Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to side Quest. This is our video
game show here at geek Verse. I am your host,
Al must snide with me the non happy ending. Travis Snow,
how are you doing? My friend?
Speaker 2: Doing good? Other than as I complain to you guys,
just tech issues galore, technic everything I own right now.
But uh, you know, Core down, camera down, PlayStation down,
but you know, hopefully it's looking up.
Speaker 1: Just sorry. Did you get the PlayStation figured out? Or
is that still in.
Speaker 2: PlayStations figured out? My worry is so I ordered a
new For people that don't know, I played my PlayStation
completely fine, moved into the bedroom because today is I'm
going to play some hit Man. That's what it's gonna do.
They play some hit Man and booted up and they
was just saying, oh, the game's not working. I'm like,
well that's odd. And then I'm going through all this
having to repair the external over and over. I did
clear my cache everything, So I ordered a new The
only option of all the ones I went down is
try a new Core because I don't have another additional
you know whatever external because it has a weird what
is that ending? It's a USB to whatever that is external?
It has like the weird you know what I'm saying.
No one else, Yeah, no one knows what it is,
but uh so we'll find out to more. But I
ordered that the PlayStation's fine, but I got a lot
of games on there, so I and just like today,
I bought Hitman on PS four went over because it
was on the external drive I didn't have, and plus
I didn't want to. Uh, I don't actually know where
my PS four right now is and I had a
succinct window to play hit Man. So yeah, I was excited.
I'm hoping to next week we tell about Mario Kart
or for mini review, talk about that. Just my quick thoughts.
So I'm hoping this chord is the fix. If not,
then I get but it's weird. The external says it's there.
Just I don't know.
Speaker 1: And hopefully you have a good update for us next
week and you can talk about hit Man. And we
also have the Call of Wake, Silent Hill Ops seven
Taylor Field. What's up? Man?
Speaker 3: Oh?
Speaker 2: Not much?
Speaker 3: Happy to be here. Happy to talk Xbox today.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we you and I just talked Nintendo for a bit.
We shared our first impressions on the switch to as
you go check that out on the feeds right about now.
But today we are closing off the kind of quote
unquote faky three season by talking about the Xbox Showcase
that happened on June eighth of twenty twenty five. We're
gonna break down all these announcements, or at least the
ones that are most exciting to the panel here at large.
So let's get into it right away with some just
top level thoughts. I see Travis cringing over there. I'm
hoping all is well.
Speaker 2: I be cause I was pulling up the conference and
the audio was in full blast. So the first first
whatever thirty seconds were.
Speaker 1: I was gonna say, it's not good if you have
a cringing reaction, I mean mentioning the showcase. That's you know,
if you have a visceral like icky feeling and you're
you're telling me that's no good.
Speaker 2: But maybe in the old days.
Speaker 1: But yeah, I'm gonna start with mister Xbox here, Taylor,
I don't know what was your top level thoughts overall
thoughts on this here Xbox showcase.
Speaker 3: Ah It, it felt like it was kind of in
line with previous Xbox showcase. Is it wasn't anything that
kind of blew me out of the water and got
me super jazzed and excited. I thought some of my expectations.
There were things that made sense and things okay, like
oh yeah right, that's that's being showcase. Yeah, I got it, okay,
But then there's other things that I would have liked
to have seen that didn't get any kind of any
attention towards. It just felt like it's just you're six.
It just felt like it was the I don't know,
just as it was you're always getting see a thieves
and that went over my head. So when it popped up,
I was like, oh, of course season ten thousand, so
I smuggling.
Speaker 1: I'm like, it's smuggling, not in the game. That's insane.
That were deep in the game and you can smuggle
prayer it was, but it must be an overhaul. Yeah,
how about you, Travis.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was kind of like a whirlwind where I
thought they were siring off hot again because I you
can go back in the annals of history for the
Mini Summer Games Fest and then most of the three
Xbox I thought, almost every year we've been covering them
has disappointed because it's just either they don't have the
good like the right amount of games to show interesting games,
or when they show them, it's always like, oh, something
about this doesn't look good, or it's just the bad
showings of oh they got a car on stage and
they got this guy like they to me, were responsible
for many lackluster one and then lone the old last
year I remember I didn't listen back, but I'm pretty comfent.
Last year. I gave that one a five. I think
I've only ever given five last year. Yeah, I think
in the time we've been doing this, there's only been
three fives. And was that one it was? I think
the first Nintendo E three was Smash I think because
that has like I thought the Smash Field, but I
thought they had a bunch of other games as well,
Like I thought it was another like Big. I think
even Metro was in there, whichever one they had one
where it was like forty five minute NonStop of tons
of stuff. And then obviously the first year we did
E three when they were veiled for Sony like Got
a War and des Stranding and Days Gone. So I
feel like, you know, obviously it's not as much as movies,
but I feel like with the E threes and the
Summer Games f and whatnot. I gotta be it also
be on finding all Cylinders be a five. When we started,
I thought we might have a chance to get there
because I knew they had a good lineup and stuff,
and I was liking the pacing of the show. And
that's all say that. I think it's technically gonna be
my highest rated conference of the whole thing we've done,
just because the pacing. They were out of there at
like hour five, hour fifteen for the actual showcase. I
know they did suffer grounded and out of worlds after,
but I'm talking just the actual Hey, here's the start
to finish what we're doing. I think there's a little
hiccups and then they obviously the ending was I don't care, atrocious,
just awful. And I'm somebody that has now you know,
plays Call Duty more than ever. I maybe not the
past recent weeks, but at least since we've been doing
E three. The way they set that out was like negligent,
the way they did that, And they also just didn't
have any I thought they'd have a couple more big
surprises up their sleeves and other than I'd say the
ally which is rumored. I just thought, like even games
or even just layups like I remember me and micro
tumbl discord, I think everyone kind of thought Fable was like, oh,
that's a layup, that's for sure gonna be hearing like
some bigger capacity or somewhere, and not even here at all.
So there's just certain stuff. So I think that's the
thing where uh pacing was really good. I loved the
show time as far as I said one ten, one fifteen,
thought that was a right amount they had. You know,
they only had three people come on and talking. I
thought that was all right, but I didn't kill the
pace in the show. But yeah, I think there was
lack of surprises and a very poorly paced kind of
last fifty minutes, especially with that last announcement. I thought
that was a big not even a nose dive, like
the fucking plane just blew up in mid air. You know,
Nathan Fielder was not flying this plane. It was somebody else,
so no Evan Fin's sound sight. So yeah, I think
it was a really good one, but not a great one.
But I know why there's lots of people really disappointed
by it. But I do think with everything they own
now they probably could have a better outer, So.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I think that was gonna be. My point
is like just with how many studios they've gobbled up,
and publishers even they've gobbled up, and then all the
third party deals that they are always swinging to make
a game pass bigger and better than ever, Like, there's
no excuse for them to not have a banger showcase
every year. And I think especially because they only do
one showcase a year and then you know, they'll do
an announcement at Games Calm, and they'll do something at
the Game Awards, and then they have their developer direct
but that's always shorter. That's like you know, four games,
five games at most really like focused usually just follow
ups from one of these showcase things. So it's like
there's no reason that once a year they can't just
do a huge blowut and get a ton of information
out there. Especially yeah, now they're always going to have
like you know, a call of duty in there, you know,
as Taylor mentioned, like see if things. Maybe that's not
talking to us, but like there is you know, there's
obviously these games that they have that people care about.
So I feel like they're always like there's if they
miss that's like a huge no no on them, like
there's no excuse to I think this was a good showcase.
I think for me personally, there was like two or
three really big, huge, exciting things and then just like oh,
a bunch of updates on things I kind of knew
about and it was cool to see about. I think
it was missing like maybe that one big, juicy just
thing that spoke to me specifically. You know, obviously I'll
just troll six. I wasn't expecting that, but if they
did surprise me, it would have been crazy blade on
the edge of my seat waiting for more blades, So
that would have been cool, you know, even fable because
I'm a big fable head. Perfect dark I think as well,
Like if they had maybe one of those in there
as well with a nice showing, I think this would
have skyrocketed up for me on the personal level. But
there is still a bunch of things I'm excited for here.
It's always like for me, you know, how many things
am I putting on my list to keep trackable? This
theme is coming out and I gotta put this on
my calendar because I got to keep track know when
this comes out, and there were quite a few of those,
a few surprises, and I think as far as what
I saw, not a lot of leaks. One game I
saw leaked, and obviously the Xbox ally has been talked
about for a long time but not officially shown. So
there was a few things that we kind of had
an idea about. But overall, I think this was a
very good showing. And then yeah, like just the last
part the Outer World's thing, I thought was like, really
really well done. I don't know if you guys watched
through all that, we can talk through it, but it was.
It was really good. So yeah, let's let's kind of
get into it here. So the first thing that they did,
they you know, start an end closed ish with Outer Worlds.
They showed up with Outer Worlds a quick trailer, which
is kind of a weird idea knowing, you know, considering
that we had at the end, But I think they
probably know that a lot of people don't want to,
you know, watch like a thirty to forty minute long
thing on one game to see a release date at
the end, so maybe they're like, hey, let's get a
trailer out there. It's a minute and a half, two minutes whatever.
It shows either release date which was not announced, so
those people can get that information, and then like for
the people who want to stick around, you can come
back for the direct at the end. But yeah, what
do you guys think? Yeah, Travis, you kind of shook
your head that you didn't watch the rest of the direct.
Did you watch the rest of that stuff? Taylor? Did
you see the Outer World's like full breakdown or just
that one trailer at the beginning?
Speaker 3: I didn't see the full breakdown?
Speaker 1: No, okay, I don't know. Did you guys? Did the
first trailer speak to you? Because I feel like most
of the big juice was in that direct? But what
are you guys thinking about that game? Interested at all? Taylor?
I know you did play the first one for a
few hours at.
Speaker 3: Least I did play the first one for a few hours.
This one it looks you know, it's it's building off
of the world that they've created and it looks interesting.
I just, oh, my hang up. Is just trying to
find the time to commit to these these open world
exploration kind of games, and I am curious to see
what they've built off of from the first one because
I'm trying to remember that first one. You didn't pilot
ships like Starfield, but you could customize your ships, could
you not.
Speaker 1: You couldn't really customize it so much, but like as
you got companions, they would move in and like decorate
their rooms with their like paraphernalia and stuff like that.
Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, yeah, I don't know. I just make more
locations to go to and all that. Like it looks
it looks pretty exciting, but I don't know if I'm
gonna be getting right into it right away.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm, I'll you, Travis.
Speaker 2: Yeah, No, I what I need to do is I
need to give the first one another shot because I
remember being excited and all the touchstones sound like, Okay,
this is like a Travs game because I love game
with choice. I love that they didn't I'm pretty sure
they didn't have the actual speech options, right, it was
just tax options for your character.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's no always dialogue for difference.
Speaker 2: Which I think is always a bit better because you
get a bit more options and there's less time. I
just remember, because that's before games passed that I bought
up from Dylan, and I think I played about like
three or four hours. It's just I just never got
the hook into it. I don't know if it was
just the timing of it, don't know if it was
the actual game. So this one, the Other World, is
actually still on my It's lower down my catalog playlist now,
but it is on there because I want to give
it a real shot and like put some hours because
it's just like I think, maybe it's bad timing. But
at the same point, I will say, for this, it's
very it's very interesting. Yeah, obviously they're so far apart,
but that for me, other than a few mechanic things, Man,
if you just like changed a few colors, a few
like looks of things and just threw fall It on there,
it just feels so much like Fallout. I know obviously
why it does, but to the point it feels weird
of because they own Fallout now too, it would feel different.
I like, oh, Fallout that PlayStation and then you know
Out of Worlds is here, so it's kind of competit.
But it's it's just kind of not to sell me,
but it's funny. Again. In the discord, we tell this
a couple weeks ago if the death of Star Trek,
and I always said, like, well, that kind of happened
as Star Wars came back, and that's almost how I
feel the Outer Worlds. It's like, now do I want
to get in that or do I want to get
into like New Vegas that I've never played, you know,
like what? And that's the tough thing where it just
I think they haven't made themselves. Look. If anything, I
think the first out of World's felt more different than
Fault with this is looking way more similar to Fallout
to me. So yeah, it didn't. It didn't sell me
where if like, oh I was missing out, just like
oh yeah, that's on the list. So I think it
was a great showing, but I think it has it's
obviously fans, and we'll see how second one does.
Speaker 1: So mm hmm. Yeah, it's interesting that you mentioned that.
Like the one of the things they talked about in
the direct is that they were the first Outer Worlds
was kind of like space, like yes, I don't know
Western Frontier, it was like the hybrid, but this one
is like space mixed with like World War One was
the vibe they were going for, and there's you don't
really see a ton oft from the first trailer, I thought,
but in the extended sequence they had a part that
looked like a World War One battlefield and everything, So
I feel like, yeah, I don't like obviously All Out
sort of has vibes of like Western stuff, but especially
New Vegas and certain points, but it also has that
more wartime setting, and so I feel like, obviously they've
made Float in Vegas. They made that game, so obviously
it's in their back backyard this kind of thing. But yeah,
and obviously they don't need to worry about like copyright
infringement because it's all under the Xbox umbrella. But yeah,
I think that was an interesting little shift and not
some time I've really seen before, Like World War One
mix with space is an interesting idea that I cans
I've ever particularly thought about. So this is coming out
October twenty ninth. Now, I did watch the extended Deep Dive,
and that really sold me on it, because I think
I had my expectations tempered on this one, just because
I did enjoy Outer Worlds. But then when I went
back and played the game a second time when all
the DLC was out, Not that I sowur on the game,
but it just didn't blow me away. And you know,
when you're playing an RPG that's like, ooh, your choices matter.
And I played it through a second time and I
was like, yeah, like it changed a couple things, but
like it didn't like I think it would have been
better if I just left it at one play through
and that experience. But this one, it seems like they've
just made a lot of little bells and with like
the combat looks a whole lot better. There's a lot
of crazy, weird stuff in there. They've increased the RPG system.
They talked about how they borrowed a lot more from
the fallow up New Vegas like RPG system, which is
obviously great, And the whole sequence was just hilarious. Like
I think some of the vibe that they've been going
for in the marketing of this of like making fun
of sequels and like corporations, you know, just you know,
squeezing every last dime out of a franchise and stuff
just hasn't been working for me. But for this sequence,
they had Ben Schwartz in there and they and he
was like he was this guy named Mark who was
like that he's like the head of sequels to obsidy
in And it was really fucking great. Whoever was doing
the writing for that and mixed with his delivery that
he has, like it was so funny. It really really
worked for me and helped like sell me on the
game a little bit more so, I guess just a
few highlights. One, there's a lot of like slowing down time,
like throwing a grenade, slowing down time. Shooting at mid
air looks cool, like super cinematic. There's a shrink ray
you can use the like shrink enemies and then just
literally jump on top of them like Mario and get
kills like that, which is super cool. One of the
things they highlighted were flaws for your character, which I
think is great. So many RPGs, you know, maybe they
have like little downsides on abilities, but it's usually just like oh,
you do like five percent less melee damage, but now
you do more gun damage. But these they really went
out of their way to make some really creative flaws.
One of the ones they talked about was the skill
called bad Knees, where you can crouch and like move quicker,
so you're like better in stealth, but whenever you stand up,
your knees make a really loud cracking sound and then
you like alert all the enemies around you, so you're
like you have to be really careful in stealth. Another
one was called kleptomaniac, where like, stolen goods sell for
a lot more money, but now when you're just looking
at random objects in the world, there's a small chance
that you'll just you know, accidentally steal it, like without
you hitting the take button, it'll just pick it up,
and so you have to deal with consequences, like, shit,
I just stole this thing. Now the guards are coming
after me. And there was a lot of them in
there that are just super creative, and like that's gonna
be just so fun for character building and like more
so than the world reacting to different choices. Those are
the things I'm excited for on like multi will play throughs, Like, oh,
I just want to build these different freakish characters, and
the game it seems like it's really going into that.
And you know, the weapons look so much better and
more fun than that first game. One of the couple
of weapons they showed off, one is like you shoot
like tumors at enemies and they like grow on a
little and like blow up. Another one was a like drone,
like a huge cannon thing that shoots drones that just
like are advertisement drones, and they like distract your opponents
with like these huge bombastic ads, which really fits the
kind of corporate, you know, satire thing they're doing here too,
which is just such a weird, like I've never seen
a weapon like that in a game, and I think
it's such a fun, crazy idea. So yeah, it was.
It was a really cool breakdown. There's a lot of
really fun stuff in there. So you know, I had
my expectations kind of lower for this one, but I'm
getting a lot more hyped for The only downside is
there's like a million games coming down in October now,
so who knows how much time I'll spend with this
one at release. But for a game that I was
like feeling iffy on, I'm now much more sold on it,
so I think, and even like, you know, you can
double jump now, there's a lot more movement options, so
I think the game is just gonna feel a lot
less stiff than it did the first time around. So
I'm I'm very excited for out Worlds. I think this
you know, obviously got the biggest highlight and I think
it was probably the best showing for a game in
here and really really sold me on it, So shout
outs to that one. Moving along to High on Life
two is a game coming out this winter, so that's
kind of a surprise. That's the game that has like
the weird guns that are like, you know, little creatures, right.
I never got around to playing that one on game pass.
The first one, I think it's still on there, but
this one the sequels coming out this year, and you know,
it looks like more of the same. But that's that's cool.
It's a good, good game pass to get for the
winter because I think that came out pretty recently. It
was like a two years ago, maybe tween twenty three
or something, so this recent.
Speaker 2: This is another one I can't really talked about in
the Sun Games Fest, where I still thought this was
the first game. I'd completely missed that it came out,
so I was like, oh, we're on two already. Okay,
but yeah, very wild if you people, if you're ever like, hey,
they keep making the same games, just variations. High on
Life is not that like it's a shooter, but I
feel like very unique. So nothing in there for me,
but I always like seeing the trailers.
Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, and then there was a resonance a
Plague Tail story which is coming out next year. So
this is the third Plague Tail game, but this is
more of a spinoff than like a true sequel. You
can people can go back if they want. Me and
Kirkland did a retrospective for the first game and then
like a spoiler cast on that second one. So we've
covered this series pretty heavily at this point, and I'm
pretty surprised to see it here, at least in the
way we did, because without spoiling it into the second game,
there's like a I forget if it's a post credit
or mid credit whatever it is, but there's a cliffhanger
thing that is absolutely not what this game is. So
I'm guessing that there is still like a third game
in the works, and this is like, you know, more
than going for like a spinoff kind of thing. So yeah,
very surprised to see what it was. But you're like, yeah,
it looks like you have a new character here, different setting,
even like in the logo they have like a huge maze,
and I feel like this seems like you're going around
through some underground crips and solving puzzles like the first
games had I don't know. It seems like the setting
is quite a bit different than like the Plague and like,
I don't a disaster setting of those first two games,
So it seems like a bit of a pivot, which
I guess makes sense for a spinoff, But yeah, not
what I was expecting for Plaguetail. But cool to see
the series getting another entry.
Speaker 2: Is this the same exact team that did the last
two obviously, Okay. I just wondering if it was a
situation where one team was making this and then another
team is making another one kind of like we got
what you know.
Speaker 1: I mean, maybe they've scaled up and maybe they have
two like internal teams.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I was just wondering that if they because that
does seem a little odd to not do the direct fault.
It wouldn't see odd if it is a different team,
because like, oh, we're gonna work on this, but you
guys work on the main game. But uh yeah, Plague
Tail Legacy. I was like, oh, that's a new one
in like the we talked about like a Star Wars
story from the world of John Wick or you know,
the part two is like or you know that's there's
like oh, something legacy, Like I haven't seen that yet. Movies.
I'm like, okay, there's there's a new one that I
expect we'll see at some point some studio is gonna
see this, like, oh yeah, something legacy. That's a great one.
Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah. And then after this when we got
the Xbox ally shown off for so, the the Xbox
handheld that has long been rumored, but they finally showed
it off. Here there are two versions, much like the SNX,
there's like a stronger version, a weaker version, you know,
different little features here and there. We don't have the
prices for these at the moment. I saw a article
that was kind of comparing the tech of it, and
it seems like these are a little bit stronger than
a Steam deck. So we'll see where the prices line
up comparison to a Steam deck. But yeah, what did
you guys think of this? We finally got these things
shown off. Are you interested in this at all? Do
you see yourself picking one of he's up in the future?
Speaker 3: Oh man, I mean, if I didn't buy a Nintendo
Switch too, maybe there's some room for it. But I'm
probably not gonna pick this up when it comes to
this that level of gaming. I like to just sit
down a couch with a controller and console on TV.
That's where I'm at. But there's definitely a demographic and
lifestyle that this is designed for, and I think a
lot of people are going to tap into this because
my one buddy, he messages me, he's like, oh, did
you see that new handheld from Xbox? Like, yeah I did.
He's like, I really am considering getting it because he's
he just had a second kid and he's just thinking,
you know, he doesn't have time to sit down and
the kids are running around and playing and he can't
just sit down and play video games.
Speaker 2: So he's just thinking outside the house.
Speaker 3: Well, that's right, he's thinking those little breaks in between
or when it's like he's finally he's going to bed,
He's got like a half an hour to kill and
play a couple of games in bed. This just makes
it so much more easier for him. So I think that, again,
there's definitely a demographic available. But I'm wondering because I
feel like this is going to incorporate that Steam library somehow,
because there was.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it does before it does, Okay, I think, yeah,
it's not just going to be the Xbox Store and
game pass on there, but you can download like whatever
other I don't think they mentioned Epic. That was maybe
the one they didn't mention, but they did mention Steam
and other storefronts. So you're gonna be able to play
your Steam games on here too.
Speaker 3: Okay, can you cast to a TV with us?
Speaker 2: Do you know?
Speaker 1: I have no idea, because that would.
Speaker 3: Be another huge Like that'd be a big get for them.
I would say, I meant.
Speaker 2: Yet because I like that. That's to me, like that
like a switch. That's the thing, because like Emily was
watching when this was revealed and like talk about what
we buy or this that, and like, oh sly, I'm
always down to potential by something in the future like this,
because you know, like when started playing Minecraft, you know,
we got five kids, so at some point we're gonna
need consoles for all these little people run around some point.
But from where I am now, two things. Yeah, I
found it very never bad to get tech out there.
But when they said fall this year, I found that
very interesting because, like Tay just said, I was like, well,
I just bought a switch, and I feel like there's
gonna be a lot of that, So I feel like
it's the worst time to release like another handhold, like
even just a little bit later into like next year,
like spring. So timing's I think tough for them, And yeah,
for me, it's like, uh as with the Switch, right
I that thing is dogged ninety five percent of the time.
So for me, if this, hey like the switch where
it'll replace the Xbox and in the future, then maybe
I would get this because you have the option. But
if it's just a handheld, not personally for me. But
I think it's great for people to do that. But
I think that is the tough thing to compare with
the Switch, because I think there's they got everybody they
got the peel like handheld, then they appulate myself that
do that, where if this is just a handheld, I'm
curious how it goes and I'm curious how it sells. Obviously,
it's nice that it's like you log in, you account,
your games are there. It's not like a separate bonding
things like I think that's fantastic.
Speaker 1: Right now, it's not like the portal where you can
only stream things right like yeah, and download things natively on.
Speaker 2: Here definitely seems like the better option. It's just a
curious case of Okay, how much people are really into
this because even when Nintendo had like let's say, the
Wii and the whatever, the game Boy, the what did
they call them at the end there, the XD or
what the heck were the last consoles the three I
sax those ones to me that still those still were
different markets, right, And I feel like now the Switch
has merged those And I feel like it's tough with
these because I feel like a lot of handheld game players,
there's millions around the world, but unfortunately it's them on
their phones, like they have tons of games with apps.
So it's like it's just a question of you know,
how much of the people that own these games would
want to travel them and that could be a lot.
There could be tons of people that take buses, want
them around, want us. Like he said, the situation takes
from the beds on the couch. I just don't know
the numbers. And it's tough to compare to Switch because
that's two things. Like if the Nintendo had a console
and a handheld, I'd still just be behind the console, right.
So I'm curious on a business side and see how
it goes. But again, releasing with the Switch, it's a
tough time because that's the hot ticket handheld right now.
So I'm curious how those.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think since they partnered with Rog,
the company here who already has their handheld out on
the market, and it's kind of like the number two
behind the Steam Deck, and obviously the Switch is number one,
but like that would be in that like that kind
of handheld PC space. They're kind of number two in
the market right there. And so I feel like, you know,
from Xbox's perspective, like the investment here on R and
D and stuff is probably way less than like Tip
building out a new console from scratch, and so I
feel like the investment from them is probably a lot lower.
And you know, it just is offers a new vertical
for people to be able to subscribe to game Pass
and like play their things, which they you know, technically
haven't had before. You could just have got the Rog
allies exist right now, or you could get this Steam
Deck and you can you know, with Steam Deck you've
to do like a couple workarounds, but you can eventually
get game Pass working on there. But to have something
that is natively built for their for their tech, I
think is a huge step up. So we'll see. And
even if it like kind of flops, I feel like
it's not the end of the world. It's not like
they've put all their eggs in this basket. It's just
like another way to get people, you know, subscribe to
game Pass in a way. So I think the other
thing too, I think just them marketing this around Silk Song,
which is like one of the hottest like indies out
there that people have been waiting for that release date
and to kind of I don't know, markt a lot
a lot of the hype around this around the consolet
obviously when this when the game comes out, it'll be
on like Steam and whatever too, so you won't need
this this handheld to play it. That would be insane.
They dropped like the hugest bag ever at Silk Song's
door and like, you know, made it exclusive on this handheld.
But that would be a really weird idea. But I
think that was kind of a smart a little bit devious. Yeah,
I don't really see myself picking this up. I think
I very rarely play things on the go right now,
this which does the trick for how how rarely I
should say that I need access to this? Uh, but yeah,
I don't know what we'll see down the line because
I've considered, you know, looking at Steam decks and things,
so I'm curious to see where the price point lands.
Uh do you guys, where do you guys think this
works with game Pass? Because right now there is you know,
game Pass Console tier, there's game Pass PC tier, and
then there's Ultimate which allows you to play game Pass
games on both console and PC. And then I don't
know how that works with streaming. I don't know if
that's this third tier or like how you get access
to that Xbox Cloud thing if you want to play
things on your phone with the controller? But like, is
there a new tier for this? Is this just considered
console tier? Do they whip out a new Ultimate tier
that gives you access to all, like all three places? Like,
how do you think they work? Pass onto this machine?
Speaker 2: So if I had let's say I had the same
console an Xbox in the living room, Xbox in the bedroom,
and if I logged on when I just be able
to share that same game.
Speaker 3: Pass, Yeah, that's how it works with PC, but you
have to pay for it.
Speaker 1: This is tier yes, PC?
Speaker 2: Okay, Oh, but so but I'm saying, Okay, so I
guess what I'm trying to clarify is I think just
the Xbox, like you could just get the same play
just Xbox games on it, right.
Speaker 1: The henhelth the ally, Yeah, I mean I I assume
it'll be just bundled in with the consoles here. But
I don't know. I don't think they said that.
Speaker 2: Okay, I just think, yeah, I guess I don't know
on the PC side, because I don't look at in
that stuff.
Speaker 1: I just think, yeah, maybe it be the PC tier.
I don't know. I guess like, is this a PC
or is this a console? I don't know.
Speaker 2: It's an Xbox, you know as this this is an Xbox,
but I don't I guess maybe, answering a question you
didn't ask, I'll say that I don't think you'll have
to addsh al for any more games Pass stuff if
you just want to play Xbox games on here. I
think you'll just have the game Pass subscription and be fine.
But I don't know how that works.
Speaker 1: So, yeah, what do you think, Taylor? How do you
think they try and squeeze people forever? You last penny
they have on this thing, or do they want like
a cheaper like here's like an eight ninety nine tier
to just only play on this hand held to get people,
to incentivize people to like pick this thing up and
use it.
Speaker 3: If they really wanted to be sleazy, then absolutely they
could create another tier and just like instead of Ultimate,
it's Supremo and it has all three different consoles Metal
mel meshed in there under the one subscription. But I
hope that they don't do that. I feel like this
is gonna be so in line with console that it's
just gonna be considered the same thing. The basic games
Pass that you get as console, and if you want
the Ultimate, you can get all of that together with
the PC. But I just feel like PC, some of
those games on games Pass, like not all of them
work on PC. I don't imagine, So I think you
have some limitations and some that are probably like maybe
they're poured it over to PC on games Pass to
have that functionality. I don't know how it really works,
but I feel like that keeps PC kind of its
own separate thing, but keeps the ally more in line
with the console because of how it's how it operates,
but it is a Windows operating system, right, Like you
can go and do other things on here, so.
Speaker 1: I think so, yeah, I don't know how much of
that is built in or you have to, like like
the Steam Deck down all this random stuff to be
able to get outside of just the games of it.
I'm not not sure. I mean, there's not like the
Xbox button on it. I'm sure that's like if you
just want to access game pass, you just hit that button,
But I don't know otherwise if it just yeah, has
like Windows ninety seven on there or something, you know,
that'd be crazy about.
Speaker 3: I wonder how long before someone wipes it and that
just installs like an Apple software in there instead.
Speaker 2: It'll probably be done.
Speaker 1: I'm sure people have done that on their Steam deck
just because they.
Speaker 2: Can market you know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll keep an eye out for this thing.
I yeah, I'm curious to see how it does. Yeah.
I think it'll be a pretty small market, but for
the enthusiasts, it's probably a nice little option there.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: Blood of don Walker, The Blood of Don Walker. I
feel like you guys might be into this game. What
do you think of this one as the kind of
vampire looking thing. Apparently this is like the Witcher three
like creative directors like spin off like not spinoff game,
but he's left and done this or something. So you
guys have any thoughts on this one?
Speaker 2: A wait for Blade? Okay, Just like I said in
the disc or, the origin was literally like you know,
he's where his family gets attacked. He's a day walker
and he's I'm gonna use what they used against me,
and he had the setting. But no, this one actually
didn't do too much for me, so I uh yeah,
I don't. I think it's just the same thing. I don't.
I like to try and space out different genres, and
unfortunately for them, I'm kind of sitting around waiting for
a vampire games. So maybe don walker if I hear
great things, because the good thing is with the games Pass,
it's just a doubt this was a game all not
all these, but most of these are games Pass games, right.
I think there was still a couple that weren't.
Speaker 1: It was like, yeah, there's a few that aren't, like
Final Fantasy and whatnot.
Speaker 2: Was this one that's uh sure?
Speaker 1: I wasn't writing that down for every game individually.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So if it was, that's always A great thing
with the Xbox is if there's something that hits, it
is just a download a way and it's easy. You
can commit a couple hoars and be like, I'm just
trying to figure out here if it is uh no,
it's not, so this is coming. It's on play any
because that was a confusing thing in the left corner
they'd have two boxes either Play Anywhere or the or
the games Pass or have them both. And this is
on Steam and PS five so h no, nothing not
nothing for me on this one really, So yeah, with
not be on games Pass, definitely probably not forever.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, one of the most hyped things for me. Well,
Super meat Boy three D. Do you guys ever play
Super meet Boy back in the day?
Speaker 2: No heard great things though, Yeah.
Speaker 1: One of the great all time two D platformers. I
love the aesthetic here, love that they kind of had
like the Mario pipe at the start of this that
was pretty cheeky.
Speaker 2: I was worried. I'm not worried, but I was like,
what is going on here? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's cool, Like I feel like the art
style is such a glowop glow from what that two
D game was, which was very dark and and grungy
and not very colorful other than like the Red Blood
that was everywhere, But I feel like this is much
more squishy and Mario like and glossy, which which is fun.
But yeah, Super Repoys is great. I think this looks
like a really fun three D variation on that. So
I'm very very excited for this one. That was one
of my I was not expecting this at any point,
but it was cool to see and I love too.
Like one of the things with meat Boys, like once,
the levels are super hard, so it might take you
like thirty forty to fifty tries to get through a level,
but then when you do beat the level, you get
like a little video of seeing all of the meat
Boys fly, like all the paths you took, you see
all of them sequentially, and so you say, oh, I
died on these spikes here, I ran to this salt
blade here, and then eventually year one makes it to
the end from the successful run. Instead, I have that
in three D and seeing that here of just like yeah,
fifty meat boys all flying off at once and just
splash into the same props and things is really hilarious
to see. So I think this game is gonna be
a banger and I'm very excited for it. And Okay,
next up is uh the Indiana Jones delC the Order
of Giants, which we knew about. Of course. It was
part of the like pre order bonus or whatever it was.
I think they even had the name of it back then.
But now we have the release date, which is September fourth, Taylor,
I forget. Have you finished Jones at this point or
are you still working your way through that.
Speaker 3: I'm still like one more location away from finishing it all.
I'm almost there.
Speaker 1: But yeah, are you buying this DLC?
Speaker 3: Travis?
Speaker 2: Oh, it's a bye. Hey, Well, I don't know, so
I guess I didn't assume so because the game was
on game Pass. So the DLC beings.
Speaker 1: That's how they get you though, That's how they get
more money out of you. They put the game out
and then if you want to get early access or
if you want DLC, you gotta shell up. Considering this
is part of the like, you know, deluxe edition of
the game that costs like forty bucks. I assume that
this is paid.
Speaker 2: We'll see the price. I might just go in and
finish all the side stuff because I love that game.
I can't remember, like I said I was, I didn't
make a list. I think it's my game the year
last year. There's still some stuff, especially there's like the
like the that tomb that you gotta go and get
all this stuff and if you get all then opens
up this big door neat to reveal what's like kind
of after the game. So yeah, to me, this will
be dependent on the price. I will eventually buy it
at some point because I know it will go down,
but I think what I might just do is scratch
the itch and just play the rest of the side
missions I have in September, because yeah, I loved that
game and this was funny enough, like the uh the
other day, my hope most hype thing was you know
a DLC in this conference because I very much enjoyed
this game. So yeah, ask me when we get close
to September with the prices, But I think it's a
it's a fifty to fifty, but I definitely will acquire
at some point because I loved Annia Jones. I thought
they did a fantastic job and I definitely want more
of that, so it will be in my hands. And yeah,
because it's just a question of what's going on too,
because it's near the end of the summer, so it
depends when's ghost Y Hotel yet, because I haven't decided
if I'm getting that one.
Speaker 1: H it's like October third or fourth whatever, that third.
Speaker 2: Ghost in October? Yeah, oh, I thought that was August.
What was I thinking is what's the big? Is there
some big in August for you?
Speaker 1: I don't think it's for me. I like you're playing
to s Training Donkey Kong and then nothing.
Speaker 2: Until just those two games, I guess sober.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Okay, yeah, and I I kind of did you
see anything in this? I feel like this trailer wasn't
It was kind of half like just reminding you of
the game exists, and then yes, half like the release date.
But I feel like there wasn't really much sauce in
here in terms of the actual game, right.
Speaker 2: No, like the whole like all the land, the giant
stuff like that, Like that doesn't get me really going.
But just because I like the game that much, that's
why I would purchase it again. So it's just it's
it's kind of to me very similar like Spider Man DLC,
where obviously that was different because I had black Cat
in it, right, So that was right away selling points
and other things. But no matter what I was, I
didn't get that DLC because I loved the initial game.
So that's kind of like where I am here. It
just depends. But no, I'm probably just thinking in August
is a mental gear, but I'm not gonna buy that
day one. It's just that's still my mind of at
one point as a potential. But that we got Mafia
Old Country and then Madden twenty six and then you
got Gears reloaded, so I got some stuff coming on August.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I liked Jones enough, but I don't need
uh more. Like, I'll play a sequel if that comes around,
but I don't need to jump into this DLC for
thirty forty bucks whatever, So I'll be skipping this one personally.
Next up was a huge surprise when I saw this,
specifically when I saw the studio's name pop up, Game
Freak making an Xbox game. I think this is also
on PlayStation as well, but game forre the developers of Pokemon,
which sometimes it's you know, you forget that. Game Freak
is not owned by Nintendo and they can make things
on other platforms. They just so rarely do. But I think,
you know, considering how much flak the recent Pokemon I've got,
just in terms of like visual quality or like frame
rates and things, it was cool to see, like, Wow,
a game freak game that actually looks triple A and
has like crazy visuals and has like soulsy combat and
it's like dark and gritty. Taylor, what do you think
about this? Since you play a lot of game freak stuff,
is this like you jazzed about this?
Speaker 3: It's a complete curveball from I mean, I don't think
I've played anything outside of Pokemon when it comes to
game freak, and so just to go from something like
that to this, it's like what, It's a huge change
of pace. And yeah, just I've not played Elden Ring.
I played a little bit of Dark Souls, so my
experience is very limited. But I think you're right, this
definitely bears kind of a similar vibe to it. It
almost gave me like Monster Hunter vibes to a slight degree.
But I don't know, I'm sure that's pretty similar to
your Elden Rings and your Dark Souls, But yeah, I
am curious about this one, and I think the world
that they've created. It is pretty is pretty cool. The
creatures seem pretty neat, But I worry that maybe for
the general populace out there, in the general demographic, that's
not me. Is this just more of the same or
is it satisfying that craving like people have finished Elton
Ring like I want more, I want more? Or is
it redundant?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 1: I mean there's definitely a lot of these kinds of
games out there, so remains bas seeing what's really unique
about it. For me, what stood out was the just
to kind of plant root growing mechanics. It seems like
a big part of this is your like a I
don't know, some sort of earth manser type thing where
you can make roots grow to the ground and like
climb them like a bridge, or you can like create
giant flowers and like jump off those and use them
for I don't know, attacking monsters in some way that
kind of thing. So it just, yeah, looks cool, and
I I am just any time game Freak does anything
non Pokemon, it's kind of notable just to see what
they're what they're cooking here. So I don't know, I
feel like that was maybe a bit of a light
theme here of not just the showcase but Xbox in general.
I feel like, you know, they went bought Mojenks, they
have Minecraft, like the big game in the world, and
then they went and bought Activision, so they have Call
of Duty, which is like the biggest thing in the world,
and like, I think Pokemon has passed even what Microsoft
could buy, Like that's just beyond there. But with things
like this getting game freaking the door, Power World, which
they had like a big exclusivity thing with, and like
the game Pass launch, and then another game in this
showcase that was called Animo. Do you guys remember that one,
which had like very I thought that was a power
old DLC or something because I had like Pokemon looking
things in it too, And even like the theme song
of that game was, like I swear they were singing
Power World. So I was like, I don't know what's
going on here, but I just feel like in some
ways Xbox is like, Okay, let's try and go after
the Pokemon market in any way that we can other
than like obviously we're not gonna get Pokemon on our machines,
but let's try and get game freaquence games that look
like Pokemon so we'll see if it works. I don't know.
I don't know if people are gonna be buying an
Xbox to play this game, they'll probably just play on
their PS five because I think it's also on there
as well. But yeah, really really cool, A big surprise
for me, and I think the game looks looks pretty cool.
And how about we take our first break. I'm gonna
quickly thank our Patreon producers for helping us create this,
all this content that we've done this week on side Quest.
Thank you to Aaron Braden in April of Darkness, Jack Grant,
Sam Superbred, Mike Tggl, I'm six or nine, Jeremy Renner,
Charlie Randell, and Cocktail Clay for keeping the lights on
in this here side Quest and the rest of the
geek First Realm. Without you, guys, we could not do
all of this, but thankfully we get to do all
of it because of you, So thank you for that.
Speaker 3: And you did.
Speaker 1: Patron's the best place to go to get so it's
early and add free exclusive stuff just coming out all
the time. You also join our discord, you know, leave
a review, all that fun stuff. But yeah, how about
we take a quick ad break and we'll be right back. Okay,
we are back. Clockwork Revolution is a game from Inexile
that we saw. I forget if it was last year,
two years ago. It's kind of a steam punky aesthetic.
There's a town, there's a big mystery going on, there's
a lot of rich guys who are shitty, a lot
of RPG systems, which makes sense for the studio that
has previously brought all the Wasteland games. This was a
weird one where like huge trailer, lots of info, lots
of characters, lots of gameplay, but then everything except for
like a release date or even a release window. So
this just felt like to me like a trailer that
you would show like really close to like releasing a game,
like you know, maybe it's this year somehow, or like
next year or something. But we didn't get that at all,
So I'm really I'm curious why. I feels like they
blew their a load a little bit early here. We'll
see if they have more in the tank to show
in the future. But what did you guys. I don't
know if you guys remember this one from like the
last time we saw it, but would you think of this.
Speaker 2: No I don't remember last time. This felt like the
first summer was seeing it. But I know why I
would feel like that, because I thought this was a
great trailer, a great showing. I thought it was very fantastic.
I think, like you, it felt like this was gonna
be this November, this December, sort of like tag, but
it wasn't. So it was very odd. It felt like,
you know, here's everything we got, that's why you should
be interested in the game. And then it's like, Okay,
why is we getting all this? Maybe there's something that
in the future we're gonna get something even like Q
one of next year, and that I'll make it feel
like a little different. But I felt like it would
have been on there, So it was odd. But I
know the reason why I would not remember this game
last time. I'm just not into steampunk. So for me
right away like, yeah, it's just not like blocks.
Speaker 1: You don't like steam, you don't like bronze and.
Speaker 2: Gold like gold, I yeah, maybe I call. I saw
this with my mother in law about because she doesn't
get a new watch again, kind of like watches, I
don't need it. It has a lot of many things
on the phone. I don't like things being on my body.
But yeah, so this is just one of those things
where I think this looks great, and I agree with that.
Maybe they should have held back a little bit if
they unless the release date is closer, when they just
for some reason didn't want to drop it. Obviously it's
not this year. But no, I think this looked really cool.
If you're in this very well, like gave you store beats,
gave you multiple weapons, locations, lots of things going on.
There's just something about steampunk that's just it's never done
it to me, you know, just just not appealing to
the eye.
Speaker 1: So fair enough, what do you think.
Speaker 3: I'm definitely not as against steampunk as as Travis as I've.
Speaker 2: Against it as harsh. I just not like I don't
enjoy it. I'm not like steampunk. No steam Bunk would
be like, why you guys into this? You guys are losers.
Now I'm just like, yeah, sure, you know I was
against call duty when this podcast started, and now I'm
a turncoat coat.
Speaker 3: So you are a turn crew.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but now turning back after the sucking conference, we'll
get there.
Speaker 3: It looks fun, It really really does, and it reminds
me of like I haven't played a lot of Fallout,
but I got like Fallout steampunk vibes from this. Maybe
maybe some o yeah, now I'll stick with that Fallout steampunk.
But that being said, like it's still it looks fun
and maybe Wolfenstein steam Hunk would be the comparison.
Speaker 1: Actually is that very steam punky.
Speaker 2: No, No, like the steampunk version of Wolf and Stein,
which I would disagree because we disagree. It's a lot
crazier than this, and.
Speaker 3: I felt like this is pretty crazy in terms of
like it's humor and inzaniness.
Speaker 2: No, I feel like Fallout is a better compared Wolf
and Stegin is more like Doom crazy, where it's like
weird ass Nazi lore and like what if scenarios and stuff.
This felt like more yeah, like a Fallout type of humor,
very quirky, very different type of characters. This doesn't look
post apocalyptic, but that's sort of way where something happened
in the world and now this is the life is So.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's fair, that's fair. The characters definitely have like
a Borderlands kind of vibe to them to slight degree.
Speaker 2: You listen Fallout, you listen uh Wolfenstein, and now there's
another one. In there, so it's like four, it's just
all all three more?
Speaker 1: What was one more thing that it felt like?
Speaker 3: Here one more? Ooh ah if you know what. Looking
at it, it feels like it has a little bit
of a BioShock Infinite kind.
Speaker 2: Of Okay, sure's yeah, then you're on the right.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, nice.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think this game looks great. I'm just once
again so curious about that release window for it.
Speaker 2: You know.
Speaker 1: I think one of the things that Phil teased is
it like twenty twenty six is gonna be a big year.
It's like an anniversary year for them, And he mentioned
that like Halo Gears, Fable is like a lot of
the tent poles are going to be coming out. He's
lied many times before, so we'll see if any of
that sticks. But I wonder if that's like part of
it is like, I don't know, do we want to
release this in twenty twenty six where it gets buried
by our own stuff, by GTA, by other things. And
so maybe that's why they're holding off for now. But
who knows. Maybe by the time the Developer Direct would
roll around in like January of next year, maybe they'll
put it in there and it'll be one of those
four games they highlight and maybe it will come out
that year, but maybe they just don't want to commit
to it at this present time. So I'm really really
curious to see what they want. I've only like dabbled
a bit and Wasteline one and two. I haven't played
Waistline three, which I hear is kind of like by
far the best of the series, So I'm excited to
check that out at some point and see what their
RPG chops are looking like. Uh, speaking of RPG chops,
grounded to a huge surprise in here because I feel
like that game, I guess it was twenty twenty one.
I want to say when it like finally went one
point oh, maybe it was twenty twenty two.
Speaker 2: Actually, I can say there's a lot of like versions
of it out though, right or like early.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Like I want to say it came on twenty nineteen,
but then like maybe twenty twenty two is when it
went one point oh, and then I feel like even
into twenty twenty four, it got an update still like
the custom backyard like map maker thing you could do.
So that's why I was very surprised to see here.
But somehow Obsidian, as they were joking about in the Strike,
has like a third game coming out this year out
of World's Avowed and Grounded too. Is so obviously different
teams within Obsidian, but it's crazy the output that this
team has, and especially with how recently Grounded came out,
which that was my game of the year in the
year that it came out. I love that game a lot.
I still haven't finished it, which I think is part
of why I'm like not over the hill excited for this,
because I've spent like sixty seventy hours and it's just
a hard game at some points, and so I've just
been like stuck in like the endgame part of it.
But yeah, so this is coming out into game preview
in July, so once again it's it's not the full
release coming out of this July. It's just once again
going through that community phase. So I will probably not
play it this July. I'll probably wait until it's done
because I don't want to help them make the game.
I just want to play the game when it's done.
That's usually how I am with like early access stuff.
In terms of what they showed new here. It's like
obviously a new Now instead of a backyard, you're in
a local park and there's you know, fun, there's like
a knocked over ice cream stand. There's like all sorts
of turmoil, huge garbage can which you know would be
huge levels. So I'm excited for all that new stuff.
They talked about how there's riteable creatures like ants which
you can use to like help you build. There's rideable
like spiders that you can use for combat, and they're
gonna add other ones up. They'll probably get like a
b in there. You can fly at some point, I'm sure,
and then they added classes as well, So I think
that's one of the things that surprised me so much
about Grounded was that it was a really fun, lushed
out RPG game, because it didn't really seem like that's
what you were going for with it, but they're like
the stats, the perks, all that stuff was actually really
really well done, and you could really specialize your character
in a way. But now even more so, you can
build out like I'm going to play an assassin class
and like arranged class. So one thing I liked about
the first game is how you could kind of be
a little bit of everything seems like now you got
to specialize a bit more, so, you know, maybe a
further incentivizing multiplayer. Even though it's a game I primarily
played alone. However, I sometimes did play it with Taylor.
We played a few times, and I played some other
friends as well. So, yeah, what did you think about this?
Because you've played like a good few hours of Grounded,
did this speak to you anything stand out to you
about the sequel here?
Speaker 3: Yeah? My my experience has been, Yeah, it's been it's
been a few hours in this game. It's between you
and then a couple of other friends, and then my
cousin who religiously invested his life into this game. Holy crap,
It's it's been fun to hop into other people's worlds
and partake in what they've built, and then joined for
a few of those quests. It's not been one that
I was ever ever able to really just kind of
like sit down and commit into my own world and
build and whatnot. And I'm totally okay with that because
I had fun doing some of the building and just
helping other people build up their worlds and just to
fuck around. It is a grindy game, yeah, And so
I'm okay to be helping other people build up their
worlds and and all that kind of stuff. Like usually
when I'd hop on with my cousin, he'd lent me
some of his like extra armor and gear and whatnot
that we go around do some stuff and check out
and explore and and whatnot. But it's yeah, it's the
first one. Was it was something special when it first
came out because just to have that kind of game
at that kind of ground perspective level, and just the
spiders and just I remember when the preview first came
out and walking around thought, well, this world is really
really cool, and that was just like the demo was
like an hour long thing when that first came out. Yeah,
so I'll never forget it because that was that was
a lot of fun, just doing like the one intro
mission on there. But yeah, there's there's an nice simplicity
to it, and it's really fun just trying to go
and collect things and do things all around in this
in this world. But the ability of mounts in the
sequel is very very cool. That's awesome and I definitely
had like a bit of like a gasp when it
was like, wow, you can actually ride spiders and get
into like spider battles. That was pretty cool. Uh, And
I don't remember there being like there's a variety of
new not bosses, but just enemy variants in here, like
the praying mantis, and then you got there was like
a butterfly kind of thing that looked like the scorpion caterpillar.
Speaker 1: I don't remember seeing those in the first game.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so there's a whole bunch of new uh that
going on, which is great. I know next to nothing
about the main story, so it was cool. They opened
up this trailer with like, how what was going on
with this?
Speaker 1: I never saw?
Speaker 3: Yeah, so I think that that's it's it's cool. It's
like an alternative reverse like Honey, I shrunk the kids
kind of a thing with this deranged scientist shrinks them
and then like it's now they're vanished from the celebratory
park statue thing that's going on, And yeah, I don't know,
it's just I found that to be kind of an
engaging narrative now seeing it on this trailer, So it's
I think it looks awesome and I hope this picks
up a lot of speed and gets some more people
in there. It's not doing a preview, right, it's just
dropping the whole game.
Speaker 1: No, it's preview.
Speaker 3: Well, they're doing a preview for it.
Speaker 2: I'll do it again, yeah, marked the first time. Why
not run it back, you know?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean they have definitely built that game alongside
the community, and yeah, I guess it did work for them.
So and that's how they're able to get it out
this soon, I suppose, because it's not finished yet. They
said that the current portion though that they have in
there is the same size as the first game, and
then they're gonna add two more zones, so it's gonna
be like three times the size overall. Because at the
end of the Other Worlds thing, they had like a
further deep dive on Grounded to a little bit as well.
So I don't know if you caught that part Taylor
where they shared a little bit more information, but uh, yeah,
so it's gonna be I mean that game was already Hue,
which took so long to traverse, like just I don't know,
even in like the opening sections like let alone before
you like get access to the upper park or the
upper backyard area and all that. So yeah, we'll see
what happens there. But definitely a big surprise. And another
game is called alf Athelion Athelian Athlaon. It's a game
but I don't nod, which I think looks really cool.
I like this. You know, it's like a space sci
fi setting, you know, spaceship crashes on like a snowy,
icy planet. This kind of seems very much like Jusan,
which is one of their previous games that they made,
where it's very like experimental, experimental, and very movement focus.
You're just kind of traversing through a world, exploring figure
out what's going on, kind of going around this snowy planet,
but then also through this giant crash ship and finding
things and probably trying to find any survivors things like that.
This is like, right up my alley. I'm excited for this.
I think this looks like fun. You just cruise around
in this cool world. There's definitely a little hint, specially
the end of the trailer, of like, I don't know,
some weird, freaky stuff going on, although it seems pretty
grounded for the most part, considering it's a space game,
so I don't know. I'm pretty excited for this one.
I think this is another another good surprise for me.
This is coming out next year?
Speaker 2: Did this one? Do you recall if it said it
was a Games Past one or not.
Speaker 1: You'll have to look that up. Although you saw it.
Their last game was okay, so I think they're kind
of in that game pass bag again.
Speaker 2: Yeah, if this one has me, this is a word
of mouth one because I like it, because this one
of those like you mentioned some fun things about the
potential gameplay of it. But for me, this looks to
be like a really cool story focused based thing, which
always what Also it's nowhere near It's a very different genre,
different feel, but it reminds me go, what the hell
blay we just reviewed earlier this year, right where that's
the thing, the thing where those games aren't that long
but they have a story. Then also that way different mechanics.
But I'm always down for if there's a great story
and it is like, oh yeah, maybe you know, I
don't know, ten to fifteen hours something like that, a
little more small, smaller even Yeah, so yeah that but
this will be kind of word of mouth, probably by
critics before and if it's on Games Past easy, So
if it is and word of mouth, then I can
see myself tried out because I was intrigued, you know,
fun little tease at the end with some guys seeing something.
But it's like, is it aliens or is it like
even the way that creature sounded, it sound almost electronic
in a way, so I don't.
Speaker 3: Know if it's like some sort of tech glowing too.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so that's where it's like it's started off aliens,
but I felt like, is there more like a you know,
some sort of different type of extra asteral bean? I don't.
I don't know that That's why I like. But also
I like characters being secluded in situations, so yeah, this
one has my interest. I'm going to keep an eye
on it.
Speaker 3: So yeah, this one, it looked it looked pretty awesome. Actually,
I think that right off the top of the story
was definitely engaging and I was super super driving with
it and just find out to this this character is
what was his name, Peter or something like that, like
I'll find you Peter, I'll find you Henry.
Speaker 1: I didn't catch them whatever.
Speaker 3: Whatever objective is to make my notes, the idea of
having say this this alien thrown into the mix too,
I'm down for that. So it looks like it's a
good time exploring this alien ice world.
Speaker 1: Nice one of my another highlight for me. There's quite
a few of these, but one of the weirdest things
in this showcase was a game called There Are No
Ghosts at the Grand coming out twenty twenty six. Really
weird hybrid of genres. It starts out and it's like you
are inheriting this hotel and so you're kind of having
to rebuild it in what seems like very much a
simulatory kind of way, Like you know, there's like spray
print similar power wash simulator, seems like that kind of
gameplay loop, but with like a little more machine to
a little more triple a sort of feeling to it.
But then like this guy comes out and starts doing
like a musical number and like kind of like a
rosta vibe sort of thing. Really odd, and then it
turns out you're like not just right in this hotel,
but like this whole city, this whole town, and then
it gets into like some love crafty and horror at
certain points, we get into some other musical numbers. So
I don't know, just a weird mixed match of genres
that I can't say I've ever seen before, and because that,
I'm so excited for it. I don't know what the
heck of this game is, but like I really really
want to find out, So I don't know. I think this.
I just love when I see a game that I
feel like has never existed before and one that's super
memorable in a way. I'll probably forget the name of
this game because it just has a weird title, but
I won't forget that guy dancing in the hotel and
be like, what the fuck am I watching here? So
consider me intrigued about this one. I think this looks
like a freaky game, and I'm into it looks interesting.
Speaker 2: I think I'll wait to hear your thoughts. It didn't
and didn't pull me in. It made me want another
Luigi's Mansion because the whole set of like, oh, your
father used to do this for us, and I'm sure
you could help us, and so so just that idea
of a big match or something like that with ghosts.
But yeah, no, it didn't look bad, but I was okay,
I it wasn't didn't make my list, but definitely you
looked unique, so.
Speaker 1: M yeah, absolutely, uh, there was these kind of been
sprinkled throughout, but I bundled them here age of mythology
re told get in new DLC. I'll just scrolls onlines
getting an update of course, probably seventy six. You can
know fish see if thieves, we mean you can you
can smuggle things now, so you know. Of course those
things always got to show up. Well, they don't have to,
but they like to show them up here updates they.
Speaker 2: Don't know at this point. I don't think they need to.
Speaker 1: They were all pretty quick at least I think this
is maybe the highlight here. They breathed them pretty quickly.
Speaker 2: These used to be a lot longer, so I'll give
them that. It is quick and stuff. It's just kind
of funny, like even I agree to you you can
see a Thieves in twenty twenty five, Mike, I guess
so you know, you know people are still playing it,
but just it feels it feels like the people if
there's people still playing that constantly, they'll be in tuned
to the updates, you know, like when when when we
game gets updates? Like I'm not saying that conference with it,
but me and I supposed know right away, like oh
does that does that? Like the people that are playing it.
They know the updates in the discord.
Speaker 1: They're in the subreddit.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think, now see he's probably gone everybody
they can get, but hey, good for them. Keep pumping out.
Speaker 3: So I will be probably going back to it because
my one friend we've played off and on, and my
cousin against same when the does grounded. He loves See
the Thieves. He's playing all the time. But my one
friend that I've played off and on with, he watched
the showcase and we're talking about it and he's like, yeah,
you know, maybe See the Thieves is like, okay, well,
I'll I'll be there because it's fun to pop on
and just play like one night, just get in there
for a few hours and just muck around.
Speaker 1: So I was told.
Speaker 2: And then we went on the fucking Piets Caribbean mission.
We were stuck in a place for like a whole
hour trying to figure it out, and.
Speaker 3: That was a hell of a fucking mission underwater with
the mermaids and all that ship.
Speaker 2: I would be down. I'd be down for us one
time to sink up and run it back and try
and have a more pot because I liked for them.
Speaker 1: That's why I have the Showcase. Remind you that exist, Suggs.
I just remember just that afterwards and follow seventy six,
we can have a grand old night together and we
can like tame a cat and elder scrolls online.
Speaker 2: I don't know what.
Speaker 1: I don't know what was about that.
Speaker 2: My power is gonna go out at that point. But
see if thieves. Uh yeah, we just had a souring
experience at the end. But I would be down to,
you know, drink out me hearties. You ho one more night,
you know, a nice summary night. So maybe put on
the calendar or something.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Travis, I seem to remember you liking the look
of the first planet of Lana, but I don't know
if you forgot around to it. Am I making that up?
Or is that?
Speaker 3: Uh?
Speaker 2: Is that?
Speaker 1: Is that fiction or non fiction?
Speaker 2: Lana? Let me pull it up here.
Speaker 1: It's getting a sequel planning a lot of two children
of the Leaf coming out next year.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I never played by like the art style there's similar
like uh kind of at times looks like not No
Man's Sky the game, but like the box are and
stuff like that. But uh no, it must have a
good trail of that first one. Never got around to
playing it. Though, so I forgot exist still now.
Speaker 1: The first one was a game pass game. I played
for maybe three or four hours and I got stuck
on a puzzle and then just never came back to it. It
was it was decent kind of spreads. See, yeah, I'm
surprised to see another one here, but you know, for
that audience, cool getting that sequel. And then there was
a few games in here that kind of just reminders
of upcoming games. So Ninja guid in four October twenty
fourth first release. I don't think that was known. Actually,
I think we knew fall, but there an official date.
Gears reloaded August twenty six. We already knew about that,
but just reminder. And then Tony Hawk three plus four
July eleventh, reminder about that as well, and then they
showed off. They show up a few things with that one.
But you know, doom Guy and the TM and T
characters in there, can't wait plays Doom Guy. I'm gonna
definitely do that super fun. So yeah, I just remind
us for all those games coming out, and they.
Speaker 2: Should do a lot more of those. Get like get
more IP fun characters like in those type of games.
I think that helps.
Speaker 1: So yeah, because I think Master Chief was in there
at one point, Is that right, Taylor?
Speaker 3: Am I making I don't recall.
Speaker 1: I know Spider Man's been in there before.
Speaker 2: There's been all sorts of freaks.
Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, Travis, you are the foremost ex part
of the show Invincible. On course, what do you think
of this fighting game that we saw here?
Speaker 2: Doesn't look bad? It's funny that they said, I I
don't think I'm wrong with that's like a three v
three yeah, which just is so funny. Yeah. I found
when they saw that, they're like, ah, fuck, you know,
we had heard this game was working.
Speaker 1: I think it's a good thing, though it isn't for
like overwhelming for a lot of people pay four characters now.
Speaker 2: Fuck, I just think it's similar and the bigger brand,
So I think they go, oh and it looks nicer
in my opinion, I get what they're going for here,
shell shaded very you know at times some Spider vers
isms in there, but and like a comic book off
se uh. Yeah. I we had heard for a while
and maybe this is not the game, but we'd heard
for a while that there was an Invincible game in
the works.
Speaker 1: And the second yeah, that was like last year that
was announced.
Speaker 2: I think because they're also working like a live action
movie like they're doing, I think that brand still pulls
numbers for Amazon, even though I think the show is
a bit more uh La season better, But for a
while it's a bit divisive. The second years flying and
then when his dad attacked him, and just the way
that it's in the show, I'm like, oh no, it's
a fighting game, like it just didn't fit with anything
that's ever happened in the show before. And that's exactly
what it is. And don't get me wrong, I like
a good old fighting game here and there we talked
about that where I think I'm the same with Dylan
where I you know, though I like love Worlal Kombat,
it's not it's not ever the top tier as far
as oh I gotta play every type of game like this,
there's certain times Okay, I'm in for a side scroller
fighting and then I'm good for a year or two,
you know, And again, if I'm gonna do this, I
never got around of buying the new Moratal Combat. I'd
be doing that, and yeah, I don't know, I get
it because Invincible is known for heroes just having mega
fights all time. Like the Invincible world is the worst
place to live because your buildings are constantly being torn apart.
There's death all around, like they're the death count is
by the thousands daily in that world. Sometimes it is awful.
So I get the idea of construction, destruction and throwing
everybody around and blood and guts, but that's not what
I I don't think probably small audience, but I feel
like they'd want some of that incorporated into a game
where it is, you know, as annoying as it is
because there's so many like three D you know, third
person open world explores superhero games. That's kind of what
we want, especially in a world where we still don't
have a Superman game. There's no you know, superhero game
where you just go up and you fly around. The
closest was maybe I don't know, iron Man back in
the day on the Xbox.
Speaker 1: You know, the ball has done that, right.
Speaker 2: I don't care. This is a superhero. That's someone else,
that's anime, you know, fair yeah, just in my mindset, right.
But it's like even Avengers, like when we play that,
you can figure that there's a flying character, but It's
like little spurts of a map, So not what I
wanted for an invincible game. The game looks fine enough,
but I don't think i'll ever play this unless be
like this is the like, unless this comes out, Marble
Tokens comes out and they're like, oh man, this is
actually the real superherot it. But I don't think that's
gonna happen. So No, didn't didn't sell me here, unfortunately.
Speaker 1: So yeah, Taylor, did you see the trailer for Marvel
tokon from somewhere game Fest?
Speaker 3: No, I didn't see that. You mentioned it, Travis, and
I went to you told me and you when you
told me about it. I tried googling it. I could
not find it within the first like twenty five minutes
of when it was mentioned.
Speaker 1: Twenty five minutes. You couldn't find Marvel find it, couldn't.
Speaker 2: Before on the title before. I have receipts that I
literally just copied the YouTube trailer name and posted.
Speaker 3: That it wasn't all caps, so.
Speaker 2: It wasn't okay, I didn't spell it at all because
that's insane to me. I think this is a bad
search engine. I think your phone's hacked you.
Speaker 1: I think Madison might be a yeah, blocking site.
Speaker 3: He's got the preal controls on.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no more Marvel.
Speaker 2: He talks enough Marvel.
Speaker 1: Yeah exactly. How don't we take our last break of
the show. Just a few more quick things here will
be back. All right, we're back. You know, if you
wanted to play some old jerrpgs, Xbox has got you covered.
You can play Persona for revival. You can play Final
Fantasies some remake integrate this winter. You can play Final
Fantasy sixteen today. So there you go. If you want
to play some old JRPGs, locked and loaded, good to go.
Next up was Double Fine, who may most recently made
the Psychonauts too. They have a new game called Keeper
coming to October seventeenth, which I think similar to Obsidi
and how they have like an Avowed or other Worlds,
which is like their big flagship thing, But then they
have smaller things like a Grounded or a Pentiment that
they can release that has like probably a shorter development time,
lower budget, and probably release in between bigger titles. I
kind of feel like that's what's going on here with
Double Fine. This is a game where you control a
walking lighthouse a little light platform in sequence. I think
what surprised me is there's doesn't seem to be much
like character or writing in this, which I feel like
is a big double finding kind of thing, funny game
like you know, voice like known voice actors things. So
I was kind of surprised about that. This is a
weird game, and I like weird, but it almost wasn't
weird enough. Like I feel like the initial premise is weird,
but then nothing else was. Everything else is kind of
by the books. You just kind of walk around a
little bit. So I mean, I'll I'll play's game pass.
I'll check this game out once again. Busy month, especially
for Xbox. Uh, but yeah, really very unexpected. I never
wore a predicted. Oh yeah, Double Find is gonna make
a game where you play as a anthromorphic lighthouse. That's
pretty unconventional. I guess I could say.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Psychonauts num were done for me, and same thing here,
just hasn't uh hadn't flowed my boat yet. So but
you know, I hope will in the Foe was in
there somewhere.
Speaker 1: That'd be cool. Yeah, that'd be cool. Good reference. Uh, Taylor,
I have you ever played Psycho nauts.
Speaker 3: I don't think you have right, that's a negative.
Speaker 1: Interesting.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: Did you play Brutal Legend back in the day?
Speaker 3: Uh No, but I wanted to that was Uh.
Speaker 1: You should do a retro for Brutal Legend.
Speaker 3: Got I would love to. I'd love to you because
Jack Black he played the main character.
Speaker 1: Right, sure?
Speaker 2: Did you're in Powers that day as well?
Speaker 1: Yeah, you're my My PS five hard drive is corrupted.
You can use that one now whenever you need to
get out my cable.
Speaker 2: I'm still waiting on it.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: And then as Travis mission on the top of the
show Black Op seven, uh closed out this uh this
bad boy here, which yeah, I mean for the first
like two or three minutes of the Siegi trailer, I
did not think it was call of duty. And then
out of nowhere, like the guy had a gun and
had a call of dudey looking suit, and then I
was like, oh, I guess this is call of Dude.
You had the guy from Heroes in there, Melo something
or rather he's h yeah Vintanello that guy. Uh. I mean,
you know it's getting past. I might check out the campaign,
but even like the one that came out last year,
I played, like, you know, two or three missions. I
was like, ah, then I got to like an open world,
and I'm like, I'm out. I'm excited for zombies because
like zombies. But I don't know, I'm just not I
don't I don't need these new Call Duty things. But
I don't know. You guys are are jam and Call
of Duty all the time. So what do you think
about this, uh Black Off seven announcement?
Speaker 2: Are we jamming called the all time? You know?
Speaker 3: Taylor is No, We're we're playing so as Battlefront too.
That's what's that?
Speaker 1: What is the most played game for either of you
in the last year we call of Duty? Well, there
you go, Travis.
Speaker 3: For you, it's called Diddy Travis.
Speaker 2: No, you want to Jones, but no, it's GM mode
for sure. You look at my hour when that starts.
That starts in March, but I March.
Speaker 1: It was number two.
Speaker 2: It's number two, would be called yes, it would be
caught yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1: But I'm just just no, I don't think it's that
unfair to say you guys are playing called Duty time.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I just mean like in the sense that I
think it was the last time you played called doty
Taylor I am played.
Speaker 3: It would have been with you, the last time would
have been with you.
Speaker 2: It was like a couple I feel like it's a
couple months ago now yeah, so have to one more run.
But yeah, for me, it's and even then I'm that's
where I guess where I more actually take myself off
the conversation. I have played a Call Duty game since
Call Duty Ghost, I've played war Zone and I won't
touch this at all. I don't I get don't get
me wrong, I get it cause it's it's tough when
we talk about you know, I feel like a reference
this movie once a side quest. I'm gonna do it again,
you know, God of War twenty eighteen. That's like the
sign for like how do you revitalize a franchise by
keeping the old and then bringing the new. And I
can get as far as Call Duty like this trailer right,
like maybe appealing different people, showing hey, this campaign is
gonna get a bit more wild. I'd heard the last
Black Ops was getting pretty wild too, but this seems
on a different level, like it's evoking some that remedy,
Like I thought it was not Alan Wake, but something
where it's like, oh, this is going to be Xboxes
Alan Wake, like he looks like a mile all right,
But that's where I think it's It's tough because it
goes so far to that route where okay, that might
be with a campaign's gonna be. But I still think
that the Day is going to be a Call Duty game.
I don't think it's going to get to an Alan
Wake or a control which I've not played situation where
you're playing these wild levels on multiple fronts. So I
think for me, it just felt like it, especially the
way Phil set up and because it's the one more thing.
One more thing to me is either three things. It's
a very anticipated game, like a fable that's been cooking
for a while. It's a surprise announcement, or it's a
new ip from like a big dev where it's like hey,
like Starfield was right where it's like, hey, we know
they're working on this. This is finally they're working a Hey,
the new Call of Duty.
Speaker 1: No, I don't put there from this showcase.
Speaker 2: It sounds bad. Maybe people would disagree with me, but
to prop it up, I would have put the ally there.
It's not a game, but it's a piece of hardware,
and I could justify that of hey, they're doing a
big push. They want you to have this hardware. They
do all this market on this is an Xbox. That
would be to me, the ideas you talk about what
it's gonna be. Maybe you give it a little bit
more time, but that's what I would have done. Or
you do the Outer World's trailer and that leads directly
into the fuller long hour direct where it's just like
a one to one. But yeah, to me would have
been the ally just be like, yeah, this is our tech.
We fully believe it. You know, we don't got flops
in here, but we got this, this and this. But
this just felt like it took that down for a
lot of people. And I feel like they kind of
set themselves up. And yeah, I won't plan any call
duty games probably ever again, to be honest, other than
wars on war Zone. But just like Call Duty proper
I've and my last point for TiO goes, it's just
I feel like call duty is what call duty is.
I don't think that's a wheel that needs to be reinvented.
It's just like a Madden Now or NHL where it's
just you just pump them out a FIFA. You just
pump up a foresa, you just pump them out, little
variations here and there, you change it because I don't
think like same thing this, this type of trailer should
appeal to someone like me, But it hits all the
traps systems. It's being trippy, it's weird, has fucking nine
inch Nails music at the end. But I'm just like
a it's call duty. And maybe if Taylor are playing
and say no, this is actually super different and weird
and out there, But like in the sense of how
you play, I just think it's a wheel that you
can't change and it's just gonna roll. It's it's it
can't fly, can't go on water. It's meant for the ground.
And that's okay. Make your wheel and make your money.
That's okay. Just give us war Zone and put John
Wick as a fucking skin already. You know, Taylor, you
told me all that arena.
Speaker 3: It's coming is Oh, yeah, I believe he's coming.
Speaker 2: He's you believe, just like you believed Indian Jones and
Captain America are coming. And I got Dick all for that,
So give me John Wick. But yeah, no, I thought
this was one of the worst conferences ending ever in
the three history ever ever.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm trying to think because it didn't last year,
because I feel like they've been doing this for that.
The end of the showcase they dedicate like here, you know,
stay tuned at the end of the showcase for twenty
minutes on so and so Game and Outer Worlds? Was
that this year? I think Call of Duty? Was it
last year?
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 1: So I'm trying to remember if they had showed a
trailer earlier in the conference and then closed again, you know, closed,
quote unquote, So.
Speaker 2: If it was the last year, was the year before?
Like that sounds like a familiar pairing of ideas, So.
Speaker 1: And I can't remember what they did the year before.
But yeah, Taylor, I think this is the first time
that they've ever done like I think they'vever done like
Modern War for one and then two of the year after,
like they've always mixed up the kind of sub series
I suppose I called you, I've ever done Black Ops
six to set, like I've ever done this before within
the series.
Speaker 3: Well, you just reminded me for two compared to Monomar for.
Speaker 1: Three, because that World of War was But I feel
like advanced Warfare was in between two and three, or
maybe a black two.
Speaker 3: Monter for two came out in twenty twenty two, and
More for three came out twenty twenty three, so that
was a back to back year there. Oh, okay, that
would be that would be the first time then, because yeah,
this this caught me off guard seeing that we're going
to Black Ops seven right off the cusp of Black
Ops six. I have never been big on the Black
Ops games. Black Ops one, Black Ops two, those were good.
I did enjoy Black Ops three, but after seven, I
know once.
Speaker 2: To be hit because I first went I'm not a
fan of Black Ops things like like one, like two,
like three. Oh right, no, that's not even half.
Speaker 3: That's not even half.
Speaker 2: That's fair enough.
Speaker 3: Once we hit those later ones, and I think it
was Black Ops four that brought in the first war
Zone or Battle Royale kind of map on the Blackout map,
and then the incomes Morrow for one and twenty nineteen. Yeah,
because Black Ops for was twenty eighteen, Sea I'm on
our first twenty nineteen and that brought in war Zone
and built off of it. So everything with Black Ops
at this point, I'm not really on board with it.
It's it's just it's not it's not something that I
jive with. I like a lot of these spinoff ones,
like Advanced Warfare. That one was the Besnies. That's when
they brought on the exo suit and they brought in
a few other things and just the zombies maps in there.
I had a hell of a good time with that
and the way they had like the gun building system
in there too. There was so much good stuff about
that game. After that there was Infinite Warfare, which is
very much in the future. I really liked how that
one felt. I had a lot of fun with that one,
and again they played very different from each other. And
at the end of the day, though, I feel like
Black Ops was always something that was rooted or like
the older like you got Cold War that was Black
Ops five. Uh So there's just when you play Black
Ops games, I feel like there's just much more of
like a sluggish kind of feel to it. And maybe
that's just me and my own personal bias in this,
because I like how fast and responsive the Modern Warfare
titles are and twenty nineteen Modern Warfare holy shit, Like
that was just like they hit the peak right there
for bringing these Call of Duty games out and they're
just not hitting that stride anymore with these with these titles.
More over, for three Open World Zombies, that was again
another peak that they hit. But now that they're back
to doing these classic turn or round base zombies, like,
it's fine, but I'm not on board for it, Like
I just I'm not there if I'm not even buying
these Call of Duties anymore because they're just popping up
on games Pass, which is great because now I don't
have to worry about it. I get access to all
the guns and everything. Was that, Travis?
Speaker 2: I just because I looked up? But you know it's
crazy because I agree with you, but still call you
black Ops six high selling game last year. Yeah, fucking
isn't that crazy though that it's still like a bunch
of people on Xbox's down and games pas. But still
because I just wonder, I'm just like it's been that
way since the podcast started, probably before the podcast started.
It's like how much how many more years doing than
we have? We're Call Duties like in the top five?
Speaker 3: Oh a lot? Because you know what, the people that
are putting the money into this, their kids are going
to grow up and they're gonna doing the same thing.
It's just it's an endless cycle on a repeat. Now
that's crazy. What I think that they need to do
is I think they need to scrap this Black Ops narrative.
I dropped this narrative.
Speaker 2: Top selling game, Taylor of the Year.
Speaker 3: But they should. They should. I I don't have any
connection to the Black Ops characters, to each zone. Though
there's a lot of woods, there's a lot of Mason's, like,
what are the numbers mean?
Speaker 2: Mason?
Speaker 3: All that kind of shit. But for me, I think
what they gotta do is they got to go back,
just like they did twenty nineteen on Warfare. They got
to give us a World at War remaster, not even
like ours. Build that ship from the ground up, using
like the game engine for a Black Ops seven or
something like that. But do World at War give us
those four og zombie maps in there again? Oh my god,
that would be peak. You could throw in a little
bit of extra sprinkles in there too. Get away with
the Bubblegump machines. I don't need any of that anymore.
I don't need any of the other stuff. Just keep
it simple, back to basics, with a little bit of
optional choices and customization. They're sure, whatever, but yeah, give
us that main campaign too. The World of War campaign
was phenomenal. That was such a good story. It was
crazy missions, but even the multiplayer was popping off back
in the day too. I think just going along that route,
doing a World at War kind of relaunch would be
pretty hype and be pretty peak, because I don't know
what else you do at this point, Like we've been
to the future so many times. I don't know how
many times you can keep going there, and we've been
back to Cold War, World War one, World War two
so many times. But at least if you do a
World at War, you're hitting on a big chunk of
nostalgia because that game was great.
Speaker 2: So yeah, numbers go against you, though, Taylor. Other than
in twenty twenty three, this entire decade, every year called
he is at number one. That's crazy. Hogwarts Legacy is
the only year that bumped it off. So that's just
that to me, is not like it's not if you're
to say, hey, it's in the top ten, that would
mean nuts to me. But the fact that it's top
three is that to me, the fact that the top
one is even nuts or nuts, so whatever you want
to say, Like I just I can't believe it or not.
We've been doing this for ten years and it's just
it's still the exact same, you know.
Speaker 3: It's why they closed it out on their show.
Speaker 1: So why they spend seventy billion dollars to acquire Activision Blizzard.
Speaker 2: And that's why you're getting Black Ops seven Taylor, you know,
the one game of the year. Why would they Why
would they stop? They can do that, They can do
your stuff. When they drop down a.
Speaker 3: Little, they can't. And you know what, at the end
of the day, I don't play the campaigns anymore for
these I it's it is what it is. Other people can.
I'm I'm playing the multiplayer. I do enjoy just team Deathmatch.
However many times we have new Town now fuck, we've
had like six iterations of Nuketown. I don't even fucking
know anymore. But I'm still playing the multiplayer. I do
enjoy Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hard Point, those are my go tos.
And then when you guys are online, I'm absolutely down
to just pop on the war Zone and I think
this it'll be exciting to see what this brings for
a war Zone just to see you. Oh, we're gonna
get some new maps, new guns, all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1: So if they remove omni movement, I'll play some multiplayer.
But oh, fuck you, gus mainstay for the next few years,
it needs to go.
Speaker 3: I am I there's a chance that they could remove
it in this new one. The omni movement.
Speaker 2: Fuck you.
Speaker 3: We were talking about wall riding and Mario Kart omni movements.
The Oh my god, your age will show once because
that shit like the tweakerss, the crazies, just like jumping
around three sixties wall jumps, like all over the ceilings
and shit, I can't keep up with that. Fuck I
work at nine to five. I'm just trying to enjoy
my Friday night.
Speaker 1: I'm guessing games Calm, we'll get like a ten to
fifteen minute like full breakdown of this game. That would
be my prediction of when we get more info on this,
because they didn't show like shit all in this really
really yeah.
Speaker 3: That's cinematic. I didn't know how to interpret it. I
thought it was Starfield at first when I saw it,
and then it went all haywire and I thought, this
is like Stranger Things kind of like, I don't know,
it's just weird.
Speaker 1: I guess Black Comb back just like their Black Ops
is just there, like what if scenario thing now, so
it's kind of just like your their template for just
getting kind.
Speaker 2: And started with it, like the what if. I feel
like in the first two games were very very realistic
what ifs right where.
Speaker 1: It was like, yeah, here's one turn in history, and
now it's just like in the future if all this crazy.
Speaker 2: If JFK was alive, you know, now it's just like
now you've seeing multiple rehab like JFK was God or something.
It's like, what if JFK was Doctor Strange and he
walked down the world like flipped. I was like, whoa,
It's like, is this an exception game? Like what's going on?
Speaker 3: Huh?
Speaker 1: Yeah, well Taylor mentioned Starfield there. Let's talk a little
bit about our predictions or our or our failed predictions.
I suppose. So one of the things I predicted was
that we were gonna get Starfield. I said, we're gonna
get two updates. We're gonna ge a story DLC and
then like a building, you know, space built space based
thing like that Starfield face No Show. Yeah, Taylor thought
was happening there, but instead it was a It was
a complete no show, which yeah, really surprises me. Just
like I don't know if they don't have anything ready,
if they're just not doing more Starfield stuff, if they're
just letting moders do all the Starfield stuff and they're
just not gonna do anything theirselves. But I was surprised,
you know, considering we get like see if these are
you get other scrolls every year, we get followed seventy
six every year. I thought I thought Starfield was gonna
become that, And yeah, maybe they just don't have anything ready,
But considering that, like they wouldn't have something like that
at a developer direct in January, I don't think they
would like spend money for like a Game Awards trailer
for Starfield DLC, So it feels like we wouldn't get
anyth until next I mean, maybe they can just drop
that in any random day. They don't need out a showcase.
But obviously I predicted it, and I was very surprised
to see, you know, maybe not that my prediction didn't
come true, but that we just didn't didn't even see
a Starfield logo on any screen. I don't even think
maybe when they're talking to the ally they had like
a screen shove in the background. But I was very
surprised with that.
Speaker 2: I thought though that last deal see that the game
go up. That wasn't attached like a showcase or anything, right,
it was just kind of a well.
Speaker 1: It was tricky because that was part of the pre
order bonus, right, so it was known before the game case.
It was kind of like the Jones thing where it's like, yeah,
I don't know, I still I think that was at
the showcase though last summer. I think it was like
here's what it actually is called, here's what it looks like.
It's coming out in the fall.
Speaker 2: Okay, Yeah, I don't know if there's gonna be more,
because I don't know. I think that I don't think
it was. Reception was mixed in the way that it
was like divisive of like a fail or not failed.
I think it was just didn't live up to the
hype that some people were hoping. Yeah, I really enjoyed.
Speaker 1: I just felt like that's exactly what happened with seventy six,
and like, now look at it, they're still supporting it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but that's at least that's at least built off
the back of Fallout though, right that branding of and everything.
Speaker 1: I guess another thing too is if Starfield is now
like the third pillar for Bethesda, We'll see if it
was a one off ef they make a sequel, but
like obviously they had Elder Scrolls followed and they were
kind of flipping flopping back forth. Now Starfield's in the mix,
that means that like before the next Starfield comes out,
assuming we get a Fallout five and then like a
fall and then Elder Stroll six, like, there's gonna be
a long ass time before we get a Starfield sequel,
So it makes sense to like support it for years
and years to come in like smaller updates. But it
didn't happen.
Speaker 2: Do you think it's a for sure Starfield sequel. I
don't know.
Speaker 1: I don't think it's a for sure And because I
think by the time that would be the next game up,
like Todd Howard might not even be Bathesta anymore. Who
knows what the direction will be like for that studio.
Maybe it'll just be like we just want to make
Elder Scrolls and follow Out. We don't have time for
anything else. If development times are ten fifteen years whatever
some of these games. So yeah, I don't know, we'll
see but yeah, I thought it would show up. Another
thing that Taylor thought would show up was Gears six,
but we didn't even see Gears E Day. So I'm
thinking now Gears E Day must be one of the
four or five things that the developer direct in January.
But yeah, in hindsight, like we just got Gears reloaded.
But are you in hindsight are you Are you feeling
weird about that like I am with Starfield? Are you
feeling like, actually, maybe that was a weird prediction that
I made.
Speaker 3: I don't feel like it was a weird prediction. I
feel like it was again with your Starfield. I think
it's all true. You know, you got them bragging about, oh,
twenty five years, you've been with us twenty five years.
It's like, we know what twenty five is. Years ended
in a fuck you kind of thing, like you should
be looking towards the future here with this stuff, not
dwelling on the past.
Speaker 2: Six wouldn't have been the dwell in the past. A
Gear six that's kind of dwelling on the that's a
little bit more.
Speaker 3: Than Gears Reloaded. That's dwelling on the past.
Speaker 2: If I ever get that out of PlayStation though, that's why,
you know, I guess, but crossplay confirmed not. I was
really hoping they were gonna be like, and guess what
this time is four people? It's only two still, so
I really wanted to do the squad.
Speaker 3: Stuck in the past.
Speaker 1: That's Gears One didn't have Horde mode, right or what
did they they have a name for that?
Speaker 3: I thought that was Gears to that introduced that. I
thought that was four because I thought Gears to change
the game by being four players.
Speaker 2: Actually I thought it might.
Speaker 1: Have Yeah, okay, interesting. Another thing, I you know, this
is more summer game fest, but I was thinking Straight
would show up. Didn't get that at all. Another thing
you thought Taylor was State of Decay, which was yeah,
definitely absent here. Uh concerned about Stave DeKay.
Speaker 3: I'm concerned. I went to the reddit. I went to
the reddit posts, and the other people are concerned too.
They're they're a little bit uneasy on this. So I'm
not the only one. I you know, I said it,
and I was maybe I was just doubting myself, thinking, yah,
it's probably not gonna get any kind of a.
Speaker 1: Mention Travis, I forget, did you have an Xbox Showcase
specific prediction.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was the Xbox will have two like or
a new project anounced for switch PlayStation sort of deal
like something like that. Right, didn't happen, So I was thinking, thinking,
we get that, but no, we did not get anything
new for Xbox and new titles because I even thought
I didn't. I guess that wasn't specific, but I thought
I just said, like over the weekend, that will pop
up somewhere, and it didn't.
Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, there's been some some murmurs that you know,
one of the things released next year would be Halo
Combat Evolved, Yes, the remake, which yeah, would make sense
for that, As I mentioned in the discord today, that
would make sense for that be the first time for
Halo to make the finally make that jump over to PlayStation.
That would be the game to do that with obviously
the OG game. So maybe we'll see something that we
did see. There was definitely a lot of PS five
logos in the end screens of a lot of the
games here. I don't think there was any switch to
games though, No, not yet, And even I think about
like Summer Gamefest didn't really have the switch to logo.
I think we talked about that a little bit, like
I don't yeah, like I don't know what's going on
with some of.
Speaker 2: That, but I think it's just almost similar like how
the switch was, right, like it took a while for
some of these games, Syrupunk coming over. That game has
been out for a while, so I think it's still
at a state where they like to like, here's what
I feel like a.
Speaker 1: Game like Keeper, that new Double Find game, Like to me,
that seems like I'm sure that could run on a
switch one.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, but also just because the new conscert would come
down to like contracts and working things out where if
she was running and stuff.
Speaker 1: And Keeper in particularly his Xbox first party, so they'd
probably want that exclusivity window for a few months before
it jumps over.
Speaker 3: But yeah, sorry, because Travis, you guys might have covered
this in the previous games first episode that on was
it Friday Friday? But you, Travis, because you predicted Jurassic
Park Survival, But right.
Speaker 2: I don't know what happened with that. I'm sorry.
Speaker 3: Give you credit because you were like fifty to fifty,
like still in the in the period.
Speaker 2: I said in this score, Yeah, I should have just
went with Jurassic. That should Now I've learned to be
safe for I don't want to go for a specific.
But yeah the second I said, than this for the second.
Speaker 1: Specifics more fun.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Second, I saw evolution out there goes my survival. Same
thing because I released that trailer, did an interview so
that Okay, we're cooking here, and I guess the plate
is still a little cool right now, so I'm not
worried about like stay of the Ky, but I just
saw now the time. But also the no evolution was cooking,
so there and then the only one I got right
was the James Bond Actor one.
Speaker 1: So I'll take you Taylor. What did you, by the way,
what did you think good reminder think of evolution three?
What did that trailer do for you? What's what's kind
of new and captivating about that?
Speaker 3: The biggest thing is letting your dinos breed in the
while getting like infant baby dinosaurs like you have, Like
there's the mom t rex and the two little infants.
There you got the big mama Mosesaurus and the two
infants swimming next to it. That is super exciting. I
can't wait. It seems like they're getting much more hands
on with the first person perspective too, which is really exciting,
and the way that like we know that your vehicles
could be damaged and whatnot before, but it seems like
they're really amp umping the air a little bit more
with that. Yeah, I mean the worlds and the locations,
that's always nice. So it'll be cool to see where
they're going with this. And they these games play a
direct tie in with the films, so not like enduring
the film, but kind of like, oh like leading up
to kind of a thing. Not that I care about
the canon or whatnot, but it's fun just to kind
of have the characters really closely affiliated with your story
as you're kind of going along doing these missions. But
the game is immaculately beautiful. I mean, you've played it,
like Drastic World Evolution two is just a beautiful game,
was so much detail and its wonder and being able
to choose between decorating a theme park between Jurassic Park
and then Drastic World, and being able to go even
further and make it like a lost world. Jurassic Park
three kind of a thing run down, but just like
they have so many really cool things, and they never
fail to keep adding more and more and more with
Drastic World Evolution two being the inclusion of aerial dinosaurs
and aquatic dinosaurs and all that. Like, they've added so
many really awesome things, So I'm excited to see how
big this one's going to be. That being said, I'm
not gonna get a day one that this is a
game that's gonna sale very very quickly. I guarantee it.
I'm gonna wait.
Speaker 1: Eventually those ones went on Game Pass too, or at
least the second one of them did go on Game Past.
Speaker 3: That's true.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I was gonna say, I think the to me,
it looks a lot more like vertical like in terms
of being able to build up more like hills and
little plateaus and things like that. So it seems like
you can get a little more dynamic with your with
your park, which is which is pretty cool. All right,
I'm gonna give this showcase three point nine to me.
It's not quite a four, but it's definitely not a
three point five, So I'm giving to three point nine.
It's just just under a four for me. I think
it needed one more big sauce and then it would
have been in the four to four point five range
and a little more couple more personal things for me,
but overall, I think it was It was really great,
and uh yeah, Xbox continues that.
Speaker 2: I like that.
Speaker 1: I can at this point now look forward to every
Xbox showcase. For a bit, there was like, I don't
know what we're gonna get, but now it seems like
every year we at least get. I feel like if
I if we ever go below a three point five,
I'll be shocked for me. But yeah, three point nine.
Speaker 2: For me, I won't be shocked if film the team's
always around because they can always they can always surprise me.
To unsusprise me, you know, I'm gonna steal your gimmick.
Three point nine is great. I honestly, at some point
was like at a four point five, probably about midway through,
just like the pacing, I thought, there's lots of games.
There's one game that's not Xbox School, so we didn't
talk about that. I like called Kronos. Yeah, I like
the monster designs, but it's for everybody, and it's this
false like, Kay, well I'm not getting that game right away,
but it's on my list for when that gets cheaper whatever.
Speaker 1: But their last game or two were on game Pass,
so I don't know if that was what it could be,
could become a game pass game.
Speaker 2: But it's is this chronus you mean from the dev
or is this like a series? No?
Speaker 1: Like a Bluebird team who makes that dated the medium
They did the blaur Witch game, all of which were
on game Pass. I don't think Silent Hill was. They
did that remake, but that's a bit different because it's
Konomi as well. But yeah, it could be a game
pass one.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but no, I thought because for me sometimes I
feel like I lean That's why I always wait for
those fives. The pacing. To me, I really appreciate how
someone puts the show together, and I thought the show
just take away. The games at first were very well done.
I think something's got a good amount. I think, like
we talked about Summer Games Fest, it did not have
that like all three games ran together, didn't know what
they were. I felt that there was a lot of variety.
It was like, oh, here's five dark fantasy things here.
It's like, oh, it's high on Life to a prone
four dark ground and yeah, it's all like different. It's
like you could have a string of six to eight
games where you're not gonna confuse them, You're gonna look
at them like, oh, they're all very different where I
think that happened with both Sony and the Summer Games Fest.
So but the three point nine is because of could
have liked some more Wow motes and some stuff from
their catalog, and also the the cod review legit is
a negative five point five, but I like the point six.
So yeah, that's three point nine. That's perfect. Seeing four
seems too strong, but to me it's like just above that,
just know how, just flip through things. Like I said,
if that allies last, it's a four for sure.
Speaker 1: So mm hm, Taylor, what's your number?
Speaker 3: I wanna go three point five. I feel like it
was it was consistent, and it's good. I think there's
definitely a good amount of content for everyone here and
they're hitting all their bases. But it's definitely not perfect.
And I'm talking at points because I'm I'm being greedy
and I wanted some more. Now, I wanted some more
some Taylor stuff in here, not even any like Halo stuff.
You know, obviously there's a comment of Alve members, but
just some something on the Horizon.
Speaker 2: That's for us, that's for the Sony guy.
Speaker 1: It's not you horizons for PlayStation fans.
Speaker 3: Yeah, if I'm being like absolutely super super greedy, I
want like a Halo Wars three. I want my Gears six.
Speaker 2: Since this podcast started, I know, I know, I got two.
Speaker 3: And that's as far as they're gonna give me. All Right,
that's about it.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, one completely unrelated to anything we just talked about. Taylor.
Name any video game, any video game, name one video game,
any video.
Speaker 3: Game, any video game in the world. Uh, Star Wars, Empire, War.
Speaker 2: War.
Speaker 1: Okay, that'll be relevant at some point in the future.
But thank you for answering that. Thank you everyone for
listening to This is a fun episode. Next week we'll
be back to talk about more Mario Kart more. Switch
doesn't have to answer this question. No, he does not
have to answer this question. You No, it's good, You're fine,
nothing to worried about. Thank you everyone for listening. Thank
you boys for joining me many times throughout this week.
We did a lot of side quests. Thank you for
not leaving me hanging. You know, I had a lot
of good company this week talking about video games, which
was really fun. We will see you again next time.
Bye bye,