel like
it's in a different state. Yeah, that makes everything else
and everything else has to melt around you in order
to be like it demands your attention so much at
every nanosecond, and like it's the only game this year
and honestly only game since maybe like Geometry Wars. That's
gotten me to that level of like it's not just like,
oh the hooks for one more time, it's like, no,
I go into a trance when I am playing this
game in the best way.
Speaker 3: And that's why that's why I feel confident about like
defending it, because I know for so many times I've
been presented with like, here is the spiritual successor to
this game that you fell in love with, and every
time it's disappointed me. Yep, this is the first time
where it's like I don't need Geometry Wars anymore? Right
this as you are as story, Yes, I don't need
you anymore. It completely deconstructs the genre and then rebuilds
it in such a way where it's like, oh, this
was designed by the Bible.
Speaker 5: It feels like yeah, yeah, in that, do you have
a counter proposal?
Speaker 3: Like I'm like, if I look at this list, there's
a bunch I would probably cut before that. I would
cut d K Bananza before that, but just like again
I want on the list, I would cut Haiti, I
would cut Haiti's Silent Hill. I would definitely cut Silent
Hill before Silent Hill. The Silent is the one I
haven't played, so that sticks out to me. Is like,
obviously I don't need that there, but that's because I
haven't played it.
Speaker 4: Who's gonna go too bad and say Silent.
Speaker 2: I am not cutting it.
Speaker 4: At the end of the.
Speaker 1: I am.
Speaker 2: Like I would rather get rid of that than Bonanza,
than Haiti's two, certainly Silksong An even Lego Party. Yeah.
Speaker 5: My defense for Sound Hill f is like, you know,
we go to games to escape from ship, right, and
then I think you have to be in a very
specific mood to go into a horror game specifically and
then go through and live in the shoes of someone
that has a completely different perspective from me.
Speaker 7: I finished Hell faster than any other game. Yeah, and uh,
I you know, I think like I wasn't expecting a
lot from it at all, and I was really really.
Speaker 6: Blown away by it.
Speaker 7: I think I think Lego like for me, like Lego Party,
it just seems it's a I don't know, it just
seems a little bit more disposable.
Speaker 1: I love it.
Speaker 6: Yeah, of course, yeah, I've played.
Speaker 4: I mean disposable. I think it's just that's productive.
Speaker 1: I think.
Speaker 7: I think it's I just think like I'm not getting something.
I'm getting like the very fun part of the Best Party.
It's not a traditional game of the year kind of game.
I get what you mean, but it's like for me,
it's a reminds me so much of playing in sixty
four with.
Speaker 4: Friends and I was playing as a staff together has
been fun, and then the family stuff that I think.
Speaker 7: I mean, out of these games left, I've only played one, two, three, four.
Speaker 2: Can I ask where you think is on your list?
Speaker 8: Me?
Speaker 6: Yeah, on my personal list, it's probably.
Speaker 5: It might it might eke out like a five or six, yeah,
five six. I have another comment, I think this is
a list full of art and Lego party. But that's.
Speaker 1: Yes way also, so what right video game of games
making that is art?
Speaker 2: It's a joke.
Speaker 6: I don't necessarily I enjoyed being the heel.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 6: I feel like I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 2: I mean again, i'd rather I'd rather lose than Bonanza
a Lego party or Haiti two, which you might the
other ones that were being talked about here. It seems
like like sexty and we haven't talked about baby sets,
but like I know, especially like I will stop this
whole thing for baby.
Speaker 1: Watch like that and that was a blast.
Speaker 5: It was yet you were you were not aloneing babies
foot except where you can.
Speaker 7: I just think I think Silent Hill probably has a
better right to be there than Lego, is what I think.
Speaker 1: I think.
Speaker 3: I think we're kind of I think it was in
your top three back of I'd be like, okay, made it.
Speaker 2: It's like it's like, I know, but f five, five, six, six, seven.
Speaker 5: Where does Bonanza land on people's.
Speaker 1: Number three?
Speaker 4: It's like eight for me? I mean it's war It's
currently said, where's Hill for you?
Speaker 1: Jen? It's at six. I think Bonanzas also had an eight?
Speaker 2: Yeah Hill.
Speaker 3: Right now?
Speaker 4: I mean, I can't believe I'm saying that I would
cut Donkey Kong before Lego party.
Speaker 5: I think I'm with you, Wow, I really I don't
want to surprised.
Speaker 1: These are all great game.
Speaker 4: Yeah, you a TV show about superheroes.
Speaker 2: And you would that whole time.
Speaker 1: You are really mature.
Speaker 2: You would both cut Bonanza for Sectory.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, you believed it was awesome.
Speaker 2: Bananza is awesome, is great.
Speaker 4: I mean, Bananza is not like Mario Wan level.
Speaker 5: But it's like my religion like for video games floored
me in its systems and like, oh my god, they
did it like you can destroy you know, like when
we played I think a lot of you played tear
Down that game where like like like, oh, that gives
a joke now because Bonanza did this.
Speaker 3: When I was earlier was like let's test, like, hey,
let's cut dcy Banansa. It's not because I wanted to
cut DK Bananza. I just want to prove a point, like, well,
DC Banance is obviously not getting cut from this list,
so what game would you cut before that? I think
I think it's still crazy we're talking about cutting DK
Bananza Like that's.
Speaker 4: I mean, I think, see Cavananza has a stronger argument
than Silent Hill.
Speaker 8: Well, okay, then then let's look at the ones we're
talking about cutting. I think it discussing cutting then would
be Silent Hill, Sectory, and Lego Party.
Speaker 1: We were still we were talking haities too.
Speaker 5: Crazy. I think the funniest thing would be if that
Hades two is probably going to be very high on
everyone's lists and then we cut it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, what we cut it?
Speaker 4: That's crazy.
Speaker 1: I also think about how Haites two is, in my opinion,
a better game than Hades, which was a Game of
the Year winner.
Speaker 2: It doesn't compromise.
Speaker 5: I would get a compromise.
Speaker 2: I think we should cut f and Bonanza and bring
back two points.
Speaker 4: This is a hero gentlemen.
Speaker 1: Lied?
Speaker 6: I lied. I do not have Lego Party on content.
Speaker 3: Next to nothing ahead, let's let's cut sectory. No, you know,
but like I have two religions on here, and baby
Steps is number one.
Speaker 4: But also there's just something to be said about a
video game ass video and we don't have many.
Speaker 3: Like I agree, I agree, But like between that and
Lego Party, what would you cut first?
Speaker 4: I would keep the sectory before Lego Party.
Speaker 1: I want to keep Lego anything, you know what, I'll fall.
Speaker 5: I would fall on the sword and cut Silent hillf I.
Speaker 3: Just I feel bad because, like Becky doesn't have a
ton of Thames.
Speaker 6: I was busy for like twenty three weeks. Yeah exactly,
you know, Yeah, that's all.
Speaker 2: It's okay.
Speaker 6: If everyone thinks that we should cut Silent Hills. It
could be a cut, but that's that's okay.
Speaker 3: I mean I didn't play it some certainly the same
same like, but I just don't want to push it off,
Like I don't.
Speaker 5: Have negatives about it. It's a thing, like I think
it is a complete great experience.
Speaker 3: I mean, obviously we're at a point where, like little
I think.
Speaker 2: Yes, bangers, yeah, yeah, do we want to do like
a down the line votes on it.
Speaker 6: I'd be that happiest to kill Lego Party.
Speaker 1: I know I want you guy, you want to kill again.
Speaker 3: I think we're at a point where we're like Lego
parties making this list. That's where I'm where. I'm like
you guys, that's I feel.
Speaker 6: Yeah, And I don't want you to kill your Secretory game, but.
Speaker 2: I mean I I don't want it.
Speaker 4: Seems like there wasn't a lot of pushback from Silent
Hill getting cut was brought up.
Speaker 1: You guys love Secretory more than the people that love
Silent Hill.
Speaker 4: That's a good way put.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think it's going to be my number two.
Speaker 5: Yes, yeah, I don't want Silent Hill f to be
my religion.
Speaker 1: I've said this a lot, but like, you, guys, I've
sold yet another game that I really want to get
into it.
Speaker 5: I love Silent Hill so so like I was hesitant
to check out. I mentioned on the BombCast like a
bunch of weeks ago that, like, I just looked up
the other multiple endings. It's cool. But I what I
didn't know is that friend urged me, no, you should
actually try and play through because there are discernible differences.
Speaker 6: I think, and I think they like cut out.
Speaker 2: Well, they tell you if if a cunt scene is
like just an exact repeat, you know you can it's
really it's it's really.
Speaker 5: All right, all right, it's a solid number eleven, solid
and gang.
Speaker 1: We have a ten.
Speaker 2: Look, no chance, huh.
Speaker 1: All right, I'm gonna read out our ten. This is
not in order. I'm going to undo the numbers, all right,
good idea.
Speaker 5: So the ten not top ten right now is Blueprints, Dispatch, Sectory,
Baby Steps, Shnoby, Art of Vengeance, Donkey Kong, Bonanza, Lego Party, Claire,
Obscure Expedition, thirty three, Silk Song in Haighties two. You
guys want to take a quick break, I think so, yeah, right,
cool off? Maybe maybe play some two point museum. Yeah
I want to now, yeah, all right, game, We'll see
y'all in a second. Alright, dog, it's time to start
the show.
Speaker 2: Are you ready to go?
Speaker 3: Oh uh dude, yeah, dude, I'm ready.
Speaker 5: No, crump, you look like you are in a den
of iniquity right now.
Speaker 3: I don't know what that means, and I don't know
what you want. It's not like I have a home studio, Jan,
Yes you do.
Speaker 5: The computers that main Gear built for us have Nvidia
g Force RTX chipoos in them, and with the Nvidia
Studio drivers and in video broadcast, you can turn even
your man cave into a professional studio. Using broadcasts, you
can upgrade your webcams, microphones, and speakers using the power
of machine learning to take our shows, voice chats, and
video conferences to the next level. You can use audio
effects like noise removal.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, I guess I have a fan on.
Speaker 2: Well, it's hot, I'm not going to turn that off.
Let me just hit this right here?
Speaker 3: Is that any better?
Speaker 5: Jan? Much better? We can clean up your shot with
auto frame and video noise removal and grub. You can
even make it look like you were paying attention using
the eye contact tool so I could still watch my stories. Yes,
yes you can. Nvidia Broadcasts is a universal plugin that
works with most live streaming, voice chat, and video conferencing apps.
It's supported on any n Video, g Force RTX GPU,
and since I'm using the Nvidia Studio drivers, I'll get stable,
optimized performance in Adobe, Photoshop, Da Vinci Resolve in all
the other apps that I need to use to fix
our mistakes in post.
Speaker 1: You know what.
Speaker 3: Thank you to ban Gear and in Nvidia for supplying
are in Video Studio PCs in Video broadcast, your AI
powered home studio and video studio the software advantage for
all creators.
Speaker 2: Jan, I'm not even looking at the camera at all right.
Speaker 5: Now, Grub stop stop looking at me.
Speaker 2: I haven't looked at you forever.
Speaker 1: Live it.
Speaker 5: We have ten games. I just want to let y'all
know we've deleted them all. We're gonna put it's just
two point us. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yes, I remind everyone how their happiness is totally dependent
on my own.
Speaker 5: But once again, let's go down the line, starting with
mister Minatti. Let's read the ten and this is not
in order at all. The blue prints dispatch.
Speaker 1: A sectory baby.
Speaker 3: Steps Schuerobi, Art of Vengeance.
Speaker 1: Donkey Kong, Bonanza, Lego Party, Claire, Obscure Expedition thirty three,
Hollow Night's Silk Song, Hades two.
Speaker 5: All Right, I have a question.
Speaker 4: Yes, this is my one thing. I'm not gonna be
a stinker about this, but I do for context for
the discussion, I think it's important for me to know. Obviously,
dispatch is not my thing, not gonna get in the way.
You guys obviously love it. Okay, But everything I've heard
about this game and what's so good about it has
been this character's great, the story moment's great.
Speaker 1: I have to ask, what is the video game?
Speaker 5: So, yeah, it is.
Speaker 2: It is some of that, like you know, the dialogue
stuff and watching scenes, but each episode has one or
two of these sequences too, of dispatching, and that is
remember Assassins Creed two, you had to kind of send
your disciples out that.
Speaker 1: No, I didn't.
Speaker 4: It took too long a get going. I didn't get
to that.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So so you know there's some of these games that's like, oh,
send a person on a mission. Well, basically you're looking
at a city map and you have your roster heroes
on the bottom and your heroes have different stats like mobility, strength, charisma,
and on the map you'll see issues come up and
you will have to send out the heroes keywords abilities.
Based on keywords, it won't say that crip say you
need a hero with five strength, but it might say
things like get somebody who can h use the flood
or yeah, like we need to quickly get to this location.
Speaker 8: Right, there's a fire and we need people to go
up a bunch of stairs and carry them out.
Speaker 2: So then based on that and some other factors like
maybe the hero is just a good fit for it,
maybe has good synergy with the other heroes you sent, Yeah,
then missions will get complete and you're trying to complete
as many of the missions as possible to level up
the characters and get through the dispatch session. So you
know that is like, I don't I don't you say
maybe saying it's a half of the game has been much.
I don't think I would.
Speaker 3: Even portion it out, Mike, I think so what you
like might describe it appropriately. What makes it so good,
other than the fact I think the gameplay of dispatching
is good, is that it matters very much to how
the characters relate and your relationship to the characters is
built on that dispatching, and then you carry that back
over to the.
Speaker 2: Choices you make and the story.
Speaker 5: The story continues to play out through the dispatch. Yes,
there's a lot of good it's a depthal dial there's
a good dialogue. Some of it is always going to
happen based on the story.
Speaker 2: Some of it depends on who's who you are sending
where and if they succeed or if they fail because
of the story, maybe you're not gonna have a hero
available this time, You're gonna have somebody new. And then
that's really interesting. And the way it builds up to
the kind of ultimate dispatching towards the end where it
is an endurance test. It's like hold out as long
as possible. It feels really good.
Speaker 1: So Dan just in it's a strategy game.
Speaker 4: Yeah, way, I was gonna say, like I was trying
to think, like I've definitely played games like this before
where it's like there are missions in the menu that like,
you know you are not going on, but you have
your stample. Is it like a fire emblem or something.
Speaker 3: I'm talking about it so it's not fire them, but
I will say. The thing it most reminds me of
in terms of tone of gameplay and characters is a
fire emblem.
Speaker 4: Okay, okay, there's a specific game I'm thinking of where
it's like, oh, I've got an S rank, this guy
has this, He's going to bring back the most resources
from this thing. I can't remember.
Speaker 8: I do think of it because eventually, get you know,
it's dispatching, you get a lot of emergency calls coming in.
I think of it almost like a real time strategy
game where you have to like quickly send your units
to the thing that they are good at doing and
then get them to solve it. And like part of
why I really really like the gameplay and dispatch and
I think it you know, it's finally a Telltale style
game that I really like, is because sometimes you'll get
moments that, like your your actions legitimately effect not just
the story but the gameplay, where like if you cut
a member of the team, which is something you have
to do in the story, like this person will be
mad at you and they will not cooperate with you,
or they will disobey your orders.
Speaker 1: So the gameplay does really.
Speaker 3: It all makes it feel like you're in charge of
a team and that's what the game is going for
and succeeds it.
Speaker 6: And after they come back from like the crime, you
see like how right you got it?
Speaker 8: So it builds like, you know, there's a pentagon where
like stats like a character church I'm trying to think of,
like I associated with Pokemon, where it's like, you know,
you have the five stats, and then like it's a
pentagon to right, like you know, like like you'll like
stretch in a certain direction, and then it's like, well,
your your characters had like so many points in this,
so many points in this, and that's how like what
your your covers it. And then like a little hockey
puck thing slides around and it's like it's you're just
you're you're just trying to get like the highest percentage
of that hockey puck like landing in the area.
Speaker 5: And even then if you are like eighty percent covered
in terms of like the stats you're supposed to hit
for the mission, that hockey puck can still wind up
outside of that where it's everything lined up, well, you
still fuck that.
Speaker 8: And there's cute gameplay moments like you know, the tech
and eight slow down at the end of a match.
Sometimes there's that for where the hockey puck lands, and
there's even sometimes where it's like, you know, they subvert
your expectations once where it's like it always lands outside
on one mission and then something happens and the hockey
puck shoots into like the correct zone. And so they
do a bunch of cute things like that where the
story and the gameplay do.
Speaker 5: Come in and it's really well done. And on top
of that, there is like a hacking game as well.
Hacking game, yeah, and that will affect different parts of
the dispatching.
Speaker 1: On top of it's just very very good.
Speaker 3: What sets out to do and what it's setting out
to do is that a team gameplay. Everything serves that.
Speaker 1: And I know you have beef with like superhero stuff,
but like that is so secondary to the it's a
workplace place like team building like stuff.
Speaker 4: It's the Telltale style. It's even just story heavy games
in general. Like there's like six different angles where I
know this isn't for me. Doesn't mean hey, maybe it'd
be one of those things I try and I like,
but like everything is screaming at me that I would
hate that.
Speaker 8: That's that's why I'm like, you know, I'm never gonna
like sit you down and force your player, but that's
where I'm like it. And you know, it's like my
hero Academia, like you enjoyed watching that. It's not specifically
about the superheroes. It's just sort of a backdrop that
causes the interpersonal drama to happen. I think it's worth trying,
but definitely, like, you know, don't force it if you
don't like it, that's cool.
Speaker 7: I do think it's like it's not you know, I
think we'll have to like give you the medicine in
in sort of peanut butter form.
Speaker 1: I feel like there's a lot of peanut butter right there.
Speaker 4: I do like peanut butter a lot, you know.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 6: For me, it was like starting Claire of Squirrels, like
I'm not supposed to like this and look happening, So.
Speaker 1: Yeah, who knows, Maybe you like it.
Speaker 2: I think I was gonna like it. I don't like
those tells to style games either, And part of it
is like, oh, the gameplay here is more substantial than
the kind of just walk around do bad quick time events.
And there are some quick time event things here and
they're kind of whatever, but it's very honestly, weill sal
the first and last episodes, you do those.
Speaker 8: It was smart that they went in a different direction
for the gameplay because you like sitting there staring as
screen and making decisions like that's that Being a strategy
game just flies so much more with me than trying
to blend adventure game style with like a ton of cutscenes.
Speaker 5: Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2: I'm not a big fan of like superhero, especially subversive
superhero that we have so many of those things with
the Boys and Invincible, and I'm like, ah, this, these
tones are really bleak.
Speaker 1: This game wasn't that.
Speaker 2: There are some like violent moments, but it was not
a gore fest. It wasn't a cynical fest. Honestly, the
game is relatively I don't know if optimistics of the word.
Speaker 1: But it's nice.
Speaker 5: It's nice. Yeah, yeah, it's a very positive message at
the end of the day. Several times over.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Ok, And I think the actual game of Dispatching really
does put you well into Robert's shoes, the main character,
just because he does get deep powered.
Speaker 7: I told you, I try, you know, I was very
excited to start this game more because I thought it
was going to be a game that I could enjoy with.
Speaker 6: You know, Stacy's sitting next to me.
Speaker 1: And.
Speaker 6: She she fell asleep in the first episode and I
haven't talked to her since. Have I seen her yet,
She's still sleeping.
Speaker 7: She showed the dick right away, and she was sort
of like, why are they doing that? And I was like,
I don't know, it's kind of funny. She's like, it's
just so immediate.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I can't with the pearl clutching over the tone
of this game that I'm like, oh, so you haven't
worked in a real office.
Speaker 2: Like at the start of episode two, like a visit
girl was laying it on very thick. I just wanted
to talk about my balls and semen or whatever.
Speaker 8: And then yeah, well again, it's because she sucks, and it's.
Speaker 2: Very intentional and even like I love Chase, like the
first of me Chase, he's also very aggressive, and I'm like,
these are two very aggressive, in your face characters. Right away,
I was swaying a little on edge.
Speaker 1: Is the most I've ever heard. He's saying the most
fucks per minute I've ever heard. I'm like, oh, he's
a cute little guy.
Speaker 5: Okay.
Speaker 2: Ship anyways, so what are the number ten is going
to be, guys, Lego.
Speaker 1: Lego party.
Speaker 4: Okay, I'm okay with that.
Speaker 5: All right, I'm gonna I'm gonna put it in the box.
That's one, all right, only nine more times? Okay, Yeah,
let's just make bold claims. Uh, Sectory nine.
Speaker 1: Secretary nine. I would agree with that. I think that's okay.
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, okay, it's easy.
Speaker 2: And then obviously clear expedition.
Speaker 1: Oh no, did you finish it?
Speaker 3: I am right there when I'm on my steam deck,
I'm right, I'm right there at the choice I.
Speaker 4: Looking at this will offer up one of two. I
think for the next slot could be either Blueprints or Bonanza,
And those are two games that I love.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm fascinating.
Speaker 2: I love both of them. Bonanza maybe Blueprints I think
should be going going higher. Okay, yeah, agreed, Rance's maybe.
I mean I guess for Bananza is probably like you know,
like Jeff with Baby Steps, it is you're number one,
and we're like we're getting it in for you. And
I do like the game a lot too, but like
how high are we getting it?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 8: I think the way we are talking about these games,
I think it's either Bonanza or Hades fascinating Hades above Bonanza.
Speaker 2: Okay, I put Bonanza, but I mean I'm okay with
putting baby steps here. I just wanted to get in
the top.
Speaker 1: I was going to ask about baby steps.
Speaker 5: I would put baby steps higher.
Speaker 3: I mean, listen, I do want it higher, and there's
people Okay, that's okay.
Speaker 1: Also, this is not a hard personal how dy should
I mean finalized later? Yeah?
Speaker 5: Yeah, okay, so we are now. And also if we
want to put something higher, sure we could do that.
Not locked in yet, Yeah, dispatch for me screams number five,
Like I've felt that we're on seven.
Speaker 1: Oh, I know, but he just said that we could.
We could, we could jump.
Speaker 2: But okay, like I know, I'm like maybe not as
into Shanoby as other people, Like how high up is Shanoba.
I think Shanoby at seven is about right for me.
Speaker 3: But yes, I'm willing to hear anything.
Speaker 8: I would fight for a higher but I don't I
don't know how much higher. The rest of the group
is not really feeling.
Speaker 4: I would grubb baby steps is his thing, and I
mean he was the one who said like he could.
Speaker 3: I figured I would be the only one to say
anything if if there's other people at my back a
little bit, I'll hold on a little bit.
Speaker 6: I like Baby Steps higher.
Speaker 5: Sean, would you be okay at six or seven?
Speaker 1: That's just where we're You guys are making it weird.
I'll put it this way.
Speaker 8: I don't think that Shenoby should go below Baby Steps
because I know baby Steps is your thing, Genoby is
my thing.
Speaker 2: And Shnoby is up there with me to Yeah, so
we have at least two people on What about Silk
Song at sevens No? No, absolutely, no, okay.
Speaker 1: I think Merrit's discussion being in the bottom half of
this list, I would be.
Speaker 2: I think I would fight pretty hard for it to
be in the top five, to be in the top three.
Speaker 4: No, not not even like I don't want to want
to lock it in yet.
Speaker 2: I think I really do. Think it is so stand
out to me just how engrossing that world is, how
exciting it is to explore. I know the boss fights
are hard, I know that's not gonna be everyone's thing.
I love it. I can't get enough of it. Every
boss fight was so exciting and fun to me. Those
patterns were so interesting to like learn and just be
reflexive to like sometimes I would just get a good
grasp on it. That one fight that's just the two dancers,
and that's basically just where the going. Yeah, it's a
completely fair fight. It's just this challenge and it is
execution a good challenge. The way that world looks, even
the act structure, Like I think not too any other
people did Act three, because that too is an off ramp.
You could stop there if you think, like, Okay, this
has been challenging, or maybe I just want to do
something else. I dove so hard into Act three. Love
that that final boss super challenging. Maybe forty tries, but
like every time I knew I was getting better and
it was like this, boy, this is really difficult. But
it's alrighty rewarding in the process because I know I'm
gonna it's gonna happen. I am getting better and it's
gonna feel so good, and it does. And just the
running around. I love the combat. These games help, you know.
I love like a Shanobi or even a Prince of
Perzloss Crown that are these two D combo based games.
That's great. I love in Hollan Night, you just kind
of have this push and it's just about finding the
windows to do as much pushes as possible and then
get out of there.
Speaker 1: Is this your Is this your favorite game of the year?
Speaker 2: This is my number one game this year?
Speaker 1: Where is this for you?
Speaker 2: For me, it's gonna be the top three?
Speaker 5: Uh?
Speaker 2: Four?
Speaker 3: Maybe I have to look at my list. I think, uh,
let's go back to what Chel was saying. Let's put
Baby Steps at seven, and let's put Shanobi at six.
Speaker 8: And I was gonna say, and then do you think
Hades is five maybe or Hades is higher?
Speaker 2: I would put Hades.
Speaker 1: I would let me go.
Speaker 8: Because because I'm kind of with you the early baby
Step seven Shudoby six.
Speaker 1: If I'm so high on Hades, I am two.
Speaker 8: Okay, I think this is good so far. Then if
we do baby Step seven should be six.
Speaker 4: And I want to say, I know I've referenced several
times with different games, but like, oh, this might be
my number one. The three like real contenders, not counting
my trid prime four because that's dead potential. Number ones
for me are Hades, Silk Song, and thirty three.
Speaker 1: So just so you know what my.
Speaker 4: Potential those are my top caree where do we all
have Blueprints, because.
Speaker 2: That's not where I'm like, that's top five for sure.
I mean it's clearly his top five and now top five,
I've got a ten.
Speaker 1: I have it at three.
Speaker 3: Feels like a top three. I do have it at three, Yeah,
I mean I would put it above Expedition thirty three.
Is there anyone else that goes that way? It's right
below Expedition for me? Okay, I want I want to
I wanted to check that. Yeah, okay, well case.
Speaker 1: I would love Blueprints at three if if we could
get on.
Speaker 5: I'm fine with at five me too.
Speaker 2: I love that game.
Speaker 5: It is.
Speaker 2: There's nothing wrong with being a direct sequel. It isn't
a lot ways very much a direct sequel.
Speaker 1: Can I I think I'm I'm the biggest Hades two
defender here. I think I think I'm good with five.
I think what's letting Haities two down is I do
think they they fumbled the ending a bit?
Speaker 8: What is I'm not sure about that because I just
didn't bother finishing the game.
Speaker 1: I just had a great time with what I did.
Oh yeah, the fucker plays as it's like one of
the best playing games on this list.
Speaker 8: When they were like, yeah, you need a minimum of
six clears to finish. I'm like, well, I'm just not
gonna do that. I'll consider that. The ending instead was cool.
Speaker 4: Absolute What did people not like by.
Speaker 2: The end, there's if there's time shenanigans and it's kind
of a little weird and it sort of makes Melena
way kind of less passive and it's hand fisted a
little bit with she's passive.
Speaker 5: And yeah, so story wise, yeah, it's like after you know,
you spend so much time with milino A and the
ending kind of I don't know, I don't want to
say rob all the agency and the ending. Yeah, he
makes like the save, like the surprise return.
Speaker 1: It's like, but it's that's a sibling it's a sibling thing,
like it's a plan the nact together. I do really
like that, and they had like really clever ideas with
time here. But also I feel like I saw this coming.
It's like people, when you involve time travel or time
shenanigans in a game's narrative like this, it's gonna hit
people super lukewarm. I don't know, this is weird. Maybe
it's I got Jeffrey Red on the brain, but West
World season two, the time dysmorphia in that like it
didn't work for people, and I really liked that, and
I do like some of it in this game. But yeah,
I think I think the ending story stuff after the
sibling stuff is a bit of a wet f art.
Speaker 5: It's a really good games. Okay, what about this odd Dispatches?
Maybe in my top three? I would be okay with
it as number five.
Speaker 1: I see, I would. I would put Dispatch above Haites two.
Speaker 8: I went as well. Dispatch is probably coming at two
for me.
Speaker 3: I think I think we are talking ourselves into hades
to at.
Speaker 5: Number we get to number four.
Speaker 1: Now, my guess is in play the battle are Man's eyes.
This is what I do.
Speaker 6: This is how I win.
Speaker 5: Man.
Speaker 1: I would like silk Song here.
Speaker 5: I think Blueprints fits in at four.
Speaker 2: I still have silk Song over Blueprints. I like both
of those games a ton, and I would like both
of them to get as high as possible.
Speaker 8: I know how much you guys love it. I'm just
you know, making it clear you have two people who
don't like Silk Song. I'm just I don't throwing that
thrown out there. How do you feel jam I hit
or missed.
Speaker 6: I played some of it. I have to go back
to it.
Speaker 2: We can put it at four then.
Speaker 1: Oh man, that's where I would love it to be.
And I think because I think those other three games
are because I know what's happening after this. I'm like,
Sol sry four deals right to me for the group?
Speaker 3: Is there any chance Blueprints could be the game of
the year.
Speaker 4: Let's figure out three before we get there.
Speaker 1: Okay, love that conversation. I think that's great. I think
it's possible.
Speaker 5: I want to hear like, if there's any chance I
want to put Dispatch at number three?
Speaker 1: I think so, yes, that feels right.
Speaker 8: Yeah, it's I disagree that this is where things are
going to get weird because I hate Blueprints has a
video game. But again, like I keep saying, it was
never going to be for me, So unless we're talking
about it being number one, I'm not sure how fair
it is to bring that up.
Speaker 2: I mean, I mean, I hate to kind of burst
a bubble. I feel like Claire of Scares Fishing thirty
three is a pretty easy one. I think it's like
it's so high, even if it's not number I think
it's high on almost everyone's list.
Speaker 3: At least somewhere. It's probably gonna barely miss my top ten.
Speaker 6: I like it quite a bit.
Speaker 3: I just you know, it's I just think, I don't know.
At a certain point the fun mechanics of the combats
did get like, Okay, I get it now, I think
that's whatever it was. After ten hours of the game,
I was just like, I get it, but I think
And then it went to like twenty five hours.
Speaker 4: The thing is the combat is what actually got me
to try it is walking by Wile Beyonca played it
and be like, oh, that looks really snappy. The thing
that kept me around, and the thing that made it
one of my like top two or three games of
the year, if not one, is that it did actually
grab me from the beginning with that Gomage sequence, I
was like, oh, what a cool Like I've seen a
million RPGs and stuff, and you know, like you guys know,
I'm not into the like fantasy tropes and stuff like that,
and this was a very different thing. It's like this
whole concept of the painterest and everything. It's like, that's cool.
I haven't seen anything quite like that. And the combat
was the thing that got me in the door and
it kept me through the whole time. But then even
stuff like the overworld. I love the look of it
and it's almost like the kind of tilt ship thing. Yeah,
and then the way it opened up things where it's like, oh,
now I can ride on I ske now it can fly,
and like, you know, like I that was one thing
I actually did, like in some old final fantasies say
oh you get the airship and stuff like that, and
it's fun to kind of explore an overworld, and I
think the different means of traversal in the overworld, it's like,
oh man, that's another thing I like about it. It's
not just the setup. And then it's I actually cared
about the characters and the story and things like that.
Speaker 3: So like I like the ending quite a bit.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, me too.
Speaker 2: I love the ending.
Speaker 4: And so I mean the fact that it was something
as simple as the combat and and kind of the
action based paper Mario stuff that got me in the
door and it actually made me go super outside of
my comfort zone and come to love this game for
all the reasons people love and talk about great RPGs,
the story, the characters and things like that. And I
found myself like, I'm so glad I gave this a
chance and went outside of my bubble because like, this
is one of my favorite games of the year.
Speaker 5: Absolutely, Yeah, I don't know. For me, I've seen like
a lot of people start to turn on clear obscure.
Speaker 1: I thought it was like they're.
Speaker 2: Special little game then only they knew about it.
Speaker 5: That just seems so fucking stupid and thick go the
goddamn things.
Speaker 3: Like I think it's a lot of people who are
like didn't feel a need to speak up against it
until they till it won.
Speaker 5: Like every award.
Speaker 8: Yeah, and you know, I wanted to make sure going
into this that like we're not afraid to do the
obvious thing. If it's what we're feeling, sure, like, yeah,
we don't need to say no something else is because
we want to prop up Like if we all feel
that there's not the most obvious thing is number one,
then I.
Speaker 4: Feel like, of course there was no risk of that
being It is fun when it is something not obvious
and very just. I feel like was one of those Yeah,
but that came from an earnest place. We just kind
of like looked around like, oh shit, it was genially
the right choice yeah, yeah, And but I'm with Sean
where it's like, yeah, sometimes it's you know, if it
is the feeling like there's no reason to just like
throw out a wildcard just to be a wildcard, Like
if we all think it's expation.
Speaker 8: I think I think Dan, with everything you just said,
by bringing you in and making you like a traditional
term based g RPG style game, I think that goes
a long way speaking towards this quality. Just like I think,
you know, hadis two pulling me and like, yeah, it
is a game I would not have played much of
otherwise that like I go in, I'm thinking, h may
not get me into this one, and I fall in
love with it, and Expedition thirty three is the kind
of game that is for me, and I do still
think it's absolutely fantastic and.
Speaker 2: It's such an amazing achievement because this is a genre
that so many people have been retreating from, leaving to
like a very very few, like you know, you'll have
a persona every five years or something like that. But
even Square Renix, who does Final Fantasy, they were like,
this stuff's old and bad. People don't want turn based
combat anymore. So I kind of, you know, like cowardly
and they made you know, foun Phantasy sixteen, which is
an action game and a really sanitized action game because
they wanted to mass appeal and all this stuff. And here,
you know, these people who make a game that doesn't
even look that much worse graphically than a Final Fantasy
on like a scale of that budget, and one that's
infinitely fun while still being true to the roots of
what makes term based RPGs a genre.
Speaker 1: Yeah that I love.
Speaker 2: I'm making it exciting and fresh and interesting.
Speaker 5: It was.
Speaker 8: It was very smart of them to keep the scope
small because they were like, oh, yeah, what if we
just make a love layer to PS one RPGs. That
way we can do things like they talked about why
to do the overworld map as a PS one style
overworld map A because that's sick and that's kind of
gone away in RPGs, and B guess that's a lot
easier for a small team to make.
Speaker 2: It's like one of the big takeaways is please bring
back your overworld map. Yeah. Smart, everyone likes this.
Speaker 1: Smart decisions like that, Yeah, elevated. Can we talk about
some of like this game is flaws?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I got one, just real quickly just saying that
stick would me before I forget every time I would
go back to it after not playing for a week,
and I'd be in.
Speaker 2: A level I'd be like, I have no idea where
I'm going. I literally it needs a map.
Speaker 3: I believe how much WHU which direction I'm supposed to
be going right now?
Speaker 6: It's I couldn't believe how much. I just like found that,
like didn't try, but like found like.
Speaker 3: Yeah, eventually just kind of put But there are a
couple areas where it's like there are branches here, and
it's like, because I put it down and I forget
which way I came from, there's no way to figure
out where you're going after that. Whatever, it's not that
big a deal because you just play for five minutes.
Speaker 7: I think, like the pictoe stuff and then like the
buffs under that they were like two there were like
too too many.
Speaker 2: Yeah that's not bad. Yeah, but like I am engaging
with it. Yeah, I thought it was a little too
easy to break him. My weird complaint. And I don't
think it's one of h people share because I hear
so many people talk about, oh, it's really fun that
you could break the game and beat the final boss,
and I wasn't trying to grind to do that. I
was just doing some like endgame content and went to
the final boss, which I thought was this big build
up and I was gonna have this fight against this guy.
Then I had him one time and he died.
Speaker 1: I'm like, that kind of sucks. It's actually well.
Speaker 8: I find that interesting though, because specifically because I did
zero side story content. I don't like doing side stories
and RPGs, I just mainlined it. I found it challenging
at the end. Yeah, and I think that's good balance
there is, like because they're like, all right, you don't
because that's the grind in this game, is the side
question at all.
Speaker 2: And I get, you know, I understand to a degree,
but like I still think that your final boss because
there's like ten optional superbosses game, and that's fine. I
think your final boss should be one of the harder bestes.
Speaker 6: See.
Speaker 2: I like that because I hate it when the final
boss takes me an hour, Like I look, Persona is
one of my favorite series. I hate having to set
aside like four hours when I know I'm at the end.
Speaker 1: Right, Chuck, You've been trying to say, so yeah, yeah, Sorry,
that's tough, right, because you're talking about tuning the last
boss of a video game that lets you take the
lid off of the damage cap or lets you break.
Speaker 2: It, and that's why, that's why that realized, Like, well,
that's why you have that lid.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you get to multiply crit and you get to
like buff Mayel and then send her into virtuoso mode
and then you just like like hitting one time and
it's completely exploded, and like I love that, but yeah,
tuning that's a nightmare, Like how do you what do
you want to do level scaling in that game? Fuck? No,
of course you don't want that. You want your mastery
of the system to be respected. So I do think
that criticism of like the last Boss was too easy.
It's like, well, Mike, come on, look at us. We
did this, we did that one hit.
Speaker 2: We don't know that's wow, that killed.
Speaker 8: So you can just flip the switch and you won't
kill in one hit. Like it's a choice you made,
you know.
Speaker 2: I don't think I should have to engage with like
a weird system like that to preemptively balance the final
boss from my.
Speaker 8: Well, no, no, you chose to turn off the cap
and that's why it was easy, because it gave it
to me.
Speaker 1: Well, right, so just don't do that.
Speaker 3: As I went to the end and I was googling,
like what I should do, if I should just rush
to the end, there's a lot of people online are like, definitely,
don't do all the side stuff because it's going to
run the last fight, and I just.
Speaker 2: Don't worry that. Maybe if the game had told me that,
I would have been.
Speaker 8: That's old school RPGs. Though, if you do all the
side stuff, you'll be super overpowered, like f F seven
and stuff.
Speaker 3: I don't know if that's an excuse, though, yeah I
could I've done.
Speaker 2: I usually do do some big damage towards the end
of the game, like in last year Metaphor, I did
do like all that stuff. The boss was still exciting.
Speaker 1: Yes, that's what I do.
Speaker 3: Think that like a pretty emotionally mature game of like
exploring its themes in a really good way. As someone
who's like at the end at that choice, kind of
understand what that choice is, at least to a certain extent,
at least understand the characters' motivations, like Renoir wanting to
kick these people out of this world, to deal with
these problems because he wants them to deal with it
in his world, and these other characters have made a
new world separate from him that where they're actually just
saying no, I don't even want to deal with that.
I want to build these new things and move on
in a really clear and clean way, and him being like, no,
you can't do that. And it's like, why can't they
do that? Why are they not allowed to just move
on and leave your trauma behind? And these are things
I've not really seen explore too often in games. I
thought that was really well done.
Speaker 1: It's like not only a processing grief I mentioned this
before processing grief, but also like the agency of the
individuals involved, and also like are these people alive in
this painting? I me, chuck, I think so, like I
would consider those real individuals, real people.
Speaker 2: Kind of scary thing because there's a good argument why not,
And to me, I think the whole thing is kind
of it's funny because it's almost like a story about
the dangers of media and maybe even video games like
Escapis I'm right, something bad happened. Instead of thinking about that,
maybe I'll play three hundred hours of World of warcraft, right,
and you know, now these now are this is like
a real person, my friend. It's like having connections like
that is important, but like ooh, maybe that that can
be dangerous as well.
Speaker 5: It can be kind of a problem. I'm not normally
someone that engages with like any extra additional bosses, but like,
it was this game where I just wanted to be
and it is bleeding exactly into Mikey's point, but like
just lose myself more into this game to just learn
more and more, and like the journals add a lot
of like really neat different story beats to like previous expeditions,
and then like one of the optional bosses you fight,
perhaps your older sister's fucked up boyfriend that was part
of one of the expeditions, and just seeing the extra
jazz that they added to these optional bosses that easily
could have slotted into the game somehow. It's just like
such a love letters who ch RPGs, but also at
the same time still trying to subvert some of like
the the follies of the genre. I think it's just
really well done.
Speaker 4: I like it so much and I got so much
out of that experience that it has made me question
my entire life of like turning a blind eye to
JPGs and things like there's a reason I told you
guys on like Discord and stuff. Reason I got through
Find Fantasy six, got to like because of how much
I love this game.
Speaker 5: That's awesome. Yeah, no, that's great. That's great, Like I
don't know it makes for whatever reason, this makes me
want to replay Final Fantasy ten. I want to play.
Speaker 3: That's the mainline Final Fantasy game.
Speaker 1: We're not. We haven't talked much about Blueprints outside of
the roguelike category, but what a deeply original.
Speaker 2: So freaking pool. The atmosphere of that it's incredible, even
like that art style, which is like somewhat understated but
very effective. It's like the slight so shading kind of thing.
Speaker 1: Looking like sort of paper and like shaded paper because
it's Blueprints, right, Like.
Speaker 2: Yeah, how good? How good does it feel?
Speaker 3: Like?
Speaker 2: Could you get one of the big upgrades? Like you
you do get to the it's disgusting, I know, but
the apple orchard, right.
Speaker 4: I love how much it subverts your expectations too, because
like when it starts, I mean, it seems like it's
a relatively simple concept, like oh, it's pipe dream. I
got to get to the end here, you know. And
then it's like the onion kind of feels back so
many times and like oh wait, what's this? Like okay,
I saw this thing and it's like eight gates opening saves.
What the fuck does that mean? And then you have
those moments of like oh my god, like looking around
like I understand, or yeah, the apple orchard the first.
Speaker 1: Time you go underground and you're like, what the fuck
under here?
Speaker 2: I realize like things that don't seem important are important,
like the paintings in all the rooms. Yes, oh god, yeah,
chess piece, chest puzzle. Yeah, realized like there's a room
bit to it. A million times. It's like the chapel
and then you learn like, wait, I could do this
in the chapel with I was a negative area, so
I will go to church.
Speaker 1: I think this game in Silk Song this year have
the most attention to the small details everywhere.
Speaker 5: Absolutely, So I think it sounds like blue Prints is
going to be our number two game of the year.
That sounds right, and our number one is Claire Obscure
Expedition thirty three back or what would the notes say?
Speaker 1: This fucking guy the Oracle.
Speaker 2: I got the trifect all right, let's change.
Speaker 5: The top.
Speaker 2: I didn't know the subcoffee, but what's an Endi game?
The top five? None of those are from big publishers
whole year, right, yeah, yeah, and.
Speaker 8: Just final check because we said we're not locking locking
until the end. Are we good with the ordering?
Speaker 1: I like this, I like I just want to swap
Hates two and Dispatch.
Speaker 2: No.
Speaker 1: I think I'm good with it. You. Let's recap the list.
Speaker 5: I'll call out a name, I'll say the number, say
a name, and then I'll please read out that game
Dan number ten, Lego Party Grub number nine, s Tory
Sean number eight, Donkey Kong Bonanza, Mikey number.
Speaker 11: Seven, Baby Steps, number six, Schanoby, Art of Vengeance, Back
of Our number five, Haites to number four Silk Song.
I like all of us to say number three two
in one, all right, So number three, number two blue
and number one.
Speaker 1: Number one is gla music amaze on me. We have
a game with the word.
Speaker 5: Alright, what a fantastic year for games. I love talking
about video games with you all. It's fantastic.
Speaker 1: I love it.
Speaker 5: I would love to do it some more, and we'll
see you everyone at home. Thank you for watching. Thank
you once again to main Gear. Thank you to Will
for helping us out running the one.
Speaker 1: Well shots out to you at home.
Speaker 5: Hey Johnbom dot com slash join do it please you.
Speaker 1: Listen to this podcast. This may be the only podcast.
Speaker 5: On this website. You listen to help us out. Come on, Hangout, Hangout.
He's been Mike, he's been Jeff, he's been Dan. He's
been Jeff. He's been shocked.
Speaker 2: You can come hither.
Speaker 1: He's been chucked. That's a goose. It's not the tangus goose.
You don't know that. We'll see you later. I guess
in twenty twenty six. Somehow it's a real year.
Speaker 2: We love you, good Gamboks. The Railway Railway Train, the
second