You ever play a game that is just... good? Good graphics, well made, nothing particularly wrong with it - but it's just... Fine? That's how Matt is feeling about Spiderman 2. Maybe it's because it is a sequel that came too quick, or maybe it's the realistic graphics. We're diving into what's missing. Oh and console wars. We are gonna talk about the banality of console wars some too.
Today was marred by the tragic news of fLoE passing. He was a well known personality in the FGC and a common sight at tourneys. He was taken too young, and our thoughts are with his family. As seems natural, while talking about fLoE we got onto the subject of icons in fighting games, which led into what makes a game iconic. How would you replicate that?
A 10 outta 10 episode on 10/10 get it?
I wish there was some cool story as to how this topic came about but it really was a "you're a ten outta ten" joke that made Matt go down a rabbit hole of ten out of ten games from ten different consoles. I did my best to throw at least a couple curve balls for the long time listeners while Matt brought the culture of retro games.
Matt's been shouting it from the rooftops and singing it on every corner, but if you've missed it: he loves Lies of P. The clever adaptation of Pinocchio into a grimdark soulsborne action fantasy has us thinking what other public domain stories could make for a great game - and what genres would they fit.
Tokyo Game Show has just wrapped up. We talk about the surprises of the show, some news about exclusivity for 3rd parties, industry speculations, and Kamiya leaving Platinum.
We waited to record until we were able to read the big Microsoft Leak for ourselves. Personally, I feel it is a big nothingburger. And so far as I can tell, the only people hyping this as a big deal are engagement farmers on Twitter.
That being said: there is some value to what this confirms about how Microsoft, and by extension executives think about mergers, acquisitions and the future of gaming et al. So, let's dig into it!
It's my birthday episode! And the planned topic was "what makes a game 'cinematic' and what are the best cinematic games out there." But then a few big pieces of news dropped - and we knew we wanted to talk about that too. So, the first half of this episode is about Unity, Embracer Group and ESA (E3) news, while the back half is about the planned topic.
It sounds eclectic but it actually works pretty well.
It's been a bit of a packed year for games. Maybe that's because the Pandemic caused a crunch that is only now whip lashing onto the market. Who knows but one side effect has been: many games, good games, have come out and been forgotten in the pack.
Bioware is on the chopping block if Dragon Age doesn't do well. It seems like a lot of third parties face oblivion when a single game isn't an over the top success, much less a failure. Are there certain genres that have become doomed for third party devs? A first party can pump out a triple AAA block buster single player game and if it is middling at best, that developer will probably get another shot. But if you're owned by EA? You might be in a soup line the next quarter.
*** I realize I misspoke later in the episode, when talking about THQ Nordic games I'd like to see - I say I'd like to see less games like BattleField and more mid budget single player shooters/3rd person shooters. I know THQ Nordic does not make Battlefield, I just had a jumbled train of thought. Oops lol
Maaaaaaaan there was some cool stuff shown for the opening night of Gamescom 2023, but there was also a whole lot of awkward, huh? This week we are talking about our favorite moments, bold trailers, and awkward interviews from the opening night live show kicking off Gamescom 2023!
This week we are talking about sequels and what we expect from a franchise as it moves forward. I also try to sell Matt on Baldur's Gate 3 but to little effect - THE MAN HATES FUN (kidding).
Everyone is back from EVO 2023 and by all accounts it was a big W for the FGC. I didn't get to go this year, so I had Matt fill me in on some of the best parts. Between new Tekken 8 fighters, MK1 news, and promising looks at Project L - the future looks bright for the FGC!
Yes - you should try to enjoy things. But also sometimes it's fun to talk about the stuff that is overrated in hindsight and maybe even some stuff that has been hated on so much that when you actually look at it... It's fine. Maybe even good! Who knows let's take a look.
Today I'm playing the inspiration for this episode - Amnesia: The Bunker. Matt sold it to me as a perfect shot of survival horror, coming in at 5-6 hours and never overstaying its welcome. But is that the perfect length for survival horror? And what is the perfect length for other games? As always, we have opinions :P
Larian Studios, makers of the Divinity games, have had a massive win with regards to Baldur's Gate 3! A triumph some may call it, and now: some fans say every RPG should follow its example. The thing is BG3 is the result of a perfect storm, and while we love that it has succeeded - not every game should, or even can, follow its path.
This week's episode ranges from 70's gay porn aesthetics (my mustache, we are talking about my mustache) to an intro to Xenogears lore. It's Matt's Birthday episode, so he gets to take us on a journey into any topic he wants!
Are critics out of touch? You look at Rotten Tomatoes for instance and critics give Indy 5 a 69%(nice) while the audience gives it 88%! Does that mean the critics are wrong? I say it means they are looking for different things and in todays media landscape an aggregate score means nothing. But that leaves out another class of pseudo critic - the content creator; whose whole brand can be built on loving or hating "the thing".
And that presents a problem for audiences be it games or movies. If much of the content out there is built around tearing apart or overhyping - how do you just enjoy things anymore?
FF16 has been out for a few days now and overall it is getting a positive response. However, there does seem to be a portion of gamers who are mad the game isn't "true" open world, and it lacks traditional RPG elements. Some even claim it doesn't have classic Final Fantasy elements. We'd argue none of these points were promised, but also they are in fact in the game. And we'll go even further to say there's a strong case against open world in Final Fantasy, and maybe even games in general moving forward.
Every game should have a demo. Yes it means development might be a little longer but it already takes 5 years nowadays to complete a triple A game. Polishing a demo won't add that much to that kind of timeline and the benefits far outweigh that extra work.
All the showcases are done and now we get to say how we really feel! We feel... pretty good! There were shocking surprises, and maybe not enough gameplay for our tastes but overall it looks like 23/24 is going to be a very good time to be a gamer.
Square Enix is facing down some lack luster pre-order numbers for FF16. Granted, I don't think that means anything because in the digital age - do many people really care about pre-ordering a game? I'd say only your most hardcore audience. That being said, looking at previous sale numbers, it does seem like making FF16 a PlayStation exclusive will hurt the game long term, and if we know that, then why do it?
Poor release apology statements, released as images, are so prevalent these days that they are their own category of meme. It seems like once a month we see a statement with a remix of "we're sorry - we'll do better!" Currently, the response is to bully studios over the poor releases, but someday we will have to start voting with our wallets and stop buying new releases altogether, I guess.
Sony brought out an expansive number of announcements and trailers, but very little concrete release dates and even less actual gameplay. I wouldn't say this blew my balls off, though there was still a decent amount to be intrigued, or even excited by. Let's get into it!
This week's episode is wide ranging and inspired by how seemingly pointless the reviews are for Tears of the Kingdom, both positive and negative. Between reviewers often pumping out inane, sometimes bought and paid for reviews, and review bombing - do things like meta critic even matter anymore? Do critics matter in general, anymore? The big questions.
We've talked about story before, and how in the past story was seldom important to a game - often an after thought. We've changed our opinion on that over time, especially in recent years as games have become more story driven and cinematic. But does gaming have auteurs? As games become more and more like films, will we see more game directors emerge with distinct styles, and voices? And have there really been many in gaming's past?