Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to side Quest. This is our weekly
video game.
Speaker 2: Show here at geek Curs.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Still must Night, joined by the ally
Kirkland Patzer. How are you doing today, my friend.
Speaker 2: I'm doing very good, sir.
Speaker 3: I'm happy to be here with you in this nice
You know, here Canada, it's a holiday, so we can
get the day off from work, so that's nice, get.
Speaker 1: The day off work. So here we are working on podcast,
but it's nice to do it earlier in the day
and then we don't have to record eight pm and
I have to late to edit and uploaded all that stuff,
so it's it is nice to have that. Yeah, today's
episode is gonna be a very chill, laid back episode
because there was not a lot of news out there,
just one small thing that I want to talk about,
and then really just games we've been playing, and then
we're gonna see how that goes. We want to have
a little bonus topic depending on time afterwards, if we
need a little bit more to talk about. So it
should be a fun, chill episode and let's get right
into it. Kirkland, what have you been playing lately?
Speaker 3: What I've been playing lately? A couple of things to
kind of just catch up on. I get it out
of the way quick, me and my old buddy from
high school, Denzil, shouts out to Denzil. We jumped into
a co op Warhammer campaign, and I have not done
a co op campaign I think since like the base
game came out that just had like the standard campaign,
and then after you know, six months or so, they
released like the big Combining campaign, so we started a
campaign on that. And we've done a co op campaign
in the past on like Warhammer two, but they've made
the online.
Speaker 2: Co op is just so much better in the third.
Speaker 3: In the third game, like now you can actually do
simultaneous turns because it's a turn based game. So like
instead of like me doing all my actions and turn
it goes to him and then I like walk away,
I go do dishes for like half an hour, come back,
Like it's just like a terrible system. Now we can
just do all of our it was at the same time,
which is so nice, especially like those games like once
you get into some later turns, I swear I got
one turn could be like an hour late, like so
if you had to just wait for someone like that
would be so terrible.
Speaker 2: But uh no, it's going it's going really well.
Speaker 3: Where uh it's challenging, especially like I feel like a
lot of the times if you're playing a single player campaign,
you can kind of cheese it sometimes, like maybe if
a battle doesn't go well or if you don't get
an ambush, like maybe it's a seventy percent chance for
ambush you intern it doesn't succeed, it's like, Okay, well,
I'm gonna just reload that safe and hopefully that ambush works.
Like you don't really do that on online, So like, yeah,
there's been a couple times where like I had a
big siege battle and then typically if I was doing
like a similar campaign and I failed that siege, it's like, Okay,
this is just ending my whole campaign. I'm just gonna
start a new one, because like, you lose a lot
of your forces, you lose a lot of your momentum,
and a lot of times, especially on hard difficulties, like
you need that early momentum, like you got to just
keep steamrolling otherwise you're you're just set back so much.
And then on herd difficulties, the AI has like recruiting
cheats so they can just like recruit a lot faster
than you and just have like way bigger armies. So
like one of my key sieges did not work out well,
like I did get defeated, but it was it was
pretty bloody battle, like my enemy was really like taking
down too, and it actually ended up playing out pretty fun.
So because we're just kind of rolling with the punches,
like you just kind of well, that didn't work out,
Let's see how we can kind of recover from this.
Speaker 2: It's been like a really fun unique campaign actually, and.
Speaker 3: We're playing as the high Elves and we're pretty we're
pretty closely situated, which is nice.
Speaker 1: Way are you are you the same nation that you're
running together or the separate ones that are.
Speaker 3: So different nations, but like each race, let's say, has
like six leaders or something like that. So he's he's
one of them, and then I'm I'm I'm basically Lady Galadriel,
Like that's the basically who this who this leader is,
and yeah, and then he's the Shadow King, which is
kind yeah yeah exactly, like we started away, but then
like the goal was to just kind of like like
find each other, unite, and then now we can kind
of support each other and I think we played like
twenty turns on our first uh the first session, and
that's I don't know, like maybe four ish hours of playtime.
And it's been it's been lots of fun. It's been
a lot, especially like my funds have been really low because,
like I said, like I lost that key battle and
then I kind of had to recoup and then like
my funds are just like in the Red and it's like, hey,
well now I really have to win these battles otherwise
I'm just bankrupt. And then I have been winning those battles.
So it's been like, oh my god, n that we're
coming back. And yeah, it's just we're playing on like
very hard difficulty and it's just it's so chaotic, like
there's so many enemies around and they're just like constantly
building up their forces and hopefully we'll succeed in the campaign.
I'm pretty common like him and I have played a
lot of this game, so I feel confident that we
can do it. And Hio's are definitely the race I've
probably played.
Speaker 1: I forget it is win condition taken out everyone or
can you end the game with There's different conditions.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, Like there's like, you don't have.
Speaker 1: To eventually backstab your friend here, you guys could know.
Speaker 3: No, we were joking that we would do that because
like Olf won, which is like it's just like an island,
and that's the hot that's like the High Elves hub.
And then we were joking it's like, hey, well once
we once we defeat the Dark Alves that's like the
High Ele's main enemy, then we're gonna have to just
fight over all one. Yeah, we'll figure out who gets
the donut. It's kind of a donut shape on the map,
so but no, we'll probably won't do that then.
Speaker 1: Nice.
Speaker 3: The last campaign that we did, we didn't finish it.
I think it was just one of those things where
your schedule gets busy and then the third game ended
up coming out. It's like, hey, we're not gonna jump
back into Warhammer two.
Speaker 2: So but it's been fun.
Speaker 3: We've been trying to coordinate this for like weeks and
then randomly I just messaged them like Saturday morning, like
hey man, I'm pretty free today, let's let's jump into this.
So and it worked out. So it's been lots of
lots of fun there and I'm excited to jump back
in there and hopefully we can succeed.
Speaker 1: I that's a good quick segue, and I know you
have maybe other things to shout out, but one thing
that was announced this week is that a sequeled Alien
Isolation is in the works, which is the same do
udio as the Total War Studio of course, Creative assentdse it.
Speaker 3: I was so surprising that the like very different games,
very very different like universes as well.
Speaker 1: I like that was such an out of pocket thing
when we were me and Taylor doing that retro and
looking at like what studio actually made the same. But yeah,
they're they're finally making a sequel after ten years, which
is kind of kind of crazy that they're coming back
to it. But I guess Alien is doing pretty well
right now, hot off Romulus and all that, So, yeah,
what do you think about that sequel. I'm personally pretty
excited for it because that game held up super well,
like visually and you know, gameplay wise, there was some
shortcomings to it, but overall, it was a really fun
time to go back to it and it felt pretty modern.
So it's curious what they're going to see with like
what they're going to do with ten years more of
work under their belt.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think there were so many things that they
had going for them for that game. Like you mentioned
the visuals, like those totally hold up the overall just
like like the you have like they're kind of their
original Alien score of just like an unsettling like tone
going on and just the whole vibe like they really
captured that well. So I I'm all for another one.
I never got through that game fully, I got a
little scared and something long.
Speaker 2: I put the controller down.
Speaker 3: But yeah, like not only the visuals look great, the
atmosphere look great, but like the whole AI with the
the alien was really good, right because it would learn
your It would learn your your your patterns. You can't
just I feel like I usually find a strategy that
works well for me in those games. And I feel
like once I got to that point that the alien
started just bopping me, I was like, this is too
scary of a game.
Speaker 2: I can't do.
Speaker 1: Throw too many de Qui grenades. It'll eventually learn that
you're throwing a deciding to where it thinks it threw
it from. Like yeah, really cool stuff.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, there's been I I I feel like the
last good scare I had that game was like I
was hiding underneath the desk and as unimorph like went
by me, and then it like instantly like turned around,
just went underneath the desk.
Speaker 2: And it just gave me like the biggest jump scare.
Yeah yeah, but you having too many desks.
Speaker 1: It knew you were knew that was your favorite thing
to do.
Speaker 3: But yeah, Like, because that game holds up so well,
I'm exciting to see what they're able to do with
a more mom technology and what engine it would be on.
I don't know if we have details.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I forget, I forget what the engine of the
first game was, and I don't even know what they
use for like total war and whatnot in terms of engines.
But yeah, I'm curious to see what they do because
I feel like Isolation ends in such a way where
it's like, I want to say, it's a cliffhanger, but
it's more of just like a tease ending. And I
feel like that means in a way that they could
just do a very direct sequel to that first game
and continuation with some of the characters, the characters that survive,
or they could just pivot and just kind of in
the way that, like a lot of the other Alien
movies just pick up at some random spot like raw Mills,
for example. It just exists in that world that really
isn't that closely connected to any other movies. I feel
like they could do the same thing there. I wonder
how fans would feel about that, given some of the
ending of the first Isolation. But yeah, I'm really curious
to see what they do. There's really no other information.
They just announce that they're working on it, so I'm
sure it's at least a couple of years away, but
that's pretty exciting. I'm excited to see what they do there,
and hopefully they I think I just wanted them to
take a few lessons from that first game, because I
think they did a really good job, but just in
terms of buttoning some of it up and taking out
some of the repetition and uh just making it a
bit like shorter and sweeter of an experience, you know,
that's kind of what I would aim for. But yeah,
it was a really cool game. Once again, go back
check out that retrospective that me and Taylor did earlier
this year. So yeah, that's pretty cool. But anyway, what else.
Speaker 2: Sorry, I just pulled up Creative.
Speaker 3: Creative Assemblies is the company, and I'm just looking at
like their list of games because I was curious.
Speaker 2: So it's just like all Total War titles, like all.
Speaker 3: The historical ones, like all those yeah, and then yeah,
Alien Isolation and then Halo Wars two, which is like,
okayat Halo different ip, but like it's still a strategy game,
so it makes sense. But Alien Isolation is just the
one kind of outlier, and it is I.
Speaker 1: Feel like, I don't think they ever done have done
another first person game, So that was yeah. Yeah, and
I feel like I started as like a third person
game and then eventually turned into a first Really.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's really surprising, actually, I feel like that really
changes the whole experience yea through first person.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's some footage out there of like the third
person gameplay, and it's kind of kind of jarring to.
Speaker 2: It could be a lot less scary, actually.
Speaker 1: I think that that was probably a big part of
the change. I don't know, maybe it wasn't originally as
much of a horror game, but then they as they
were play testing it and prototyping it, it felt way
scarier than they expected, rather than an action game. Perhaps
then they went that direction. I'm not exactly sure, but
it's it's pretty cool and nonetheless.
Speaker 2: Yeah cool, No, that's cool. What else do we play? Oh?
Speaker 3: I got the big Itch to jump back into Balder's
Gate and then Shay, Yeah, Shaye was just two or
this week that is a same time. So yeah, the air,
I don't know what it was. I was just like, man,
I really just want to jump in there and roll
some dice and just tackle some different situations. And yeah,
Shane and I had a campaign that we were just
progressing with together and like, I still want to play
that one with her.
Speaker 2: I boot it up our saved because I.
Speaker 3: Couldn't really remember exactly where we were and we were
in this like I don't know, just a swamp area
and it was awful. It was like the boss was
just destroying us.
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay in act one still yeah, like a hag lady. Yeah,
a hard boss man. Man.
Speaker 3: We like, I'm pretty sure we tried that like five
or six times. And then it's just like instead of
just backtracking and leaving, it's like just turn the game
off and a little just fresh.
Speaker 1: Play for six months, yeah exactly.
Speaker 3: So then I was like looking at it, and then uh,
I was like whatever, So I made a new character
obviously because a single player play through, and I'm playing
as a warlock, and I'm really like doubling down on
my I'm doing like a full on like blade lock
strategy where you just like buff like I have like
a nice two handed weapon. But because I've you have
like the pact of the Blade, you get proficiency with it.
Speaker 2: And it's really really really strong build.
Speaker 3: Actually, like right now, like i I'm I think I'm
like right at the end of Act one right now
on my on my play it's going a lot smoother
than it would have been. Like when Shannon not not
again anything, it's hurt. It's just like we had no
idea how to play the game like at all. So
just like certain strategies or like really getting creative with
how you're gonna handle certain situations, even just certain characters
that we didn't even come across, Like we didn't even
meet Gail on our on our playthrough of like the
first time we went through we saw like the like
the portal, It's like I'm not touching that.
Speaker 2: That looks scary, So we just kind of bypassed it.
Speaker 1: So man, that's funny. How early in that game, like
even Lazel I think can just die really early in
that case, don't save her and stuff.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so I I just like didn't go like see her,
so I don't have her right now on my my
single player play through. My my party consists of it's
like myself, heart Will and Carlac, which is like pretty
actually like really will wait?
Speaker 1: Whose Will?
Speaker 2: He's the he's the dude.
Speaker 3: Oh his name is play to the Frontiers spelled differently
you and y l L. Yeah, so yeah, I got
I guess two warlocks right now in my party. And
then Carlac is just yeah, are you gonna?
Speaker 1: Is that is that part of the strategy, the double
warlock thing or are you gonna?
Speaker 3: I feel like I just had him for like story reasons,
like I was just kind of invested in his story,
and then because it's nice in that game too. I
didn't really realize how easy it is to just respect
or like make a new class or you can reclass
certain characters. I don't really want to do that because
I feel like their starting classes just fit really thematically
with what their overall story is. Yeah, and and yeah,
like I'm not really dual classing or anything like that.
I've never really done that in D and D. I've
always kept it pretty simple of just like the one
class and committing to that. But no, it's going, it's
going really well. I'm playing on tactician tactical. Like the
difficulty it is a little bit harder, I don't know,
just because I really wanted to try and learn like
the combat really well.
Speaker 2: And yeah, it's funny.
Speaker 3: There's like certain like like cannon characters that Shane and
I either killed or like seen were killed like on
our first play through that are like now that I'm
experiencing them, like, man, you're like a main character.
Speaker 2: Like I can't believe.
Speaker 3: Like just how much the playthrough can change depending on
where you kind of go and you kind of kill
like anyone or anyone can kind of die. And there's
many characters that like we just never got like a
dialogue from them at all because we just like assumed
that they look sketchy, so we just like snuck attack
them or like or like destroyed a bridge that they'd
be on so they just like fell into the abyss.
Speaker 2: We don't even know what they're carrying.
Speaker 3: So yeah, it's funny just comparing the two playthroughs in
that sense. So after I like, I'm like, right at
the end of act one, now I'm in the under
dark right now on that one character, and I was
just like I would to Shay, I'm like, man, I
feel like if we if we want to jump back
in the SCA, I feel like we should just make
like a new save because I feel like there's so
many things that we just like completely like.
Speaker 1: Sure you'd blast through it because like you've gotten to
ouh yeah, damn quick too.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I know exactly, Like yeah, I think our total
playtime on that save is like fourteen hours, whereas on
this one for me, it's like five, and I'm further along,
like story.
Speaker 2: Wise than we would have been together.
Speaker 3: And of course you're like learning the game though, and
you're kind of four of those hours probably spending character
creation the first time. Who knows so, but no, it's
been it's been awesome. I'm glad I jump back in there,
and I am I'm very much wanting to jump back
in there with Shae because we had a lot of
fun play. I think it's a really great like two
player game as well, just how it works, like I
could be in a cut scene and you could be
in a different cut scene, and it's really pausing.
Speaker 1: Games make that work as you want it to. Yeah,
for that one, it just feels exactly can like you
can choose to kind of just listen in other commas
if you want, or you turn that setting off and
just kind of live your own little life. So it's
pretty cool how they made that work.
Speaker 2: One hundred percent.
Speaker 3: And something else that's new to the game that wasn't
in it last time I played, was they have like
a workshot like mod manager on console, which like, okay,
I know PC had it, but like on console they
just had. It's kind of how I guess like Bethesda
Games they kind of added that to console. I guess
specifically Skyrim, like they charge you, Yeah, exactly. It's like
kind of grimy, and like the mods are terrible. It's
like the most like just I don't know Betheesa handpicked
like mod Helmet.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's so stupid. Or is this one? I don't
think there's a cost.
Speaker 3: I didn't make an account, but it seemed like you
can just download them and like some of them are
actually pretty sweet, Like of course they got like the
aesthetic changes one, but one of them is just like
it removes like the cap on your party size, so
you can have like ten people on your on your crew.
And it's nice because it actually scales with the difficulty,
Like the more people you add, the more difficult combat
will be. I didn't really dabble on that one. I
feel like it could get pretty overwhelmed.
Speaker 1: That's why I would do on a second play through. Yeah, no,
exactly right, really really cool thing.
Speaker 3: And just the way certain characters bounce off each other,
Like if you meet Gail for example, and then you
talk to like, I don't know, Astarian or shadow Heart,
like they'll react to certain characters. So it'd be cool
to kind of get just that background dialogue with more
people involved.
Speaker 2: Yeah, So it it's cool that.
Speaker 3: That's included because that definitely wasn't on last time that
I played the game.
Speaker 1: Yeah no, I mean I felt like when I'm playing
through the game, it doesn't feel like one of those
games that has companions that I want to frequently switch
them out and.
Speaker 3: Yeah, do different things like there maybe stories like yeah,
like a quest that you're following along, like there was
even some big, you know, vampire quest line and there's like,
you know, one of the companions is the vampire guy
who's like lined up for that, but I'm like, this
guy is so under leveled, and I think if you
switch to him and you haven't using it for hours,
they like give them some levels to catch them up.
Speaker 1: But I'm still like everybody everybody.
Speaker 2: Levels at the same time, the same, but you just
have to like, I don't know, I.
Speaker 1: Feel I would feelless invested because like I didn't go
on this journey with him and like his mopset, whereas
right now I have such a solid crew of four
that I just haven't switched out anyone of my party
in like thirty hours of game pretty much. So that's
something that would that would be really cool. I definitely
want to Dalbo with that on a on another playthrough.
So that's that's a cool shout out. I didn't even
realize that the mod stuff was there on console.
Speaker 2: That's that's interesting.
Speaker 3: Yeah, No, obviously it's so much more expanded on PC.
It's kind of free reign with what you can do
on there, but it's still it's nice to see on there,
and also that it's not like the beth As the
thing where you have to pay like ten bucks for
like a shitty armor.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just it's like rob Like, that's crazy that
they're charging that much for it.
Speaker 3: There's no need for it, Like it's clearly free and
easy to get on PC.
Speaker 2: It's just they're business people trying to get money out
of the fans. But no, Bather's good. It's been. It's
been great.
Speaker 3: Man, I'm glad I jump back in there and uh, yeah, no,
it's it's good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's been really fun for me. Jump back in
there too. I've probably put in another ten to fifteen
hours in the last couple of weeks as I got
back in. I yeah, I got to act three. It's funny.
So much of my motivation playing the game was like
I didn't really love acting too that much, to be honest,
Like just the setting of it. I found it was
a bit too samey and like, I don't know, I
wanted more exploration. It felt a little linear, I suppose,
and so so much of my motivation playing it back
then was like, man, I really just want to get
to this city. I want to see this older gate.
I'm sure it's huge. I just want to get there.
And then I got there, and then like all my
motivation just like faded away, and then I just, you know,
I spent like a couple hours in the city and
then kind of just didn't play it for six months.
Like I had a very similar situation to you there,
just had a different point in the story. So jumping
back in has been really fun. And so the first
thing I did was like, Okay, I'm just gonna very
thoroughly explore the city. I just did like a huge lap,
go into every building, every door, try to find every shop,
kind of get all the side quest threads that I
could see what's going on. I did all of that,
and then I was looking at the map and then
I was like, man, I feel like I didn't go
into every door. Now I felt like I did. So
I did like a whole other lap and found like
a bunch more shops and things I hadn't been to,
including one there's one like church that you can go
into and the guy there sells some equipment, and he
had like amazing equipment, the exact stuff I needed for
my build. And I just spent like seven thousand gold
because I never really bought anything in the game because
in the act too, I feel like there's like no
shopkeepers and stuff. So I had like fourteen grand and
never really bought anything. So I just spent so much
money on this one shopkeeper, like kicking out my characters,
which was really fun. And yeah, I've just been like
so much of the Steff and Act three obviously is
like the resolution to a bunch of the side quest storylines.
So that's been fun capping off some of the character
storylines finding other random side quests. At one point, I
was walking through the city and just found like a
man hole in the ground to go down to the sewers.
I was like, Okay, what's down here? And then I
spent like six hours in the sewers because it's just
a massive area, like it's humongous.
Speaker 3: There's a well that Shane I found that we went down,
and it's just like, man, we should not go down.
Speaker 2: This is like a labyrinth.
Speaker 1: I know, because I was like in the middle of
something too and I was like, I'm just gonna go
check this out. But then you know, you kind of
get suckered into it, and it's funny, like all theo
I just kept leaving the sewers in different spots, and
I'd end up in like some building that was locked
from the outside and I was very curious about and
that just kept happening. I kept popping up in the
city all over these random spots, so that was really fun.
And I guess I won't talk spoilers about certain things
since you're kind of back in there now, But really
the one thing that has been super exciting for me
and my party is like, you know, I have Carlac
and she's like a fighter type and it's like nothing
really that surprising or crazy happens when you level up.
He just like gets more attacks, gets stronger, and more
health than all that. But one of the people my
party's Jahiro, who's a Druid, and that has been so
fun to see, like the transformations you get at higher levels.
I finally have one now where I can just turn
into a velociraptor pretty much that has multiple taxs, you
can like spit corrosive acid at people, has like a
pounds ability, super duper strong, and that's been just so
much fun to use. Yeah, Like my party is so
solid at this point, which just like a very well
oiled machine. So I've just been like cruising through it
and even some bosses that have like insane amounts of
health seem like they're gonna be impossible, but somehow I
can just combo tons and tons of damage out. So
it's been really satisfying. I just love the combat in
this game. Yeah. I didn't expect that would be like
my favorite thing about it, my biggest takeaway. But I
guess as like a fan of tactics games, and this
is kind of in that realm but a little more
free form. Just so many options. I just love it.
It's just so fun.
Speaker 2: Oh for sure.
Speaker 3: I feel like that was a big thing on this
play through, Like the second time around. Now is I'm
just so much more effective I think at the combat,
like especially just targeting like one target with like all
your member, Like.
Speaker 2: It's so effective, just just just.
Speaker 3: Just focusing like whoever, like all at once is supposed
to kind of spreading it out, and then people start
getting healed, and then it's like, oh my god, this
is just getting drawn out. You go into a new
room and more people are like getting and like I
feel like that was kind of our first experience because
we just didn't know what to do. It's like, hey,
let's just go to this room or like maybe Shane
I were like spread out and then she'd be in
a room. I'd be in a different room, and we're
like both entering combat at the same time alone, and
it's just awful. Like the Goblin what's it called the
Goblin Hideout, I guess, like yeah, in Act one, like
that took us so many tries to go through, and
I swear I got we killed every single person in there,
like like it was just like, hey.
Speaker 1: Well we got to It's insane.
Speaker 3: And then it's like you take them out and then
you leave, and then there's like more goblins outside that
we all had to take out, and like that was
just brutal combat. Whereas when I did it now, like
I was a lot more strategic with it. I was
kind of like I still took them out, Like I
freed the Druid Hauls and and I even know he
was there the first time that we played, so like
when you free him and like he's in his bare form,
like it's just so much more effective.
Speaker 2: Campaign.
Speaker 3: So like there, it's great that we just get completely
different experiences even though we're like trading the same path
and the game is linear, but like because people do
at Perma death, like you can totally change the game
that way. So yeah, it's been It's been really really
fun to jump in there, and it feels like a
whole new experience, even though like I'm treading the same
path that I did on the first play.
Speaker 1: Through right on. Yeah, that's funny that we both just
randomly decided to unplanned. It's hilarious cool. Any other shout
outs or is that that's what you've been playing?
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's that's pretty much been it honestly the last
couple of weeks.
Speaker 1: There sounds good. Okay, I have two kind of two
more update ones and then a new experience to talk about.
Souped up his last last week meeting Travis, We're talking
about Zelda Echoes of Wisdom. I was close to the end.
I've no beat it, and I've got pretty much like
one hundred percent completion. I went through did every side
quest in the game, which there was like fifty of them.
There's like a ton of side quests, you know, some
of them are pretty short, but others are really expansive,
Like they take you to other like dungeon areas you've
never been to, fought like exclusive bosses that you would
never see. I think that was my biggest takeaway from
this game in general, is that the side quest design
was just amazing. Like nothing nothing was just a basic
fetch quest, or if it was, it was like prettied
up in a couple of ways that made it really interesting.
But yeah, like exclusive areas, like finding bonus things, good challenges,
like it's just really really fun side quests and really
surprising ones. And then like the rest of the collectibles
that was fun to get all that. And I think,
you know, a funny thing for me after we did
our episode last week, I listened to a couple other
podcast reviews of it and just hearing how other people
have decided to like solve different puzzles and problems in
the game because it's so free form with the spawning
the ecosystem. Funny just hearing like other people's strategies for
things and how that just like, oh, made the game
so easy doing it this way, and like I just
either didn't think to do that or like certain echoes
I didn't even get until I was pretty much like
done with the game already. I just think it's such
a cool game to hear other people's experiences because everyone's
going to have like a slightly different experience with it.
So I love this game. I think it's it's fantastic.
It is exactly the kind of freeform open game that
I want, but still like kind of small enough that
you it doesn't take too long to get through all
of it. And it's one that as soon as I
was done, I just wanted more and more and more.
And that's why I went and did like all the collectibles,
did all the side Quest, and even after that, I
was like, man, I want like DLC, I want like
a couple extra dungeon areas to go experience like some
of the other things that I didn't even unlock until
until later on. So yeah, really really good time. I
highly recommend that game. I just had a amazing grand
time with it. It was super fun. So show Cizelda.
Hell yeah, and then my my UFO fifty Game of
the Week. I just there's gonna be a new segment
here on side Quest, Kirk. I'm kind of picking too.
I'm doing a two for one here and I'll explain why.
So two games that I've just been loving is one
of them is called Velgrass in there, and this is
the one I was talking about where it's kind of
like Ice Climbers, if Ice Climbers was like fun and
a modernized version of it where it's pretty simple. You're
just jumping climbing through this tower, and whenever you jump,
like I guess, beyond the halfway point of the screen,
this like spike roller kind of rolls up from the
bottom of the screen, so the bottom of the map
is always like you're always gonna die if you hit
the bottom of it. So you're constantly climbing, but anytime
you jump on a platform, it starts to fade out,
so like if you jump on a cloud, it fades
after like half a second, and then like blocks will
take like a full second, so you have a little
bit more time. But it's just like a super reflex
heavy game, really fun, just simple platform or all the while.
You have a gun, you're taking out enemies, you're picking
up gold, you're making it through and it's kind of
like a rowlike in that way that it's randomized layouts
every time. And so that was one that it took
me a lot time to get the hang of it,
but once I did, it just like puts you in
such a fun flow state. It's such a just fun platformer,
and then I got the cherry on it, which is
like the bonus objective, which required you to like take
out some specific enemies in each level, get these keys,
and then make it to like a whole secret last
world and then beat that as well. So it's just
a super fun time. I probably spent like three hours
on it maybe overall to like figure out everything and
beat everything in it. So yeah, great time. Shout out
to Velgress. And then the other one I watch to
show it is a game called Overbold, And the reason
I'm pairing them together is because they both feature the
same main character. It's kind of like a spinoff game
of one another. So he plays this character named Alpha,
who's a fun little protagonist. But Overbold is a really
cool game. It's kind of like a top down little
arena game where it's set in the same like rectangular arena.
You are a simple character. You can walk around, you
can shoot your gun, and that's pretty much it. It's
very basic. And then in each of the four corners
of the map there's these spawners, and so as you're
going through, like enemies that are just coming out of
these spawners, you got to take them out first level
is very basic, and then after that, the really fun
system to it is one there's a shop, so depend
on how much money you have, you can buy upgrades
for your gun, upgrades for your character, your health, upgrades
for your bombs, that kind of thing. And then you
can also choose to kind of roll additional enemies into
the level, so when you spawn, like if I go
into level two, there's gonna be some random enemy type
that I'm gonna fight, But then I can like up
the anti so I can add Okay, I'm gonna add
maybe three or four rounds of extra enemies in there,
so now I have to fight a lot more things,
but then the reward is gonna be a lot higher.
And so it was kind of like a little bit reminds, yeah,
a little bit always this constant risk reward of like, okay,
do I want to tackle more enemies, but like, am
I gonna take them all out?
Speaker 2: Now?
Speaker 1: When ever you add enemies, you don't know which. There's
like seven or eight enemy types, you know. Some of
them have project outs, some of them just chase you down.
Some of them are like it's exploding pumpkin bombs, like
Hobgoblin style. So you never really know what you're gonna get,
so it's just like, oh, I could roll it and
it might be a really easy enemy type that's not
an issue at all, or it could be just like
lava blocks that go on the level so you have
less play to walk, and it's just like that push
and pull is so fun. I'm always getting like a
little bit greedy, but you have to like get really
strong because the final level of it, which I made
it too, Like the first time I played the game,
I didn't even realize you could like add additional enemies,
so it's pretty easy. It was like I was fighting
like five enemies each time, pretty easy. But then I
made it to the final boss level and it's like
some huge boss and like a million enemies. So the
idea being that, like you need to get your character
really powerful if you're gonna take down that boss, and
the only way to do that would be the up
to ante in these other levels and get your character
like really really strong. So it's this very simple game,
but it's so addictive. It's just one of those games
that you always just want to do one more run.
It's super duper fun. So shout outs to uh Overbold.
I just fifty is and listened. Great, I've spent like
thirty hours in it now and there's still like twenty
games I haven't even touched yet in the experience, Like,
it is such an expive thing, it's so value. So
shout outs to UFO fifty. How about that would take
our first ad break of the show and we will
be right back. All right, we are back, Kirkland. I
have a very fun game that I'm excited to talk
to you about. I in the last week or two
started and finished out Last two.
Speaker 2: Oh man, yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1: Get into the Halloween five like, oh yeah, scary games.
It's at that time of the season. I've been waiting to
play out Last two until October here, so for anyone
hasn't listened to every Cyclist episode. Earlier this year, all
four of us got together and did a review for
Outlast Trials, the multiplayer Outlast game that came out earlier
this year, And then like a month or two later,
I went back and played through Outlast one and the
Whistleblower DLC and it was the first time I ever
played that game. And now hey, I'm playing Outlast too.
So first I want to ask you because I re
listened to a couple of those bits just to remember
how much we had all played. And then one time
you said that you had just started the game, and
then in another episode you mentioned that you were playing
like a raft sequence and stopped there. But that's like
really deep in the game, so like, how much of
this game have you actually played?
Speaker 3: I think what ended up happening was I started the
save like on my own and then only got like
early on, and then I went over to a buddy's
house and he was like halfway through the game and
I was playing that and then just just I don't
know something to do. And then yeah, that one, because
I was so invested in the story, I ended up
actually like just watching like a YouTube walk through. I
never finished it, but I was just like, I don't know,
like I don't really want to play this game because
I remember hating the raft sequence, but h but like
I don't know, I at least wanted to see kind
of what the story was following, so yeah, kind of yeah,
kind of split memories on exactly where it was in that,
but like on my own definitely, I only got I
don't know, like an hour in or like.
Speaker 1: Like not that far still in the town. Yeah, kind
of see a kind of thing.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but very curious as to what you you felt
about that one.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's a pretty mixed experience overall. I guess
to start with the parts that I didn't like. So
the thing that this game does is it, you know,
different than so last one. You know, takes place in
the Insane Asylum and then like at the start of
the game, you're outside of the asylum, and then you
leave the asylum and then there's like a small garden area.
But for the most parts, like the whole game is inside, right,
and Outlass Trials is very like saw like and you're
in you're sometimes in like what feels like an outdoor environment,
but it's always like inside of a giant warehouse, like
very inside. So it was interesting. It's kind of a
breath of fresh air that Outlast two is set like
mostly outside, and then there is like the end of
the game is in like a mine area. So that's
pretty you know, interior section. But I I like, right
off the bat, it felt a very different vibe to it.
But what it's doing is like so it starts out
you're in like these farm like kind of resident evil
village style type thing, this kind of old wooden cabin energy.
And then yeah, there's there's that kind of sequence, and
then you go through and there's like a deep section
just in the woods where you're lost in the woods
pretty much. There's a raft sequence and there's like a
mine sequence, and then you know little things interstitial in
between that. But then also as you're playing through it,
the game will randomly cut to these school sequences. Did
you ever play any of these school sequences in your
playtime or do you remember those at all?
Speaker 2: I don't remember the school sequences. No.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so that it cuts like really in the way
it cuts is actually really cool. Like you'll be running
away from an enemy in the woods and maybe you'll
see like a cabin. You'll go and bust through the door,
and then immediately you'll like you'll bust your door, and
then you're like in the school. Like the transitions are
really quick, there's no loading screen between them, so they
do a really good job of the transitions. But then
you're just in this school. Uh, and it's kind of
like your it's almost like the origin story of your character,
and some like trauma that he had of a friend
of his who died as a kid, and it's very
cryptic in the first few hours, and like towards the
end of the game is when it like actually reveals
what happened in that school. But I did not like
the school sequences at all. And I think it's a
cool idea, like the transitions are really good, but I
feel like if the if there had been like three
or four school sequences throughout the you know, the games
like eight or nine hours, if there had been like
three for school sequences, I think it would have worked
and added to it. But instead there's like probably close
to like ten sequences of it, so you're constantly going
back there. It feels a lot more linear. I found
like I never knew where I was supposed to go
in the school, and not in like a fun horror
way of like, oh man, it's so tense. I'm on
the edge of my seat. I don't know where to go.
But I just like it just ended up being that
I gotta pull up a guy because I'm like, I
don't know where I'm supposed to go in the school
because there's doors everywhere, and then like you'll go in
one room and then like a door that was locked
before will now be unlocked. But it's like, how would
I know that other than just going to click on
every door. So it just like the pacing was not good.
There was like a horror there's like a you know,
evil demon that's an imaginary demon that's in the school
chasing you. But those sequences feel very linear and not
like hiding in lockers or hiding behind certain rooms or
closing things off. It just feels very closed off. And
I just found that like it cut the tension of
the regular game so much, where like you're in an
intense situation, someone's chasing you, you're running away, and you're like, Okay,
if I get through this door, I can hide in
this But then it would like, as I said, like
cut to the school sequence, so it kind of takes
the tension away from the intensity of those moments. So
I just overall felt like it really slowed the game down.
It took away the tension of the other stuff, and
like I never wanted to be that the school stuff
was never more interesting than like the regular games areas,
so it just always felt like a slog to get
through it. And since there's so much of it in
the game. It just like overall, that was kind of
what ruined the game for me. Unfortunately, Like if those
sequences are just taken out, I think I would have
enjoyed the game more. Overall.
Speaker 3: It sucks to you because it seems like they were
really committed to that like being a part of the
story of like, yeah, we'll get these these sequences. Especially
I don't know, like on the surface, it might be
nice to get taken out of the setting of like
the just like the wilderness, like the woods or whatnot.
But I'm curious, how, like how do those sequences end,
Like when you're done with the school, where you're just
back in the cabinet and Buddy's like right, they're ready
to chop you up.
Speaker 1: It's very it's the same thing where like, yeah, you'll
pop through a floorboard and then you're like that transitions
immediately back in. But that's the thing, and that's what
also makes the main game areas feel so disconnected, is
like I said, you'll bust through one of those doors,
get teleport of the school, You'll bust through some other
random door at the end of the school. Then you'll
be back in like a kind of similar area, but
it's not connected. It's not one continuous area. It's like
now you're like probably maybe you're in that house, but
now you're on like the second floor in like some
other door, and then like the enemy that was chasing
you is like nowhere to be found now. So the
idea is that like your character's kind of hallucinating. I guess,
like you are technically traveling through the real world while
you're in the school, but it's not like a one
to one comparison. It's just kind of wherever they decide
to do the cuts. So that's that was the thing too,
is like I feel like the first bit of the
game where you're in the farmland Farmland area really interesting.
Like I found it was much more expansive than some
of the areas in Outlast One in particular, where it's
like you can go multiple pathways, and because of that,
it like it makes it a bit freaker because you're like,
I don't even know where I am, I don't know
if there's enemies can be. It feels like the bounds
of the map are less defined, which makes it a
bit more freaky. But I found like those sequences kind
of ceased to be later on because you're doing so
much of the school stuff and it ends up being
so much more linear where you just got to run
from this door to that door, and then there was
a couple of those like slightly more open areas. But
I also felt like I was barely hiding in lockers
or barrels or like under tables in this game, just
because of the structure of it wasn't really demanding that.
It was more trying to focus on some of these
story bits, but I think it just ended up being
it made in either of them work as well, Like
it was just the one. Even the school. The school
doesn't feel like one big connected area either. It feels
very disjointed where you're in one random hall away with
two classrooms and then like that doesn't connect to the
area where you're going to the schools pool and bathrooms,
and like they just it all feels very disconnected unfortunately.
So that's the biggest bummer of the game overall. But
now to get into some more positive things, I think
what really surprised me first off was the visuals of
this game are amazing. Like the first area where it's
like the fog and the lighting looks so good and
creepy atmospheric, the buildings and all the grass you're going
through the farms, and like the cornfields and stuff look
really good. The first time you find water, the water
looks really good. Like just compare because the first game
was twenty thirteen, right, and this was twenty seventeen, and
then Trials obviously came out earlier this year. But like,
this game looks way better than Trials, for example. I
know that's trying to do something a bit different, but
just in terms of visual quality, like this game looks
fantastic and even like the character models and things like that.
So I think that was one of the things that
surprised me because especially yeh, after just playing Trials earlier
this year, I kind of expected it would kind of
be somewhere in between one and three, but it's like, no,
it looks it's clearly like the best looking game, which
I think is something that adds a lot to horror
games in general. When it looks really good and realistic,
you tend to feel more immersed in it, and then
the horror elements can like work even better. Yeah, I
find that something that works really well with these resid
Evil remakes compared to like playing the old blocky podgonal
scarier if it feels more realistic at least for me typically.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, for sure.
Speaker 3: It's interesting you said that because I feel like I
kind of have that memory about the first game, and
like in my mind of like I just remember the
first time you play that game, like the visuals were
so good, like it looked like such a Triple A game,
even though it was a smaller indie studio. So I
was gonna ask you, like, because I really can't remember
if they added or change like some of the gameplay mechanics,
Like is there is there different things that you can
do in the second game versus even Trials.
Speaker 2: I guess yeah.
Speaker 1: I think trials, Uh, Trials just amps it up because
there's so many enemies in the levels with you at
the same time, right, and the levels are more open
and interconnected, whereas you know one and two is more
linear in that way. And there's like when they have
those enemies that are chasing you through the levels, it's
usually just like throwing one at you and then I
out last one. There's that section with like the two
brothers who are coming after you, but like they they're
pretty simple in that way, but like three, yeah, like
three Trials is throwing sometimes like six or seven enemies
in the level you have to cough up with the chakra,
and you got like all these the little guys, the psychos,
like all these different things. The main new mechanic in two,
which is interesting because it doesn't make an appearance in Trials,
is that on your video camera, because that whole mechanic
is the same as the other games. Well three, you
don't have a video camera. You have like the goggles,
but same as one where you have the video camera
you're recording the different events. That's where your night light
is coming from. Is that on your camera you have
a like a microphone, like a sound amplifier thing that
you can turn on and off, and so you can
use that to like find enemies through walls where you'll
like be in a building under a bed. You can
point your camera in a direction and you'll hear the
guy like like mumbling under his breath, and you can
hear him walking through the ground and stuff like that.
So that's the main thing that's new, is that you
can just like echo locate enemies in that way, and
that adds to some freakiness of it well, you'll be like,
you know, randomly looking around trying to find where enemies
could be, and you'll hear some creepy person like singing
in some far away room and like they're pretty far away,
but this thing, you know, goes pretty far and like
through walls and whatnot. So that's the main new mechanic,
and I feel like it's used quite well in the
first half of the game, and then like doesn't really
there's like not really much to it in the third
Like the second half of the game, I feel like
it's it's less of a mechanic. So honestly, I don't
think the game would have been much different if that
wasn't in there at all. M hmm. It adds a
little bit of creepiness, adds a little bit of something
to do, but it kind of just feels like they
wanted to do something new and that's what they went with.
But I don't think it adds too much of the game.
And that's really the only like mechanically new thing about
the game. I would say it's still the same thing
of like there's no combat and you don't get any
other equipment. You just have bandages and band and batteries.
That's the only thing that like picking up through the world.
So yeah, not much new and in the way of mechanics.
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I I was curious because something like that,
I feel like is cool to just get another tool
to find enemies. But I even remember in the first game,
like I feel like the story gets to a point,
especially at like right near the end, when it's like
the big climactic moment the game feels like it's scary,
but it feels less scary because it's just like, Okay,
I just got a sprint to like get to this
area now, and like this is like the end of
the game, like and you're not really focusing on like
hide and barrels maybe anymore at that point, Like you're
just kind of trying to get to the end. And
I imagine, you know, by that point in the game,
I imagine it ends in a not a similar way,
but like the ramped upness of the game definitely imagine
would feel that same way near the end, and you're
kind of just disregarding those super stealthy like the finding
enemy mechanics right when it's like okay, well I know
where the main enemy is because he's right fucking behind me.
Speaker 2: This is the end of the game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I just feel like the most open areas
are early in the game, and so by the end
of it, when it is more linear, that's where I yeah,
as you mentioned, like I am more incentivized. You just
sprint straight for the door because there's only one way
to go, and you know, a couple of times you
have to like get to a door, but then you
also have to activate something first. You got to move
something out of the way or pull some chain, and
so you can't just run there and do that because
that will take you time to do that action. But yeah,
I think the other thing too is like when I
went back to out Last One, especially playing after trials,
where trials get so intense with the number of enemies.
I found that Outlast One like the sequences when the
people are chasing you, which are very different than like
the scripted like jump scare or like someone chasing you
on a hallway, but you just have to get to
the end. But when it's like a more open area
and that's when you're having to hide under tables or
go in closets and lockers and things like that, I
found that the enemy AI for that when I went
back to one, just felt so basic and predictable, and
I felt like it was very easy to like cheose
it by just going in certain areas that were inaccessible.
But I found without last two those sequences where you
have like the scarier enemies that will hunt you through
the levels and you don't know exactly where you're supposed
to go. I found them way. They're almost like too hard,
Like I could not figure out how to get away
from them, like they would find me no matter where
I was. Like, there's one early on where you have
to go through a town sequence. You have to go
up to a building activate some generator, and then you
got to go back through the town and then when
you get to a certain like you walk past. I
did do it multiple times, so I got pretty familiar
with it. You walk past like a very specific balcony,
and that'll activate the hunter enemy to come after you.
She's like some creepy lady with like a charged up
pick axe. She's super duper strong. I don't know if
you if you got far enough to encounter I don't
remember at all, but yeah, I found like once I
activate her, there was no chance I could hide from her.
Once she was activated, she would find me immediately. I
could go in the darkest corner, could go in a building,
under a table, she would just know where I was.
So like, the only way I could get past that
sequence was to just kind of do a loop around
and then like sprint past her and just try and
get to the loading zone where she couldn't reach me anymore. Yeah,
and so yeah, I found that there was more sequences
like that where really really hard to hide in this game,
and so I just had to like sprint past things too,
which you know, adds some intensity. But I think I
missed some of that from from one and trial or
hide in the closets and stuff, because that just feels
that feels very outlast to me, and that adds a
lot of tension to it as well, where you never
really know like am I safe to exit now? Like
have they left? You know, you don't really know.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I feel like it's a lot scarier when it's
like you actually have to be stealthy and where it's
like Okay, well, I guess I'm just gonna sprint and
then she like hits you like in the single player games.
I guess it's kind of just one shot kill. In trials,
maybe you could tank a little bit more, or some
hits you just kind of close your eyes and sprint
it so scared.
Speaker 2: But you just kind of take the hit and make
it through.
Speaker 3: It's a little bit unfortunate, but I feel like there
is a healthy medium that they can achieve in like
in between because in the first game, I remember, it's
like you go into a room, you go into a locker,
the enemy is gonna always choose the opposite locker that
you're in, and then he just leaves.
Speaker 1: One right next to you.
Speaker 2: Eah. Yeah, so it's like always it gonna pick me.
Speaker 3: Well, if you're on your second play through the game,
you kind of know how it works now, so exactly.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Fine.
Speaker 1: It took me out a little bit once I get
because I played the games out of order and I
like went to the more intense game first, you know. Yeah,
but yeah, I'm some of the sequences in this game
are fantastic. There's another one in particular with that lady
where even though she could get me, like I could go,
I could sneak under a fence and she wasn't small
enough to do that. So there were certain areas I
could actually hide, and then I had to once again,
I had to like push some wag and to get
over some fence, and that was intense of like, I
don't know if I have much time to do this.
I had to push it for a little bit and
then go hide again. And so there were some sequences
that are amazing. But I think maybe a slightly disappointment
with the game is that, like that first area is
the best area in the game for me. I just
love the visuals of it. I think the gameplay is
the most intense there. The areas are the most open,
and I just love the aesthetic of it. Like I
love the creepy old village where you're going through and
like cows are mutilated on the side and it's like
all this creepy shit is happening and you still don't
know exactly what's going on. It's good stuff, So I
don't know. I think that was another thing too. And
then the middle section with the woods, it was okay.
It was probably my least favorite section of the main game.
I actually liked the raft sequence funny enough, that's funny.
I don't know what it was about it. Maybe it's
because I was moving pretty quick you're kind of cruising
through the water. Yeah, you'll raft will get like stuck
on some sand for bits, you gotta walk around on
the land and then jump down to a new area.
So I like that sequence. And then the mines the
last sequence of the game. I really enjoyed that that
area as well. There's some interesting areas there where enemies are,
you know, out in the level looking after you. Like
it's such tight, no narrow corridors. The rocks are like
tumbling down from the roof above you. There's a one
sequence where you're here from like hide underwater, slowly sneak
around and like activate some some levers and whatnot. And
that was that was a really good sequence. And then
also like I know, I sent you a YouTube video
a couple months ago of like the Nutty Putty cave
disaster where some guy got like stuck in the cave.
What a lot of sequences like that in this game.
I've been watching a lot of those YouTube videos getting
freaked out of like people going cave dive and getting
lost and dying and so like crawling through these type narrow,
rocky corridors with my only light being like my fading
light on my on my camera. Those sequences, like, oh,
they really got under my skin just because I've been
like hyping myself up on that kind of or recently,
So that worked. That worked really well for me. So overall,
I really liked the final sequence of the game. It
was pretty cool.
Speaker 2: That's awesome. Yeah, I feel like it motivates me now
to want to go back into it, because I.
Speaker 1: It's a short game, man, like you would plug through
it in a weekend if you wanted to.
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, for sure, especially like I am so invested
in the actual franchise, so like, yeah, like I got
to jump back in there. And I did love the opening,
Like I think they do such a good job. It
just like putting you in a situation that you just
feel like you're fucked.
Speaker 2: Like there's no way out.
Speaker 3: And then as you mentioned like as you get like
more into the town, it's like, oh, I'm just more fuck.
I should have just stayed stayed at the helicopter just
just just just died there. I think it would have
been easier that way. But no, that's that's cool to hear.
And yeah, the games are really short, like even first game,
I don't know, like what five hours.
Speaker 1: I think I've beaten five or six hours in the
DEALC was another two hours on top of that.
Speaker 3: And then you like comparable the second game, you'd say, yeah,
I think I feel like it took me like eight hours, Okay,
eight or so hours, so kind of like the like
the first game with the DLC added in.
Speaker 1: And then yeah, the the ending of the game. I
don't obviously want to spoil it here. It's wild. I mean,
the first games ending is also equally insanely wild. I
feel like the first game is ending is a bit
more wild. But then the very end of this has
some stuff in it that I didn't even know how
to interpret it. I was like, what the heck just happened?
Like this must be some hallucination of some sort, because
this doesn't make any sense. And so it was one
of those ones that it wasn't quite to the fun
of like, oh, like, I'm it's fun to speculate on
what happened there. I was more just like, that makes
no sense to me, And so I looked up what
some you know, looking up on Reddit and stuff like
what people's theories are, and it was disappointing because a
lot of people were like, oh, yeah, this ending. Here's
what it actually means. And the where you get that
from is that there was like some olass comic that
like it explains what happens at the end of this
and I'm like that sucks, like because there should have
been a little bit more there, and I think it
is interesting and cool actually hearing what that is, but
it's like I wish that was somehow actually in the game,
And I don't know if that came out after before
ut last two. And it connects to the first game
in a way, but in a way that I did
not even pick up on. So I don't know if
this I think it might actually take place, like the
location here might be close to where the mental hospital is, Yeah,
but I don't know, Like that's fun and I feel
like I didn't really connect with And I also just
in general, the story of this game is like it's
crazy religious fanatic types, which is kind of a trope
I'm a little bored with at this point, And so
I found that in the first game, it was one
I was reading every single note, but in this game,
I was a little less into it because it was
just like Joseph's sacrifice for the Lord's savior like that
kind of thing where I'm like, eh, I don't really
care so much about this, so I think in some
ways the story was actually many The story was a
lot weaker than the first game. And then maybe my
last point is like I feel like this game does
a lot less jump scares than out Last One. Out
Last One is like jump scar City and like it's effective.
You don't like it shocks your system obviously, so a
jump scares is supposed to do and this game relied
less on that. I still think it was able to
be pretty terrifying in certain moments without relying on jump scares,
so I was appreciative of that. I think they I
think part of it is the visuals in the atmosphere
of the game is so effective that it helped adding
to that, and just some of the intensity of certain
sequences in the game. Once again, if it wasn't undercut
by the annoying school sequences, it would have been even
more effective. So overall, really really good time. I'm glad
I played through it, and I think unfortunately it might
be last in my Outlast ranking just because of the
school sequences. Honestly, that really drags it down. But still
like pretty close to Outlast one in terms of how
much I enjoyed it overall, and then Trials was just
so much fun playing with you guys and the cold
element of it that I think that one is my favorite.
So so yeah, I'm curious what they're gonna do next
for Outlast Man, Like, do you think they're gonna stick
with a multiplayer thing? Do you think the studio would
make something different? Do you think they'd go back to
a single player experience. I'm not really sure, but I'm
curious to see what they do next.
Speaker 2: I am interested.
Speaker 3: I feel like it would be something tied to kind
of what they've already set up. Especially you mentioned that they,
you know, some way shape or form the second game,
you know, somehow tied to the first game, Like it
seems like they're kind of invested in this universe that
they're building. So my bet would be that and another
single player game. I think Trials was great, but.
Speaker 1: Very different type of experience, very.
Speaker 3: Different type of game, And I think you get a
lot more of a just whole story when you do
the single player story and focus in that sense, And
it would be great to see just what they can
do with modern engines because as you mentioned, like the
same game. Visually, it looks so beautiful and I feel
like I thought the first game was like still like
that top tier, and then when I played through it,
it's okay, it was a little updated, but again it's
eleven years ago, so I feel like it's it's nice
that it holds up just the way it is. I
think the darkness of the game really helps that a lot.
A lot of the visuals are through like your night vision, so.
Speaker 1: That part of it is looks is amazing. Like the
lighting in these games are so well done, and I
think that's where I was so impressed with the visuals
of Two. Just the fog mixed with the lighting makes
for like, oh, it's that's the blend.
Speaker 3: It's amazing when you get the eye, like the eye
glow and you can like barely see something you just
see like the two eye. That's so it's such a
terrifying visual So they definitely nailed that even from the
first game. But no, I'm I definitely wanted to jump
into the second game.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 3: I feel like I just had no interest until basically
now that we're talking about it.
Speaker 2: So that's exciting.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's worth checking out. Uh, okay, cool, there's outlast
and uh, how about we take one last break here
and we come back and do do the fun little
topic here. Will be right back. Okay, we are back.
I called this a fun little topic. This is a
topic I feel like we could talk about for hours.
But I kind of wanted to bring this up. It's
been on my mind recently, so kirkland Elder scroll six. Okay,
we're still years away. I presume right, like, there's no
way this is coming out in it's a way who
knows there's no way it's coming out until like at
least twenty twenty eight. Does that feel like a fair
number to throw at it? Starfield just du dlc but
like it's probably their primary game over up Bethesda now,
and it's like how long have they been working on it?
Hard to say. I just don't think there's any way
it's coming out. There's no way it's coming out of
this like console generation.
Speaker 3: I feel like it better come out by twenty twenty eight.
Like I just like googled it and I'm looking at like, man,
the announcement was six years ago now, Like I remember
we watched that live when the Custard Home it's just like,
oh my gosh, this is that was a sord So yeah,
twenty twenty eight, it better be out or I'm gonna
be just I feel like it's it's one of those
things where I'm just kind of accepted that it's it
will come out maybe in my lifetime, but like I
definitely have no I'm not holding my breath by any means.
Speaker 1: We're already thirteen years since Skyrim, which is crazy, Like
in that amount of time they did, you know, Marwin Oblivion, Skyrim,
We're all like pretty close to each other, like, yeah,
Oblivion was two thousand and seven six something like that,
mar Win's two thousand and two three, whatever it was.
So it's like, yeah, already in that amount of time,
we've we've gone so far. And obviously it's because Starfield
was thrown in the mix there rather than just follow
out an Elder scrolls back to back, so that makes sense.
And then like game development times, I've gotten so insane,
but yeah, it's gonna be. Yeah, still quite a weight
before we get this game, and we still don't really
have any more information on it. I feel like it's
not been confirmed, but it feels like Hammerfeld is going
to be the province setting for this game, at least
the main province if they just stick with one like
they have in previous games. But yeah, I don't know,
like there's a million different places we could go with this,
but just off the hop like, what are some of
your top things that you're really hoping for from a sequel? Uh,
a sequel to Skyrim. I know it's a very broad question,
so yeah, I get wherever you want.
Speaker 3: I feel like the like, if I had to choose
one thing, I would say like an upgraded engine. I
love the older Scrolls and Fallout engine just because of
like the fact that like those are like you know
what you're getting from those engines. You kind of know
how to cheese it, you know how to interact with
the world. Like there's just a certain Jenna Saqua about it,
Like like there's better engines out there. But I feel
like when I'm jumping in the sky, I'm like I
want to be able to pick up a pot and
put it over someone's head or something and just kind
of interact with the world that way, pick up a
character in kind of a goofy way, but like you're
still able to interact with the world. I want to
I don't want to lose that by any means, Like
I don't want it to make it feel like a
completely different game, but definitely definitely just evolved and make
it more modern, especially that you know Starfield came out.
Speaker 2: I never played Starfield.
Speaker 3: I don't know what the engine was like in that,
but I guess the most recent Bethesda game that I
would have played would have been Fallout four, And like
you still can't really climb up ladders, you know, you
just interact with it and then you're up a ladder
like like like just stuff like that, you know, or
that that make it feel a lot more modern and
really really just put a lot more creative freedom in
the hands of the player, Like fall It four is
a big deal that you could get like layered armor
for example. It's just like, man, why has this not
been a thing forever? Like obviously I would be expecting
that because it was in Fallout four, and I think
that's something that you'd really want to have, Like I've
been experiencing that in mods that I've played in Skyrim,
but it's like I want that out of the base game,
and just just a lot of stuff like that, like
creative ways that maybe you can manipulate your different armory,
whether it's magic or spells, Like was it Oblivion that
you could like create your own spells, like like like
just stuff kind of like that Skyrim is a big
deal that you could have like two independent things going
on with your hands. I really love that mechanic, so
just maybe expanding upon that, and.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's.
Speaker 3: Definitely like my one thing if I had to choose,
it would be just the overall engine, Like I wanted
to feel a lot more modern. I don't want to
be feeling like I'm playing a twenty eleven engine in
twenty twenty eight. I would imagine like the game would
actually be so stuff like that. I I love these
Elder Scrolls games so much, Like like I am expecting
to just really love the whole wall interaction with NPCs
and just the whole questione of it.
Speaker 2: Like that's kind of a given.
Speaker 3: I feel like I'll be extremely disappointed if I'm not
loving that aspect to it. But the engine is something
that I do really want to jump in because even
like from Skyrim to Fallout four, I feel like there
wasn't that much different, Like like the right.
Speaker 1: I feel like maybe one of the big new things
was like the settlement customization and building right that was
like maybe one of the big improvements too, because yeah,
it's like they've used the Creation Engine for such a
long time now, which is like their own in house engine,
and it's like, yeah, they they upgrade it in between
every game, you know, new features get added to it.
I'm sure like some random feature that we wouldn't even
think about that they added and Fallout four is now
just like part of that engine, and then they can
just bring it right into Starfield right off the hop
they kind of integrate that stuff, like I don't yeah,
I don't see them switching engines really at any point
when it comes to like a Starfield or Follow or
other scrolls if they're trying to make these kind of games.
I think part of the feeling of it is that
level of freedom, as you've talked about, which is something
that is so established with it. But then there obviously
is like a ton of shortcomings with it, and I
think they have gotten better ish of like bugs and
glitches and things like that, Like Starfield still had plenty
of them, but I think it was less of a
glitchy buggy experience, but there were certain things like like
NPC faces and eyes were like really chanky in a
way that's like, come on, like this makes the game
feel way more dated than it should right off the hop.
So yeah, I hope. I'm curious to see what other
kind of improvements there is to the engine overall. There's
definitely a big thing with Starfield was just the random
generation of planets, like how it would create landscapes and stuff,
and that's something that like I don't really want to
be integrated to other scrolls. Like I hope that they
hand build the whole map, and maybe there are certain
areas that they use some random generation just to like
chart it out originally, and then they go over and
iterate and add things to it and obviously throw caves
and points of interest in there. And I hope that
we don't get as much of that randommization that Starfield had,
which you know it probably won't given the type of
maps that they're dealing with, and that Starfield part of
their core ethos was like we need a thousand planets,
therefore we need you know, it's quantity over quality, and
I don't think that's going to happen with Elders' rolls
in that same way. So that's something I hope for.
And it's interesting what you mentioned about like armor and
customization that I would definitely love if custom spell making
came back. That was definitely thinking Marrowin and Oblivion. But
even like I remember, like in Marowin, you like the
amount of armor you have was like double that of Skyrim.
I think, where you have like boots, you have grieves,
you have a curists, you have bracers, you have pouldron,
you have helmet, like, you have all these things on
like both sides too, so you have so much more.
Once you like enchanted your gear, you could just make
your character insane with all these different enchantments and stuff.
And it feels like each game they've kind of slowly
pulled away a little bit of that. So yeah, I
think it'd be cool if they did a little bit
more of that, add a little more customization in terms
of the character stuff, which I feel like is something
that they really did embrace a bit more. Fallout four
is like the customization of weapons. I'd be curious to
see what they do because obviously a big thing with
Skyrim was like the crafting was much more improved, which
is just not even something you could do in the
previous games. That was a new feature there, and I
feel like Fallow Forward did a good job of expanding
all that. I feel like Starfield kind of stayed the course,
didn't add much on top of it. But I would
be curious to see if they do more customization beyond
just like enchanting a weapon in another Scrolls game, like
if you could customize certain parts of it, like oh,
I want to choose like a different handle, or choose
a different I don't know, just little features like that. Yeah,
in a way that like Fallowut fourhead like really scrappy
looking weapons. It'd be cool if you could do that
as well, Like take a wooden stick, put some random
spiking things on it and create your own sort of weapons.
Would be really interesting.
Speaker 3: So it's funny my my evolution of a gamer. I
used to fucking hate when items had durability. I just like,
I hate it so much. It was so annoying. You
have a favorite sword, it breaks, and now you can't
even repair it because it's just like, no, you repaired
the maxim amount of times, can't do anymore. I've definitely
changed on that sense, because there's just a great strategy
to it, like Breath of the Wild right like that
one has their ability factor to it, and then of
course things like fire Emblem and like those other tactics
games like like you do have a certain level of it,
and I feel like it would actually be really interesting
to have it in an Elder Sculls game that you
kind of have to maintain your your your things with
cleaning it or.
Speaker 2: That was just repairing it.
Speaker 1: That was another classic like Skyriam just removed that, but
they had already done it, so.
Speaker 2: Oh they did in previous Elder School.
Speaker 1: Marrowin and Oblivion had that for sure, we had to maintain.
Speaker 3: Wow, that's really cool, So yeah, bring that back, I
think I think that would be there's a lot of
RPG elements that I feel like we're getting we've been
getting away from just in recent RPGs. Of course, you
know not every RPG does that, but like we've already
mentioned how they had spellcrafting got rid of that. The
the armor now it's just like iron armor, it's everything.
But you were just listing like Marrowwind it was a
lot more individual, So things like that, I would kind
of want us to go like I don't think we'll
really go.
Speaker 1: Back that thing, right, wanting to go backwards like that
they they're so iterative in wanting to move forward and
improving in their way and like simplifying things at the
same time.
Speaker 3: So yeah, but like there's there's some great stuff that
that are in those old RPGs, and I hope they're
at least having those conversations.
Speaker 2: So what can we take and you know, still move forward.
Speaker 3: But like, I don't know that there is a lot
of things that fans I think have been wanting them
to bring back and like something for me that I
would really want. This is kind of a more overall
story thing for elect scol six is. I mean, I've
played Skyrim thousands of hours, so it's tough to like say,
but like I don't love how you're just like the
chosen one in that storyline, like like like like it
fits for the main the main story you're the dragon born,
but I hate how, like you know, if if you
could literally do a jack of all trades where you're
like I'm the dragon Borne, I'm the leader of the
Thieves Guild, I'm the I'm the leader of the College,
I'm the leader, like you're just the guy, You're like
just the chosen one, And I think you can still
do that with the main story, but I wanted to
feel like each playthrough I do is unique. And of
course that's something that like Morowin for example, would have
been because you really have to choose like an Archer
character and that, Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1: It's still possible to be the leader of all the things,
well not all of them, because you have to some
of them. You could like only pick and choose. It
was still possible. If it was harder because of like
the stats like you would need I don't know, to
get even promoted to like the top tier of fighters guild,
you need like forty endurance or something. So it straight
up if you didn't have that stat, you just like
couldn't get further along in that that guild quest line. Yeah,
but it was still possible. So it's it's something that
they've always kind of allowed you to do in other scrolls, especially.
Speaker 3: You know that I'm playing like Balder's Gate right, like
there's perma death on like certain characters that you just
completely miss an entire storyline. I'm not expecting to go
that full length, but like in Skyrim, like you really
like there's certain decisions that is like it's I guess
like the Civil War would be one that you like
choose a side and like that's kind of what how there.
I guess the Dog Guard DLC kind of as well,
like you choose the vampires versus the Vampire hunters. But
for the most part, like that's kind of like the
most different of like a playthrough.
Speaker 1: Like even you you're like, that's not affect anything about
the Fighter's Guild or the Majores.
Speaker 3: Random Guard might be like, oh, you're the leader of
the Dog Guard or like like you know, like like
but like that's not a story, Like there's nothing story
related or I guess consequence to like the overall story
what's going on there. So I would want us to
have more of that because I'm I'm going to be
playing many different playthroughs I would imagine of Elder School
six unless it's just a massive stinker, But even then
I would probably just play it on PC or something,
get some nice mods to make like my own experience,
because like if I play through something like Skyrim now,
I'm kind of already self capping, you know, like like
I I won't do like a college quest line, but
I'm choosing to do that because it just fits. Like
I'm kind of just making to choose your own adventure
on this on this Skyrim play through, which like I'm
fine with that, I'm still able to enjoy it, but
I I think that it should out the gate a
lot more of a unique like I want to be
comparing my adventure to yours and not be Oh I
did a completely like I'm more of an evil character,
but we had the exact same ending, like you know,
like the exact same interaction with this character. Like I
do want them to maybe make it a more of
a more of an incentive to make multiple playthroughs, which
it like the kind of we're trying to get rid
of that for some right, like like that's why you
had your one character that could just be everything, which is.
Speaker 1: Such a disappointing thing. I think especially for Elder Scrolls,
where you have all these different races of that you
can play as, Like I feel like that's built so
much more for like that's where they'll they'll be able
to like have a voice protagonist for an Elder Scrolls game,
because like all the I mean they eventually do condense it,
so like certain eleven races have the same voice actors,
like playing for called the Dark El's highles are the same.
But I still think that's something that they'll never be
able to fully do, whereas like an orc is never
gonna sound like a wood elf and so like what
are you gonna do. You're gonna hire multiple actors of
male and female version, just like like I don't think
we're ever going to go to that point obviously, like
Starfield like moved away from some of that too, So yeah,
that's something that like I feel like there is element
to that. Starfield kind of had that, like with all
the quest lines that like all the side quest type things,
like towards the end of it, you had to make
some big decision of who you're gonna side with. But
there isn't that element that you mentioned of like Okay,
well that would not affect some other guild in the game,
Like maybe it has some effect on some small part
of the world. That is something that I'd like to
see more of for sure. It's just more like interconnection
between the guilds and yeah, like you can only get
to like a certain level. I also want there to
be better reward, not rewards maybe not the right word,
but more features tied to becoming the leader of a guild,
because I feel like once you do that, it's just
over and then there's like nothing to do. But I
think it'd be cool if you could have more of
like a management system of like, Okay, I'm the leader,
and I can take these two major people, I'm gonna
send them on this quest to go do this thing
or I don't know, you would have to make it
a bit more like random generation E, but that is
something that they've you know, improved and gotten a lot
better on. Like obviously Starfield has a lot of that.
I don't know how much of that there was in
Fallout four, but Skyrim obviously had a ton of that too,
with like the radiant quests for each guild, Like you know,
there's infinitive amount of thieves quest guilds you could do
or yeah, three guild quests you could do if if
you went and did that. But it was like break
into this place and like change this ledger or like
steal this one item, and it was you know, it
was something to do, but it was kind of random generation. Hopefully,
that's something that they'd be a lot better at, you know,
given that it's gonna take like fifteen sixteen years in
between the last game, you'd think a lot of that
stuff would be improved. So yeah, yeah, that is something
I would definitely like to see. But I was a
big fan of the all the different guild quest lanes
in Starfield, so it makes me feel pretty hopeful for
where we're going to be at with all their scroll
six in terms of just the general quality of some
of those things.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess, like just pigging back on what you're
saying there is like I would want maybe more endgame content,
and maybe that's like pretty uh, maybe it's asking too
much because the game is so expansive, like there is
so much to do right then and there, But it's
mostly just when you get to an end of a
quest line. Because I find if I'm doing like a
College of Winter Hold playthrough, for example, I like don't
want to end it because it's it's the most exciting
when you're in the middle of those quest lines, like
just even the way you're interact with characters, because a
lot of the time, you know these these individual quest
lines for a guild for like, they're not that long,
so like in a couple hours, you could go from
a novice to the leader of the college and like
you just will never interact with these people again. So
like you could literally power through that in like a
couple hours. And I just I don't know, my realism
factor in me is just has grimes with that. So
I usually try and like prolong them, like I'll probably
do a lot more of those side quests in between
to just kind of stay involved with it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, because I think I like in Skyrim, one of
the really cool features of it, it's kind of an
understated thing, is the Orc stronghold areas and how are
these are just like essentially something that is gated to
a specific race, Like obviously other races can interact with them,
but in the way that you could interact to it as
an org versus not being an ORG. Like that's a
really cool thing. But I can't think of like many
other examples of in Skyrim how they're incentivizing like different characters,
Like oh man, I got to replay the game to
see how that goes, Like other than like that main
quest in terms of do you pick these storm Cloaks
or the Imperials, which also feels like a pretty binary decision.
So yeah, I'd like to see more of that kind
of thing. And it makes me curious because obviously that
was such a big part of Starfield's design. Is the
new game Plus element to it. While you're like rolling
into a new universe, uh, and you know, some of
your actions are carried over, but for the most part,
it's like a new, fresh universe. But then there is
like random things that can change or happen, and I
don't know, I don't know how they would implement that
with other scrolls. It might be a bit harder, especially
because like I don't even know how you roll credits
and some of these, like Elder Scrolls games, I can't
even think of like the moments that it happens. But
that would be so cool, And that's like a total
different game. But imagine a game where you're playing through
and like you know, Skyrim, you have the Companion quest line,
you go through and do that in one character you
become the leader, and let's say that, like you beat
the game. Now you've like rolled credits, you roll into
game Plus, and like in this new Game Plus, like
that character that you made has like become the leader
of the of the comions and now that interacts with
the world differently, and like, I don't that's like a
totally different game, And I feel like you need as
a much smaller scale game that could pull that kind
of thing off, given that it is kind of quantity
over quality for some of these things. But I don't know.
It makes me curious how much they went so hard
on that for star Field and New Game Plus was
like that was a completely unique mechanic. I've never seen
another game do. It was super cool. I'd be curious
to see, like how that would translate to elder scrolls
and how you would incorporate something like that, And I
don't know if they try, I would be really curious
to see what that did. Is like, yeah, somehow the
actions of your character affect the world that last among
characters or playthroughs like I would. I would love to
see that.
Speaker 3: That'd be so cool, especially that like these games kind
of feel they kind of feel endless just with the
amount of quantity that's in there.
Speaker 2: But it would be really cool if that's like.
Speaker 3: A gameplay mechanic, like like it actually incentivizes you to
keep coming back because the world will just keep changing
based on what a certain character did, and like it'd
be kind of cool that you could, you know how
I was saying that, Like you're kind of the chosen One,
so the whole world revolves around you. It would be
nice if that's not the case, and like a certainty
rolls around a character that you played, but then you
can kind of feel those those effects elsewhere if you're
playing another character.
Speaker 2: So I really love that idea.
Speaker 3: That's actually something that is that would be really refreshing overall,
I think because it's it's something that no Elder Scrolls
or Fallow game It's done before.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that in terms of the chosen one
ness of it all, Like Marwin's kind of weird where
it's like it's a Chosen One storyline, but it also
is quite ambiguous. It's like are you the Chosen One
or did you just like do all the things that
they said the Chosen One would do and then so
you kind of just like manifested it for yourself. And
it's always like a fun ambiguous part that I've liked
about Marwin. And then Oblifiant was kind of where with
like the chosen One was like someone else and yeah,
supporting that kind of right, but you are still kind
of a chosen one because the Emperor like had had
a vision of you and all this stuff. But I
think it was like interesting, there was like one layer
removed of the chosen oneness of it. But obviously none
of the things progressed in that world if you're not
the one who makes them happen. And then Skyrim like
full on into the chosen One part. Followut has always
been more like small personal tales, right where it's like
Fallot four as you're just a guy and you're just
trying to get your son back, you know, and it's
like that's like the what the main quest is, and
then it spirals up into all those other things and
then Starfield. I don't know. I guess there's like a
little bit of chosen when one persons to it, but
I think it is a bit more endless in that
way because of the multiple universes and timelines and things,
and since it's more sci fi, I think it's a
bit easier to you know, choose some of that stuff
with it being the same. So I don't know which
way they're going to go. With that in terms of
I imagine that I'm expecting of being the Chosen One
and just gonna have to deal with that. So I've
kind of prepared myself for it. But related to that,
with the chosen One angle of Skyrim, so much of
that is related to the dragons, and that was like
the biggest marketing beat of Skyrim was look at these dragons.
Isn't this crazy and cool in the whole world and
story roolves around it. Do you think dragons are gonna
make an appearance in the next Elder Scrolls game or
was that a one off feature?
Speaker 2: Mmmm? I think it really.
Speaker 3: I mean, I guess, going off of like what the
chronological order would be, it would be after the events
of Skyrim, because they've progressed forward, right, That's been the
case though, right everyone. I guess other than Elder Scrolls
Online that was kind of the.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know, I think that. I think that's
more prequel territories. I think Marrowind is like not blasted
by the volcano yet, so yeah, but I think there's
like two hundred years difference maybe between like Oblivion Skyri, Like,
I don't know, it's it's such a long amount of
time that they like there might be a book in
Skyrim that ref and says the Oblivion Crisis, but like, yeah,
it's a boat. As close as connection you're going to get.
Speaker 3: Yeah, So like and then at the end of like Skyrim,
like you don't just end all of dragons, like like
you know, like off off the main storyline that you
can still interact with dragons. So in my mind, there's
no reason why they wouldn't be in the world. Obviously
it makes sense why they would be in Skyrim, but
I think it's totally fit, especially if we are going
to hammer Fell, like that's basically next to our neighbors
with Skyrim, right, I think it's Oh my god, what's
the Breton what's the Breton cab?
Speaker 2: Yeah, there you go. I used to be so good
with my my geography of older schools, but you know.
Speaker 3: When you're waiting thirteen years, yeah, exactly, you gotta get
fuzzy on these details.
Speaker 2: So in my mind, there's no reason why they wouldn't be.
Speaker 3: And honestly, I would say, yes, you could expect to
see some dragons here, whether it's I was gonna say,
like a skeleton dragon, but those are also really only
focused on like in the dragon Oh my god, what
are they called?
Speaker 2: The dragon and wizard guys.
Speaker 3: And like that's a very scarm like thematic thing of
just like the drogger and the dragon lawyer.
Speaker 2: I forget what they're called now, Drake drake drag the droggers. Yeah,
dragon prices, I think that's what they are. Yeah, Okay,
here we go.
Speaker 1: You're right, there's a lot of interlap between the border
of Hammerfell and Skyrim, also a lot with Siradill, which
is where Oblivion takes place.
Speaker 3: Of course, it would be cool if we if we
did have dragons, it would kind of only be in
like that north like northeast, maybe more.
Speaker 1: I'm sure that's gonna be more snowy snows are zone,
right for sure?
Speaker 3: Right, because then was it Ablivion that had like that
actual Skyrim town or right.
Speaker 1: Here on the Bruma is like a snow covered.
Speaker 2: I remember on our snow episode.
Speaker 1: Yeah, dude, this map, this area Hammerfel looks cool. This
kind of like almost Italy like island. It's not an island,
it is connected books. That's gonna be a fun zone
to explore.
Speaker 3: I'm sure more maritimey, right, because that's something that I
haven't really seen much in my Elder Scrolls exping.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I like because because Sira Deill, obviously, it's like
you get so many types of biomes. I guess, well,
maybe not a lot of very forest areas, but they
do feel very distinct areas, and I feel like Hammerfel
will probably do for that, because like this actually is
a lot bigger than I thought. I feel like it's
been a while since I look at the map. I
thought Hammerfel was much smaller than it is, but it's
like about the same size as Skyrim on this map.
So and then I mean, obviously the scale is going
to be bigger, I'm sure than any of these other games.
Speaker 3: But I'm pretty sure to you Hammerfel is where or
Gramar is, which is where like the Orc capital is.
Like it's just kind of like a really, it's just
like a thing in one of the provinces. It's either
Hi Rach Hi Rack High Rock or Hammerfel or maybe
even in between that.
Speaker 2: But I know, I know they were like at war,
like the Orcs for.
Speaker 3: Example, where at wore a lot with the the the
Hammerfel people. I'm so bad with my my Elder scrolls
knowledge right now, what are they even called the.
Speaker 1: I think this might be the place you're talking about,
Ermar like in hier Rock technical.
Speaker 3: But yeah, I think that there's no reason why that
couldn't be in this game.
Speaker 1: Honestly, I would love I would love to see the
next game not be just one province. Like I think
it'd be cool if Hammerfiel and High Rock, even if
it was in the full provinces, but just like having
some border conflict they're like seeing the different cultures and
the changes between them, I think would be really cool.
And like, I don't know, I think that would be
a good time for them to do something like this,
especially with like specifically High Rock and hammerfil seemed like
two fun places that would be interesting to kind of
play between the two.
Speaker 3: Well, because in in Skyrim, actually in the Dragon Born DLC,
I think it is like you go back to Morrowind
in that DLC, I don't know if it's like the
Northern Island or whatever it is. And then in in
Moro Wind, You're you're you're in marowin the whole thing,
right like in one of the DLCs you go to
an island, but I think it's still a part of Morowind.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so Marowin technically the province of marrow Wind is
like it's like the huge U shape area, and then
like the big inner island, and then like that small
little island I forget the name of in the kind
of northwest of it. But in Marwin, like the base game,
you only actually play on the inner island. And then
the deal yeah, the two DLC packs. One takes you
to that island God, what the hell is that called?
And that's like very Skyrim like, it's a very snowy area,
and then one of the DLCs takes you to like
pretty much two cities on the mainland. So you never
actually see the whole province in the game of Marlwin.
You only see one maybe like half of it, honestly,
Like there's still a lot of uncharted territory.
Speaker 3: Okay, yeah, I see, I see the island you're talking about,
but I don't see a name.
Speaker 1: I should That's that's another thing. I'm a bad mar
I should know that off the top of my head.
But but time, yeah, yeah, and that's when between Skyrim
and Marwin, that's where you go into.
Speaker 2: The Skyrim DLC and Dragon Borne you go to Sulstein, So.
Speaker 1: Right, I don't think. I don't think I ever actually
played the Dragon Born DLC.
Speaker 2: Oh, it's a good one too. I definitely would recommend
with the drag. I mean I actually quite like that one.
Speaker 1: We have. Many years before Elder Scroll six we talked
about like retrospectives for some of these Elder Strolls games.
It's just such a big undertaking, but I definitely, uh,
I want to I want to do I want to
get you playing mar one at some point. I also
definitely want to jump back and do like a bigger
discussion on Skyrim. That could even be like a multiple
episode long thing just on Skyrim, like multiple episodes just
for that one retro every.
Speaker 2: Elder Scrolls game.
Speaker 1: Yeah, a lot of time, but yeah, stay tuned everyone.
Like close to Elder Scroll six, we will definitely do
some more retrospectives for these games in like a deeper way,
because yeah, that's that's crazy that I've never played that DLC.
I played the Dog Guard one, but I did not
play the Dragon Board DLC. So that's it's crazy. Never
got around to it.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I I do love the idea though, of having like
multiple provinces and even even like having because we're gonna
have so many different like side quest storylines and the
stuff like that, like have one on like the Orcs.
I feel like the Orcs is an avenue that I
haven't really delved too deeply on. Like I I don't
know if I've ever even made like an Orc character.
So every time I've come across those Orc settlements in
in Skyrim, like, I'm just kind of an outsider and
that's the extent that I go on that. But it
would be really cool to kind of get into more
of their just their I don't know how they structure
their theirs, their encampments and how like just the hierarchy
of how that works.
Speaker 1: I guess they don't have a province of their own.
I'd never really thought about.
Speaker 2: No, And that's like a big thing.
Speaker 3: Is like they just keep getting like rated like Ormar,
it just keeps getting like messed up and then they
have to move it. So it's been like moved a
couple of times there like that, which.
Speaker 1: Is really cool main story conflict of a game like
that totally. I would love to see that. I'd be
so cool.
Speaker 2: Yeah, they they've kind of years ago.
Speaker 3: I went on like a deep dive of just like
the history of Okamar and they've kind of just been
screwed over, like their whole history.
Speaker 2: And uh, it's poor orcs, but it would be cool.
Speaker 1: Yeah, thinking about that more man because I think one
of the things one of my biggest predictions for what
I think Elder Stroll six is gonna maybe not focus on,
but I think a big part of it is going
to be the settlement building like customization of that because
with the was a heart Fire Hearth Fire DLC for
for Skyrim that added like where you could build a
house from scratch ad rooms on it. You could never
like move furniture around in a very specific rate. It
was kind of like preset builds. So I think that's
absolutely something they're gonna change with the next one is
able to like place furniture, which is cool because that
was a really fun, interesting DLC. And then obviously Fallout
four took that to the next level where you could
build settlements from scratch, and then Starfield did the same
thing where you can build like moon bases or not
just moon bases, bases anywhere you want, and that's a
pretty expensive feature, and like there is a lot of
fun customization I had so much fun in Starfield building
out houses, whether that was a settlement or just like
in a house, placing individual furniture around, decorating it, putting
all my collectibles and fun things in there. And so
that's something that I'm really looking forward to in the
next Elder Scrolls is building that out, and man, that
could work so interestingly with like that orc we're just
talking about like org strongholds. Imagine that where you're like
claiming territory parts of the map, building out different structures
and like having different visual styles for them based on
like the faction or race that you're working with and
building out these different structures. Because that's something that I've
always kind of like I dabble within these games. Like
I said, I did a decent amount of it in Starfield,
but I didn't build out tons of bases, and mostly
just because like gathering, gathering all the resources to make
these things such a lot of work.
Speaker 3: An game thing, at least follow for me, because I
just never have all the materials and they gonna go
about my day.
Speaker 1: Yeah exactly, they give you waste like generate resources and stuff,
but it just takes a lot of effort. So I
might just like when the next Elder Shouls comes out,
get a mod that just lets me build without having
to worry about that kind of stuff. And but yeah,
that's something I think i'd really want to get into,
because even in Fallout four I didn't mess around with
it too much. But then there are other games like
even Grounded recently. I had so much fun building bases
in that game, so I would I definitely I'm gonna
go pretty ham on that. Even the Heartfire deal, so
I remember getting so invested in that. It was just
such a fun feature in Skyrim some I mean, I've
always loved claiming houses in these games, as I did
a video on that recently Formorrowin, but it's always it's
always highly limited in a lot of it is like
in your mind Palace of imagination in terms of how
much this house is working out for you. You know,
Skyri or Oblivion you can actually buy houses. But Skyrim
went pretty hard with that feature as well. So yeah,
that's something I'm very much looking forward to because I
just know that's gonna be part of it. I would
be disappointed if it wasn't part of it. I just
that's how sure I feel that they're going to add
a feature like that next time around. What else did
I want to mention? I think in terms of the
RPG systems of it, of course, I kind of expect
at this point that, like each other's roles, game is
kind of getting a little bit less deep with its mechanics,
trying to make a little bit more simplified. But then
also they make the combat better every time, so it's
kind of a give and take. But I was really
impressed by Starfield's RPG system, the way you're leveling up
the different skills, how limited your character feels at the
the game versus when you get you know, four skill points,
and what your character improves and changes. So that's something
I think I'm really excited for in the next Elder Scrolls.
I was maybe a bit doom and gloom after Fall
at four, like, oh man, I don't like where they're
going with these RPG systems, But Starfield kind of reignited
some of my belief in that, so I'm excited to
see what they do there. I think the one thing
I would love to see after all these years playing
older Scrolls games is like there's never been a new
race to play as it's always just like the eight
or nine that you have, and like what do you
do unless you do like a prequel where you add
dwarves or like snow elves. Is one that I think
would be cool, like the before the Falmer with a Follmer,
Like what would what would they look like as a
separate playable race. But it's like I don't think they
would go that far in the past, But I mean
a storyline around like the disappearance of the dwarves and
like that being the main poll of the game where
you can actually play as a dwarf would be so cool.
I just I don't expect that. Something they would do
That's like my pipe dream though, is like somehow incorporate away.
Whether it's like some weird time travel thing, I don't know,
but I would love to see like a new playable
race in one of these games. That would be that
would be fun.
Speaker 3: That'd be really cool, especially like if they I don't know,
incorporate into the story, like because a lot of these
races are kind of extinct now or like change. But
I feel like because because they are just so like
I known, like you don't know much about them. I
feel like those have always been like the most exciting
things to kind.
Speaker 1: Of explore for me. So I feel like even if
there was like crossovers, like, I feel like there's never
been like this is the child of an art going
and a no yeah and here you go, here's some
like interesting, Like I've never even thought about that until now,
But how many times must that have happened in these games?
But they never see what that looks like?
Speaker 2: It's funny. They actually have an in game book that
explains that.
Speaker 3: Like it it says that you always like they always
take like the physical traits from the mother. That's why
you never have half races. It's really easy, you know,
yeah exactly, But at least.
Speaker 2: They wrote the book.
Speaker 1: And then that would be cool if they if they
made a system like that work using some I mean,
these character creators are so in depth and funky and
you can make such abominations that why wouldn't you be
able to take like half of an Argonian feature half
of a Orc features and mind them together. That would
be cool. That's something that I want now. I didn't
even think about that until right now, but I think
that would be really cool to get like kind of
half half crossover races that'd be really fun. Yeah, and
like how that would affect your stats too, and the
kind of predispositions that you have totally that'd be really interesting.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: Once again, kirkcase, this is some movie we talk about
for hours, But anything else you wanted to mention for
today anthing that was at the top of your mind here, I.
Speaker 2: Don't think so.
Speaker 3: You brought up a couple of things that I wasn't
really thinking of that just kind of got me excited.
And it's unfortunate we have these conversations because it's like, oh,
I'm excited now your speculation. Yeah, but it's also like
I got to wait so long for it, so yeah,
I'm I don't want to say like I am excited
for like us to finally get a trailer, because when
it comes out, I will be getting it.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: They kind of have me by the balls in that sense.
But it's unfortunate that it's just taking so long, is.
Speaker 2: What it is?
Speaker 1: I guess it is what it is. Yeah, I wonder
because there's just like that mobile game which is kind
of like follow Out Shelter but for Elder Scrolls that
was just released kind of came out of nowhere. Like
I wonder if we'll get another spin off other than
Elder Scrolls online expansions like in between now and that
there's obviously been like rumors of like an Oblivion remaster,
and that would be cool and that would be a
great way to hold us over for sure. So I
don't know, we'll see. Hopefully there is something else Elder
Strolls related that comes out prior to just given that
we're gonna have to wait for so many more years
on this next one. But yeah, that's funny. I feel
like this topic I just bring up everyone in a
while because I just want to talk about Elder Scrolls
and I just I need it in my life, and
there's just been so little new content to actually breakdown,
so always fun to have these conversations. But yeah, as
I said, definitely more Elder Scrolls conversations that happen closer
to when this game is actually happening, and some of
these retrospectives. I'm excited to get it too. So Circle,
thank you for joining me. This is a fun episode.
Thank you everyone for listening, and uh yeah, we will
see you again next week.
Speaker 2: Bye bye bye,