WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:03.359 Hey, Aidan, did you enjoy having a video game industry 2 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:07.080 anchored by small, closely held companies with decades of history 3 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:09.640 and the toys and games making businesses? You mean the 4 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:12.080 type of industry that made Final Fantasy six in like 5 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:12.919 ten months? 6 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:13.199 Yeah? 7 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:13.560 I did. 8 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:17.039 Yeah, And did you enjoy a games media comprise mostly 9 00:00:17.079 --> 00:00:21.399 of independent publishing companies, most of whom specialized in games, tech, 10 00:00:21.480 --> 00:00:23.359 and or hobbyist publications? 11 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.640 Loved it? It made me who I am? Too bad? 12 00:00:27.239 --> 00:00:32.719 Welcome to fun Factor Season two, Rise of the Corpos. 13 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:42.920 You've got fun Factor. Two old gamers reviewing old video 14 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:45.920 game magazine reviews. I'm Ty Shelter, He's Aidan Moher, and 15 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:48.039 we're two professional writers who grew up loving the video 16 00:00:48.119 --> 00:00:51.439 games and video game magazines of the nineteen eighties, nineteen nineties, 17 00:00:51.439 --> 00:00:54.479 and two thousands. Every episode we take a critical look 18 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:57.200 back on the games media that, for better and for worse, 19 00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:59.840 inspired us to do what we do. First, go to 20 00:00:59.880 --> 00:01:02.759 Factor pod dot com, follow the show on your podcatcher 21 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:06.760 of choice, leave us a rating review on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, 22 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:11.200 wherever you get your podcasts. 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Shout 33 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:44.079 us out on blue Sky at funfactor pod dot com 34 00:01:44.159 --> 00:01:48.480 and everywhere else at fun Factor Pod. Aiden. This week's 35 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:53.480 issue humbles and shames me like no other for reasons. 36 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:55.879 We're about to get into you. Uh but first, what 37 00:01:56.079 --> 00:02:00.840 is the wrongest you have ever been? The wrongest I've 38 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:05.840 ever been? I mean, if you ask my kids or 39 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:09.879 my wife, I'm sure they have many examples. Sure if 40 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:12.319 you ask me the wrongest I've ever been? 41 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:14.199 Man, that's tough. 42 00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:18.319 There were definitely like things I was excited about, but 43 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:23.759 I'm that like didn't pan out or didn't become what 44 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:25.439 I sort of hoped they would be. 45 00:02:25.759 --> 00:02:30.199 But are chronicle? Are you in Chronicle? 46 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:33.199 Yeah, but like it was okay, it was mid right, 47 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:35.800 it was like it was mid So I don't yeah, 48 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:39.759 I don't know, like I get excited about things, but 49 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:44.159 I'm also like, just by nature a little cautious about enthusiasm, sure, 50 00:02:44.439 --> 00:02:47.639 and so I don't get over hyped on things. So 51 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:51.719 what's something that I like didn't expect to be my 52 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:56.120 jam and was? You know, like I think about like 53 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:59.599 something like Elder or just hard games in general. I 54 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:01.719 went through thing where I was like, man, like, this 55 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:04.479 trend of hard games is not great. It makes them 56 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:08.159 inaccessible and makes it hard for people to get into 57 00:03:08.199 --> 00:03:10.319 it and stuff like Hollow Nights, stuff like elden Ring, 58 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:13.280 stuff like Dark Souls. So then I went to write 59 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:18.039 a piece for my newsletter Astrolabe about why death is 60 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.319 a mechanic is bad. So I played a bit of 61 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:23.439 Dead Cells and then I was like, oh wait, no, what, 62 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:24.360 I wait? 63 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:24.960 I like this. 64 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:28.800 I played some Hollow Night, which didn't click with me 65 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:30.719 right away, but I've since played it and love it. 66 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:33.840 And then I bought elden Ring because of the George R. 67 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:34.560 Martin connection. 68 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:35.280 I was just curious. 69 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:37.919 You know, I'm a big I have a big background 70 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:41.199 and fantasy books, and you know, I've read all the 71 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:44.800 ice some fire books, song Arise, Fire Buks. Yeah, and 72 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.039 so I was like, you know what the hypes get 73 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:48.680 into me. I'll buy Elden Ring. I'll play it for 74 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:51.120 a couple hours and then just to see if I 75 00:03:51.120 --> 00:03:53.840 can see like George's fingerprints on it. And then one 76 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:56.199 hundred and fifty hours later I had platinumed. 77 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:57.199 It and I was like, yeah, it's good. 78 00:03:57.800 --> 00:03:59.319 And so that was one where I was like I 79 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.240 kind of started to get it and my cynicism about 80 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:06.280 difficult games, I should say challenging games, because I think 81 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:10.759 there's a difference between like a challenging game that's ultimately 82 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:14.560 fair and balanced, and like a hard game that's not balanced, 83 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:19.759 So like something like Hollow Night very challenging, something like 84 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:25.160 the stuff Working Designs was doing in this era where 85 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:30.160 they're artificially increasing difficulty was hard in a bad way, 86 00:04:30.279 --> 00:04:32.800 and so like, I kind of didn't understand the difference 87 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.160 between the two until then, And now I understand why 88 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:37.240 I was missing out on. 89 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:40.199 All these popular games that I actually. 90 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:42.480 Really like in the end, and it was because of 91 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.879 that sort of cynicism towards something I didn't understand well, Yeah, 92 00:04:45.959 --> 00:04:48.879 and I had a whole bunch of cynicism for something 93 00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:55.360 and it turns out it was wrong. This issue Next 94 00:04:55.399 --> 00:04:59.639 Gen eighty five is a monument to the absolute wrongest 95 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:02.920 I have ever been and it's next Gen. We've time 96 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:05.639 skipped from our first season well passed in the magazine 97 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:09.079 was called all Capitals, Next and then Generation. I want 98 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:10.439 to describe this cover for me. 99 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:13.519 Yeah, so we have a very. 100 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:19.480 Green, very xboxy cover, a lot of like white text 101 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:23.879 on a black background, but dominating is a big glossy 102 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:31.000 Xbox logo. Yes, and it says Special Edition Ultimate Xbox 103 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:36.600 Review Guide. Twenty six launch titles rated, including four genuine 104 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:44.959 classics okay, sure, two complete duds that tracks three major surprises, 105 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:48.920 but which are which. When this issue came out in 106 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.480 January two thousand and two, we'd all been reading more 107 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:56.800 and more rumories about Microsoft's Direct Xbox, and unlike the 108 00:05:56.839 --> 00:05:59.720 timeframe of our first season, by this point I not 109 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:03.720 only had a gaming PC, I was a registered small 110 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:07.680 business owner, buying parts at wholesale and building custom PCs 111 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:11.959 for friends and businesses. So I was very well acquainted 112 00:06:11.959 --> 00:06:14.439 with what Microsoft was doing in the computer space and 113 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:19.360 the idea that they could build a small, self contained, reliable, 114 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:25.519 powerful and cool games console was laughable. We were still 115 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:29.079 in the sort of eraw when vaporware quote unquote was 116 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:32.240 most often applied to hardware. I've often joked that every 117 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:35.160 year at CEES they'd spin this big wheel full of 118 00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:39.639 electronics makers, telecom providers, and toy companies and then make 119 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:42.879 them hold a press conference announcing their new games machine 120 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:46.959 or multimedia platform or whatever that had zero chance of shipping, 121 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:52.560 let alone selling. Matt Susheta is teaming up with Mattel 122 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:59.000 to make your Pacific Bell cable box run LaserDisc games, 123 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:02.639 right Like, So many consoles got announced and then they 124 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.120 never had any real games to show, never had any 125 00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:08.319 third parties on board. The M two M two for sure, 126 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:11.040 and they basically just seemed to think if they could 127 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:13.800 just get the plastic box in the world, gamers everywhere 128 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:16.480 would lap it up. And you could bet that these 129 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:19.600 consoles would never get made, and if they did get made, 130 00:07:19.600 --> 00:07:23.639 they'd completely suck, or if they somehow didn't completely suck, 131 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.240 they'd see like a tiny release in Japan or like 132 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:30.800 California only, and then just vanish the Apple Slash Bandai 133 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:34.879 Pippin is still effectively a fairy tale, even if Wikipedia 134 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:39.199 tells me today that twelve thousand units did ship in 135 00:07:39.240 --> 00:07:43.600 the US, and all of these things I swore up 136 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:46.759 and down to my friends also applied to the Xbox. 137 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:50.600 You know, I was right there with you. 138 00:07:51.600 --> 00:07:54.519 So you know, if this was wrong, doubting the Xbox, 139 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:57.959 that probably would be the wrongest I've been in a sense, 140 00:07:58.480 --> 00:08:01.360 except there's only. 141 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:05.279 Been one good Xbox time, the three sixty. All the 142 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:06.160 rest have been like. 143 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:12.519 Sus I think, so, I like, I don't think I'm wrong. Next, 144 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:16.000 what is Xbox at this point? Yeah, that's the thing 145 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:18.680 is that we should have been right right, Like so 146 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:22.839 many people are involved back then today talk all the 147 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:27.000 time on podcasts about how what a moonshot it was, 148 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:30.199 and how counter to Microsoft corporate culture it was, how 149 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:33.559 often the project was nearly killed, and how many tiny 150 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:36.679 little miracles had to happen for the company still shipping 151 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:42.279 Microsoft Office with Clippy the paper Clip Assistant to design, build, 152 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:45.919 develop a library for, and then successfully sell millions of 153 00:08:46.039 --> 00:08:49.559 units of a genuinely cool game console. But it did 154 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:54.080 hit stores en mass across the continent. On November fifteenth, 155 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:57.480 two thousand and one, making Japan wait for once, and 156 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:00.399 here we have all twenty six launch titles rev in 157 00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:03.320 this issue of next Gen, which would have been on 158 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:08.159 newsstands in time for Christmas shopping. Microsoft launching a legitimate 159 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:11.320 challenge to Sony's already dominant PS two would mark the 160 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:15.360 birth of a massive, glorious new era in games, but 161 00:09:15.519 --> 00:09:18.879 it would also mark the end of a beloved era 162 00:09:19.399 --> 00:09:23.120 in games media. If you are not already a member 163 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:25.919 of fun Factor Ultra and getting ad free episodes. 164 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:26.399 Hang tight through the break. 165 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:28.399 When we come back, we will crack open the cover 166 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.799 and flip through next Gen eighty three right here on 167 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:32.720 fun Factor. 168 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:38.440 If this is tied from the future, I said issue 169 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:41.440 eighty three right here, but I meant issue eighty five. 170 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:46.279 So every place I say issue eighty three this episode, 171 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:48.279 just know that I meant issue eighty five. 172 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:51.720 My apologies. 173 00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:13.000 Welcome back to fun Factor, where two old gamers review 174 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:15.399 old video game magazine reviews. Of course we want you 175 00:10:15.440 --> 00:10:17.519 to review us. Did we get a full five point 176 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:20.399 zero fun Factor? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and 177 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:23.720 we'll read the best, kindest, funniest and most entertaining ones 178 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:29.279 on the air. Aiden the deal with next Gen. Again, 179 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:32.879 this is next generation the magazine, but we can see 180 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.559 already it is not next generation in the magazine. It's 181 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:40.120 next gen. Logos change, the fonts have changed. It doesn't 182 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:44.919 look uncool, but it doesn't stand out from its competitors. 183 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:48.879 A lot of other games magazines had kind of leveled 184 00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:51.480 up as well and gone to the you know, sans 185 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:56.200 serif once more professional looking, kind of clean design that 186 00:10:56.240 --> 00:10:59.480 they kind of led the industry on. And so it's 187 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:01.600 not like A doesn't look like an evolution of it, 188 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:04.039 but it also doesn't look much different than most of 189 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:06.360 the other magazines on the shelves at this point. 190 00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:09.440 It is it's very generic. And that was my first thought. 191 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:12.200 When we when I bloaded up this issue to start 192 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:14.840 taking a look at is it just looks like a magazine. 193 00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:15.039 Yep. 194 00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:19.480 Like Next Generation had such a vibe to it and 195 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:21.759 it was so far ahead of its time, but it 196 00:11:21.799 --> 00:11:24.279 feels like they kind of missed the boat here and 197 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:27.039 this looks like, you know, it looks. 198 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:30.159 Like it could be anything, really like it could be. 199 00:11:30.600 --> 00:11:33.759 Yeah, the world, it could be games for Windows, it 200 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:36.600 could be you know, like it looks like one of 201 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:39.240 those kind of generic magazines you see on newstands. Now, 202 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:42.720 that's like the ultimate guide to chat GP. It's just 203 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:45.919 like the most like, you know, generic magazine you could 204 00:11:45.960 --> 00:11:47.000 possibly imagine. 205 00:11:47.159 --> 00:11:47.480 Yeah. 206 00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:50.200 So issue eighty three, January two thousand and two, one 207 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:55.080 hundred and three numbered editorial pages. That is slim. 208 00:11:55.519 --> 00:11:55.759 Yeah. 209 00:11:55.879 --> 00:11:59.080 Number of games reviewed forty nine these twenty six for 210 00:11:59.120 --> 00:12:01.879 the Xbox cover story in twenty three for other platforms, 211 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:05.559 which is wild. That's a huge number of reviews at 212 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:10.720 the number of systems. That's like a review for every 213 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:11.320 two pages. 214 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:11.639 Yeah. 215 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:17.039 Uh huh uh huh uh huh yep uh number systems 216 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:21.600 reviewed for his five, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation two, Dreamcast, and PC. 217 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:26.159 I'm gonna open this up here a little bit and 218 00:12:26.200 --> 00:12:29.159 get to now the masthead proper is actually at the 219 00:12:29.240 --> 00:12:35.039 back of the issue. However, we have a little editorial 220 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:36.840 letter from the editor here. 221 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:37.320 Uh. 222 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:42.399 This guy holding cannon mountain. Do don't recognize him? He is, 223 00:12:42.440 --> 00:12:47.159 in fact Blake Fisher, executive editor. I don't remember his name, 224 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:49.440 despite his having worked at Next Gen for several years 225 00:12:49.440 --> 00:12:51.639 at this point. And I guess that's what happens when 226 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:56.039 you don't give people bylines. Eh h Could you please 227 00:12:56.080 --> 00:13:01.600 read for me the beginning of his letter from the editor. Yes, so, 228 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:06.279 in the three years I've been at Next Generation, I've 229 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:10.159 always hoped that one day I'd be that guy at 230 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:12.720 the front who tells you what this issue's all about. 231 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:16.440 Never did I think it would be like this, though. 232 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:18.000 You see, it's Sunday. 233 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:21.080 I'm really tired and haggard. 234 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:22.799 And I need to get this call him in before 235 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:26.080 the magazine ships to the printer first thing tomorrow morning. 236 00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:31.919 In short, I'm exhausted and my work is late. Honestly though, 237 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:35.320 I just had to see how Halo ended, and trust me, 238 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:39.840 it was worth the all nighter, all right, So good 239 00:13:40.200 --> 00:13:46.399 kind of first introduction to Blake here. Unfortunately, it's very bittersweet, 240 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:49.879 not just because he's haggard and tired and turning in 241 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:53.600 his first issue late after pulling a all nighter playing Halo, 242 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:58.960 but because this is also his last letter from the editor, 243 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:02.799 because this is the issue of Next Gen. The magazine 244 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:07.120 ended after this. We get a little hint here and 245 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.039 the ending it was always called ending, right, because they 246 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:12.639 were doing NG at the beginning of the magazine. 247 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:13.320 They tried to. 248 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.159 Work an NG into all their site. 249 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:19.240 And so we say so long, We love our readers 250 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:22.720 looking back back page Bye bye. This is the only 251 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:26.519 actual reference in the magazine to the fact that this 252 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:29.519 is the last magazine. Yes uh or drub in Chat 253 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:33.200 says press f to pay respects Big F in the 254 00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:37.200 chat for next Gen. Don't worry about Blake, though, he 255 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:41.120 did very well for himself. After four years at Future Us, 256 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.720 the publishing group that published Next Gen and Game Players 257 00:14:43.720 --> 00:14:46.960 and other magazines, he switched to Game Dev and he 258 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:50.200 must have really loved this Xbox launch lineup because a 259 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:52.240 couple of months after this issue hit the shelves, he 260 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:56.879 started a sixteen year run developing third party portfolio planning 261 00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:59.840 for Xbox title. By the end of it was Director 262 00:15:00.039 --> 00:15:04.519 third Party Portfolio Planning. And then in twenty eighteen, Microsoft 263 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:08.240 started a new quasi independent first party studio called The Initiative, 264 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:13.120 and Fisher started there as Director of World and Narrative. Unfortunately, 265 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:16.360 this was the studio created to make the Perfect Dark reboot, 266 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:18.639 and as we all know now, that did not go 267 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:22.320 so hot, so he left in twenty twenty three, joined 268 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:26.080 Hi Rez Studios for a year and now he is 269 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:31.279 at Tencent Director Venture Lab. So my guess is it's 270 00:15:31.480 --> 00:15:36.360 more portfolio type management stuff as opposed to directly getting 271 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:40.879 into game death. So yeah again, Blake Fisher Dida Okay 272 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:44.600 after this, but I got into games journalism at the 273 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:45.200 wrong time. 274 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:45.480 Time. 275 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:48.639 Oh, you don't even know. You don't even know, Aiden 276 00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:52.200 because besides Jeff Lundergan and a couple other you know, 277 00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:59.879 future and next Gen regulars Bulwarks Longtimer's managing editor jennifersal 278 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.799 now had been managing editor for over a year, and 279 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:06.799 after this she'd move on to EGM and was the 280 00:16:06.840 --> 00:16:10.200 managing editor there for five years. Over five years. Yeah, 281 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:13.159 and she also in the meantime took on that title 282 00:16:13.159 --> 00:16:14.960 for the One Up Network when it came into being. 283 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:17.759 In two thousand and eight, she jumped over the desk 284 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.799 and joined Sega as Associate creative director for like a 285 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:23.919 year and a half. Then there's like a several year 286 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:27.759 gap in her resume and she notes only doing freelance 287 00:16:27.799 --> 00:16:32.000 work for Wikia quote creation of parent oriented articles within 288 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:35.840 existing video game, TV and movie wikis, so like part 289 00:16:35.879 --> 00:16:39.480 time wiki editor. And then in twenty fourteen she joined 290 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:42.759 Venture Beat as managing editor again, where despite her titles, 291 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:45.759 she said, the staff endearingly call her the quote chief 292 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:50.320 Typo and Deadline officer. But then, Aiden, could you read 293 00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:52.600 the second half of her venture Beat bio for me. 294 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:56.759 I grew up in and around Silicon Valley and I've 295 00:16:56.759 --> 00:16:59.600 worked here for almost twenty years. I have close friends 296 00:16:59.639 --> 00:17:03.919 and family members with ties to major companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, 297 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:07.559 and others. I'm committed to keeping these relationships separate from 298 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.440 my professional life as a journalist, and I will recuse 299 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:14.640 myself from involvement in any story where a conflict may arise. 300 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:17.559 I support venture Beat's ethics statement. 301 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:18.680 Yeah. 302 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:24.319 So Jensow's work history on LinkedIn ends here, and I 303 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:27.079 could not find any other place where she may work 304 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:32.279 after twenty fifteen, And I did a little digging around, 305 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:36.440 and it feels like I can pretty constantly say that 306 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:39.079 the close friends and family members with ties to major 307 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:43.799 Bay Area tech companies is how she is able to 308 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:48.000 lead an instagram worthy life still to this day in 309 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:50.319 the Bay Area, doing all sorts of cool stuff all 310 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:53.359 the time and not really having to work for money. 311 00:17:55.319 --> 00:18:00.680 So yeah, right place, right time. Uh, literally living a dream. 312 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:04.759 Congrats to Jensau. That's how we would all love to 313 00:18:04.839 --> 00:18:08.519 be able to do it. And again, it just kind 314 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:09.880 of goes back to you like you said, and I 315 00:18:09.880 --> 00:18:12.119 got into games media at the wrong time. And you know, 316 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.079 so much of that was where were you at the time, right, 317 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:18.279 Like were you in San Francisco? Were you in New York? 318 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:20.440 Were you at a did you know somebody? 319 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:20.759 Right? 320 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:26.240 Were you really talented, really hard working person with an 321 00:18:26.279 --> 00:18:31.319 absolute passion for games writing or both? And you know, 322 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:34.000 way ahead of the curve. Okay, cool, you could end 323 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:37.799 up at running these pubs or being in tech or 324 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:42.039 directing game studios or whatever it was. And you know, 325 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:44.759 there's a lot more opportunity to get in at the 326 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:48.079 ground floor. But the floor doesn't get all. 327 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:49.759 That much higher up the ground. 328 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:57.200 Now it's like subterranean, get in in the sub basement. 329 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:02.519 Yeah, all right, like a skimmer of water. Who on 330 00:19:02.519 --> 00:19:02.920 the floor. 331 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:14.880 Yeah, it is time for the flip through, okay, In 332 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:21.359 we have to start with the first ad of the magazine. 333 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:26.400 This is for Connecticut Racing has evolved. Yeah, and there's 334 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:31.039 there's so much to unpack here. We have this person 335 00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:36.920 with wheels on their hands and ankles and this, but 336 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:39.559 like armor, we have to be clear that these wheels 337 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:44.519 are attached like to the insides of their feet. Like yeah, 338 00:19:45.240 --> 00:19:48.759 now I believe you could stand on these two wheels 339 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:52.920 with these but then the wheels on the hands are 340 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:58.319 like on the palms. I'm this is wild attack, so 341 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:01.759 I think the idea is like wipe out. But no, no, 342 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:04.400 you turn into the motorcycle. 343 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:06.880 You are, yes, like you. 344 00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:09.720 You like connect your feet and you connect your hands 345 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:12.000 and you turn into a motorcycle. Yes, okay, and I 346 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:15.279 have apologies, folks, I'm trying to with this CBR the 347 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:21.000 we so yes, see, okay, this is the dream, right 348 00:20:26.440 --> 00:20:30.200 not having to work, that's like, you know, that's great, 349 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:33.799 but this is the dream. We're ang getting to turn 350 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:36.559 into a motorcycle with your like boo bar with your 351 00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:38.480 boo barmer. And this is this is the part of 352 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:41.240 been slow playing. First of all, I didn't even recognize 353 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:45.720 this is her hat here right, like this is a helmet. 354 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:50.440 And we want to talk about like anatomically impossible like 355 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:55.000 the skeleton, the rib cage. This spine has got to 356 00:20:55.039 --> 00:21:01.119 be like seven feet long and everything is protected except 357 00:21:01.680 --> 00:21:04.079 from the rib cage to the knees. And then we 358 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:09.279 just get underwear and then the tagline here zero to 359 00:21:09.400 --> 00:21:17.440 sixty and thirty six twenty four thirty six gross of course, yeah, 360 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:22.000 it's absolutely bizarre freak stuff. I like the boob armor 361 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:28.559 also notably has like nipples, yes, like nipple armer too. Yeah, 362 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:34.599 Oh my gosh, yeah, good amazing stuff. We're gonna see, 363 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:38.119 like in a way like we've been doing late nineties cringe. 364 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:40.880 I think like early aughts cringe. 365 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:41.240 Is gonna be worse. 366 00:21:41.319 --> 00:21:44.119 Yeah, because it's like it's going to be trying to 367 00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:50.480 appeal to like older cringe forry people than like like 368 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:55.559 twelve year olds. Yeah, so get excited for that, I 369 00:21:55.559 --> 00:22:00.400 guess everyone. We go ahead to the editorial content, of 370 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:04.319 which spoiler, there is very very little we have lift 371 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.200 off launch Mania, Xbox and GameCube are now in the 372 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:10.519 hands of gamers, real fun starts. They have a little 373 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:14.160 tiny bit of an interview with Bill Gates. It's mostly 374 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:20.640 not cool. Another bit of news here Tokyo Game Show. 375 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:25.359 Word at the Tokyo Game Show was that Sega looked unstoppable, 376 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:30.440 it says here, chucking off the hardware business instead. And yeah, 377 00:22:30.519 --> 00:22:34.519 Sega's doing great, focusing on software only, which, by the way, folks, 378 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:37.920 and the time skip we were seeing teasers for Dreamcast 379 00:22:37.960 --> 00:22:41.319 specs and the Naomi Arcade Board, which was Dreamcast based 380 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:45.279 directly right, basically just Dreamcast in an arcade box. Skip 381 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:49.240 forward four years. Dreamcast is dad. Never mind, forget about 382 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:55.359 that whole Dreamcast come and gone. We have Windows XP 383 00:22:55.519 --> 00:23:01.440 plays hard randomly five star review, revolutionary, brilliantly conceived and 384 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:04.359 flawlessly executed, a new high water mark according to their 385 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:07.599 grave and according to their grade system, it's it is 386 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:08.880 the best Window. 387 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:12.599 Four Windows XP. Ah yeah, I would give that. 388 00:23:12.559 --> 00:23:15.400 A five stars as far as grading on a curve 389 00:23:15.400 --> 00:23:16.440 because it's still Windows. 390 00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:19.599 Yeah. Windows XP has features like. 391 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:22.960 Easy CD burning and a built in firewall, but gamers 392 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:26.359 need only remember three words stability, software, and speed because 393 00:23:26.359 --> 00:23:31.920 it's built on the two thousand kernel. Okay, great, and 394 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:36.079 that's the end of the editorial, which is wild for 395 00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:38.799 next generation. Like what a shift from what we were 396 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:43.480 reading and looking at last season. Absolutely so we get 397 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:49.839 Xbox review as promised, We have capsule reviews of every 398 00:23:49.960 --> 00:23:53.160 Xbox game. At least Halo gets a full one page review, 399 00:23:53.880 --> 00:23:57.680 but only a one pager Yeah, like that is the 400 00:23:58.319 --> 00:23:59.920 Xbox game, right? 401 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:01.440