Is this the Beginning of the End for Live Service Games?!? ft. Alec Taub

What's up, everyone?

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Welcome to the Single Player Experience,

the best podcast since pizza was invented,

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the best things since pizza was invented.

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As always, I'm your host, Sebastian

Mauldin, and joining me today is

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an absolute rock star, an absolute

mega star, because he has never

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been defeated in Mario Kart.

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He is the master of all things destiny.

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He is the wonderful individual that has

conquered the latest Star Trek convention.

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In Las Vegas.

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Ladies and gentlemen, my guest

today is none other than Alec.

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Alec, how you doing today?

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I am fantastic.

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Thank you for that intro.

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Man, I told you I'm fired up today.

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I'm so excited to have you on the show.

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Alec, you know, like this, it's, I

know you've been on the show several

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different times now, but every time

you're on, it's a, it's a vibe, it's

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an energy and I'm, I'm all here for it.

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Hey, I'm happy to bring

the vibe and the energy.

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So Alec, are you doing well today?

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Yeah, I'm doing pretty well.

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You know, I, uh, got to watch

the, or I've been catching up

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slowly on strange new world.

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So it's been nice to be able to

do that today as well as get some

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new job applications out there.

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So, you know, fun times.

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Yeah, for sure.

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For sure.

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Alec, you know, like, before we get

into all the video game stuff, like,

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you're, there's a show that people have

been recommending to me, but like, I'm

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not, they're not, they're kind of light

into sci fi, whereas I know you're

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a sci fi, like, buff at this point.

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Like, people have been recommending

this show called The Orville to me.

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As a Star Trek person, is

this like, basically like, off

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brand, like, Star Trek, or is

this like, an actual good show?

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So from the people that I've talked to who

have watched it, that's what they've said.

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Um, I have a friend who is a huge Trekkie.

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A shout out to Mike.

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He...

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Swears that the Auroville is maybe

some of the best Star Trek related

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content that is out there right now.

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Um, so definitely give it a whirl.

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It's on my list.

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If I could ever get through

my backlog of TV shows, I'm

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going to eventually get there.

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But it is hard.

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It's hard to watch everything.

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It really is.

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So what's the top three shows

on your backlog right now?

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So I, so about a month ago, I had started

rewatching The Next Gen, because I

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hadn't watched, it's been probably 5 or

6 years since I've gone back through it.

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So, that was on there, The Expanse

is another one, because I've heard

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such great things about it, um.

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My girlfriend and I had started a couple

episodes and again just hit the backlog.

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And then, uh, the new season of Futurama.

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So I've seen, I've seen

two episodes thus far.

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I don't know if any more have come out

but it's, it's definitely on the list

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of, uh, what I need to work through.

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So as a guy who really enjoyed like

Futurama back in its initial run

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and then like its rerun after they

after they decided to bring it back.

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Do you feel like the first two

episodes of this new like this new

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season like feels like the same

embodiment of what the the old show is?

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Oh, a hundred percent.

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Okay.

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It's yeah, it really hit

the nostalgia factor.

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Um, and I love that they keep hammering

how many times that they've been canceled.

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Yeah, exactly.

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It's like classic Matt Groening.

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So it's been, it's been wonderful

to, to have Futurama back.

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Okay.

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Okay.

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So I know like, uh, most of the

original cast is back, but I have

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to ask about my favorite character.

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Did they bring back Dr.

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Zoibird?

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They did.

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Dr.

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Zoidberg is here.

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Yes.

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Yeah.

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Zoidberg is probably my favorite,

like, character in that era

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of, like, TV, basically.

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Oh, yeah.

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I quote Zoidberg on the daily,

especially when I complete any task.

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I'm like, Hooray, I'm useful.

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Yeah.

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I love it.

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I absolutely love it.

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So, Alec, you know, it's always

a joy to have you on the show.

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Let's...

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Let's get to a new topic of the

show and that's spicy takes.

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Let's get spicy real quick, Alec.

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Okay.

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So in this, in this like

segment of the show, I'm going

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to ask you for a spicy take.

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It can be video game related.

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It could be all encompassing on life, but

this is a take that is, you know, some

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might consider it a hot take, so to speak.

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Do you, do you have one for me, Alec?

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Do you need a moment to think about it?

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I have a spicy take, but

I'm afraid to say it.

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I wonder what it is.

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I'm so curious.

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So, my spicy take is that gaming

communities are, at the same time, one

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of the best things, and also one of the

absolute worst things on planet Earth.

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Like...

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They are this interesting dichotomy

of people who find really cool things

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in games, and they, you know, show you

new builds, or show you a bug that's

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hilarious, you come across things, but

then you have the members of the community

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who want the game to absolutely burn to

the ground, and are, you know, grabbing

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their pitchforks, and are trying to rile

up the community as much as possible, and

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it's, uh, it's, it's, This, it's so weird.

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It's so weird to see both sides of the, to

see both sides of the aisle because it's

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like, oh my God, it's the passion though,

you know, like, you know, we, we gravitate

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and we find something passionate about it.

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And I think people express passion

in so many different weird ways.

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Oh, 100%.

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A hundred percent, like, uh, I know

that we're talking a little bit before

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this, but yeah, like I was saying how

Destiny right now is in this really

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weird spot with the community where

there are members of the community

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who are trying to defend devs.

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And then you have other members of the

community who think the devs are just

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the worst people that have ever existed.

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And this.

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The clashes that are happening

are something to behold in comment

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sections, uh, regardless of whether,

regardless of medium, like even on

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their, uh, their community posts.

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It's just people just, they

are, it's, it's Wyland.

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I bet it is.

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I bet it is.

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You know, it's, you know, like, um,

here's like, I had an idea about

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this and like me and a couple people

were talking about this like concept.

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What if like we get to a future, there's

a game that comes out and like all of

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its new features are all of its new

components like after the base game is out

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are basically voted on by the community.

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Like by the committee of like community

members and such that are the community

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like they upvote like, Hey, like we are

going to nerf this character by like 20

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percent like y'all for this and against

this we'll leave this up for like two days

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and we'll see we'll come back to it if you

vote yes, that character has been nerfed.

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Well, what kind of what kind of

world would we live in do you think

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it'd be more peaceful you think

it'd be more pandemonium there.

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It's really hard to say I think.

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Yeah.

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Like, that's one of the beauties of indie

developing, right, is because you are sort

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of the sole developer of your product in

a lot of cases, especially outside of,

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you know, distribution companies, then

it, because you are the creator, you can

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really have that connection with fans and

fans can really influence those decisions

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that you're making because there's

not all the red tape in between it.

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But I mean, yeah.

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There was a there's I think it's

an interesting discussion because

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it's one of those things where

especially in the destiny community.

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Yeah.

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Like, I just don't think

people, especially depending

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on the size of your audience.

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It's impossible just to

make everybody happy.

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Yeah, for sure.

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Like, uh, there's a big problem right

now in destiny to PVP with, uh, uh.

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With Titans.

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Specifically, there's a subclass of

Titan called, uh, well, Arch Titan.

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And the Arch Titan is dominating the

Crucible landscape so much that it's

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really pushed the other classes out.

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And so you have...

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Very vocal part of the community who's

saying, Oh, they need to nerf this at all.

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They need to nerf that.

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No, they need to change this.

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And then you have members who

are Titans who are like, well,

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this is we're, we're good.

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We're good right now.

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So don't touch it.

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Like, leave it.

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Just let us have our fun.

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And then maybe we can change it

down the road and the clashes

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that are happening over it.

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It's just hilarious to sort of watch

it all unfold all the time because

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the arguments are always the same.

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So that's right.

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Yeah, and I, like, I think the voting

is good for sort of the majority of

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the community, but you're always going

to have outliers of people who are

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dissatisfied with one change or another.

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Yeah, that's, you can't please everybody.

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It's just that simple fact, right?

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Yeah, yeah, and I think part

of it too, especially in games,

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nerfing is so hard to do.

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Um, I think you're...

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It's such a dangerous line to walk,

because I think the only way that you

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can sort of successfully nerf things

is bring everything up around it.

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Um, because when you have one

item that's sort of dominating a

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meta, it just sort of ruins the

experience for all of the other items.

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So when you then nerf that one item

that people become really attached to,

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it then causes all kinds of issues.

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And so it's almost better to sort

of lift everything up as opposed to

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nerfing, but then there's that whole

discussion of, okay, well, then what do

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you buff and how much do you buff it?

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And it's just.

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It's all chaos.

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It's all just chaos.

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Yeah.

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That's, that's, I don't know.

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It's like, whatever you do, you just

can't please everybody at that point.

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You're, you're damned if you do and you're

damned if you don't like there's, there's

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really no in between on it, especially

for like something that's living,

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breathing, like destiny to like, Oh yeah.

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So that kind of brings me to an

interesting question like, which community

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do you think is upset the most right now?

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Do you feel like it's Destiny 2 or

because you're a part of that community?

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Or like, do you feel like

it's the Diablo 4 community?

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Like right now?

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Oh yeah, yeah.

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Uh, it's so hard to say.

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I think Overwatch 2, they

have a claim to fame.

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Oh my gosh, yeah.

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I think there are so many communities

that have set up such high expectations.

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And now I should say,

I don't want to defend.

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certain decisions that have been

made across all three communities.

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I think there are, I think

there's, there's wrongs on

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both sides of every aisle.

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Um, but yeah, it, it really is.

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There are a lot of communities

right now who are not satisfied with

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where, with where their favorite

games are heading, which I get.

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Like, it's, you know, you spend as much

time and energy as you do into a game.

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And then of course, when.

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Changes are made to the

system that you're used to.

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It's difficult to adjust to it.

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Especially if you feel like

those changes are unjust.

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So, so do you feel like we're entering

in a new era of live service games?

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Like, do you feel like the, like,

are people being like tired or people

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getting saturated on that, that market?

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Yeah, I think we're reaching a point and

I've, I've had this discussion a lot with

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my friends and destiny is I think a lot

of the outrage around destiny is people

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have played destiny now for nine years.

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Um, it's been a live

service game since what 20.

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I'm trying to remember when destiny

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Yeah.

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So they've been dealing with

a live service game in a

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seasonal model since then.

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Um, and.

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You know, you have seasons that

deliver, and you have seasons that

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don't deliver, and you have content that

people really like that got vaulted,

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and you have content that people really

didn't like that's still in the game.

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Um, and I think if you've played a game

that long, uh, and especially have put

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in the hours that a lot of members of the

community end up putting in, because it's

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one of those games where it's like, if you

start playing it, you can't put it down.

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I think people are just sort

of fed up with every aspect of

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it, whether it's PvP or PvE.

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Um.

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And I think, uh, the same goes for

a lot of these live service games,

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is the longer these seasons seem to

go on, the more people seem to keep

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playing it, the higher the expectations

are, and I think it's hard for

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developers to raise those expectations.

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And then on top of it, you know,

I think you can only play...

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Uh, the same kind of content

for so long before you sort

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to expect something different.

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Um, which is not really the,

what I think game devs want.

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I think they want to establish something

that players know and something that

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they know how to create and have really

tried to perfect in terms of the system.

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But then, you know, the communities

want to grow and do something different.

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And I think it's hard for devs to...

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Be able to switch gears like that.

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So it's this really weird

dichotomy of burnout and devs.

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I don't think quite knowing what to do.

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So, so it's, here's a,

here's a weird thing.

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Um, I want to ask you is like all

these live service games seem like

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they, like the community is like

pitchforking they're up and they're

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up in arms right now, but like.

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Fortnite's not having that problem,

like, with their narrative or anything

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like that, and I'm not, I don't play

Fortnite, so I can't, like, speak

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personally to, like, I can't say the

community's not a hundred percent, like,

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mad about something or anything like

that, but, like, publicly, at least,

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it seems like no one is up in arms and

yelling at the rooftop, we need to shut

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this thing down at this point, so I'm

like, why, why is Fortnite succeeding,

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at least, like, from a community base,

like, perspective, whereas like these

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other ones are really struggling.

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Do you feel like it's the

constant drip of content?

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I think it's probably the constant drip

of content, but I think it's also cost.

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So in the case of Destiny, right, you have

a 60 base game for what was the Lightfall

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expansion, and then you have the seasonal

pass and the dungeon pass, and All of

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these passes that you're consistently

buying, plus all the vaulted content.

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Um, So when you're purchasing all

this content, like, when you're ending

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up having to spend something like

180, 200 on this game, you start to

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be a bit more scrutinous with it.

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And it is, you know, every three

months having to fork out what is

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now, I think, 15, but then Bungie's

store isn't set up right, so you

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end up spending 20 for a 15 product,

and it's just sort of a nightmare.

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Um, I think, uh, I think it is cost,

uh, you know, in terms of Fortnite,

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the only thing that I think that you

pay for in Fortnite is the cosmetics.

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Yeah, I think you're right.

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So, I mean, they have access

to new seasons and new content.

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I know there's a seasonal pass model for

them, but that seasonal model is based

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on, I think, Cosmetics, I don't know

if it determines access to the special

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characters, like I know you can grab

Darth Vader and those kinds of things.

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Um, but yeah, since I think it is more

cosmetic based, and the base game is

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sort of free to play, I think most

people are generally happy with it.

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I mean, you saw it with, uh, Warzone.

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Uh, Warzone went through...

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Their player drop off, because

they switched maps, which people

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didn't like, they switched whole

systems for that, and then on top

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of it they had a cheater issue.

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But I remember, I remember before that

people loved it, um, because it gave

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them everything that they really wanted

in terms of, uh, a free to play game

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that didn't require you to have to

spend the money, as opposed to something

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like Diablo or Destiny or, um, I don't

know about Overwatch either, but, uh,

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yeah, I think it's, I think it's a

cost, a cost issue with expectations.

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Okay, okay, I, I can see that.

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So, here's a, here's the thing I wanted

to ask you based on all this information.

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It's like, like, with reaching an

oversaturation point, like, Does this

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make you worry for the like the future

for all these like you know live service

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games because you do have like like

here let me list out some it's like you

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have the suicide squad which kind of

got it was supposed to come out this

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year and like the reception upon the

trip like the trailer was so terrible

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that they moved into the next year you

had skull and bones which was been in

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development hell for a very long time

now ubisoft is like rescheduled that

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out for next year but at this point it

feels like it's being sent out to die and

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they like PlayStation, like we had like

several different games, Knockout City

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and all those, all those type of games,

just like unfortunately closed their

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doors and no longer working on those.

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And then you have like PlayStation

devoting 60 percent of like their

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upcoming like budget, you know,

going towards live service models.

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Like, do those kind of

feel like dead on arrival?

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Do you feel like that's a good

initiative to have in this like

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landscape we're in right now?

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I'm like, I'm so confused.

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I.

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I personally think that the issue with

a lot of these live service games is

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they're just getting pushed too early.

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I think a lot of AAA developers

are very quick to release games.

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And I don't think that is a

fault of the developers as much

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as it is boardroom members.

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like the perfect example of...

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The set expectation was this is this

battlefield supposed to play like

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battlefield four and it's going to be

128 player maps and everything's going

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to be wonderful and I, I bought the hype.

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I've been a long time battlefield

player was really excited to play it

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and then I fire it up and it was far

from anything that had been advertised.

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I mean the environments

were Not detailed at all.

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They were very lifeless.

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There was very little cover.

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It just felt like it was incomplete.

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Um, and then in the course, in the

interviews that have come after that,

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and the reports that have come after

that was members of the development

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team at dice knew it was incomplete and

had been pushing back against the board

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to, you know, get those dates extended.

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But because of it.

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and I think it sort of feels that way

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with a lot of games that are coming out,

especially from AAA developers lately, is

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you're getting, even though we're getting

games into our hands a lot quicker,

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and that's been incredible, at the same

time, they still probably need more work.

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And I think the expectation, especially

from games like Grand Theft Auto or

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the Witcher or um, even Diablo, I

think they've set the bar so high

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that when we are not finding games

that are coming out with that content,

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like right off the bat, I think the,

especially for the cos point that has

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gone up, I think a lot of consumers are

just so dissatisfied, especially when.

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Then after you get, you pay in

the case of what I did, I paid a

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And then you get the whole, Oh, now

come by our season pass or, Oh, now

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come by this or come by this cosmetic.

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And you're just sitting there

going, what, why fix this?

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I'm not going to give you more money.

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Um, and so I think that's, that's

sort of the problem with the live

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service games is that I think

they're falling into the pit of.

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Uh, the sort of a multitude of reasons

of burnout plus underwhelming results.

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And I think there's like,

you've talked about really an

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oversaturation of a lot of game types.

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I mean, how many battle royales

are on the market right now?

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I'll tell you so many,

so many at this point.

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And, and I definitely get the appeal.

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Like I get the appeal of

companies wanting to do that.

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I mean, they, those games make good

money, but at the same time, I think

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consumers are starting to get to a

point where they're a little fed up.

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With, with where their money is going.

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Yeah.

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And then, um, like.

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You know, to add on to this component,

like with everyone making like with all

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these companies making these live service

games with this, like the landscape

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kind of shifting underneath their feet

as well as like, we're starting to

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see like single player games like it

have this big renaissance right now,

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like, yes, Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

selling like crazy Baldur's Gate 3

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is taking over everything right now.

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It is amazing to see it's like, yeah.

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Baldur's Gate, like a game, like the game

that was put out during the summer where

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we thought it was going to be the quiet

time before like Starfield came out, is

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now like the biggest game in the world.

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It's like the rock star that just rose

up and just put out this pop hit that

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everyone can't stop singing at this point.

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It is, it's a game that like so many

people probably, myself included,

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had never played Baldur's Gate 2 or

Baldur's Gate 1 and this game is like

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Life now, like this, like, it's, it's

here, it's like, it's the, it's the new

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king that was promised, so to speak,

it's, it's so, it's so cool at the same

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time to see all this, like, how do you

feel about, like, all the, the single

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player renaissance just swooping in,

whereas, like, even amongst all the,

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like, uncertainty with, like, the, the

multipliers, like, landscape right now?

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Oh, I love it.

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I mean, I am so, I, I grew up

in the whole single player game.

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Focus.

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I mean, uh, whether it was the heck,

the original call of duties, I know

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that they broke ground for multiplayer,

but the campaigns were so much fun.

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Um, so I grew up on those, the original

halo campaigns, uh, elder scrolls,

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oblivion, elder scrolls, Skyrim, the

original GTAs, like those original

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campaigns were absolutely everything.

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And so to be coming back around to

more of a single player focus game, I

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think is really answering a lot of the.

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things that people have

wanted in the market.

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I think a lot of people, as we've sort

of just like noted, are a little fed up

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with multiplayer games at the moment.

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So to have something that is so

strictly single player, so narratively

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focused, um, has been awesome.

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Not to mention all of the reprises

that are going on as well.

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I mean, we had, um.

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Oh, what was it?

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Oh, it's gonna drive me nuts.

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We had...

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Didn't come out this year.

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Resident Evil 4!

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Yeah, RE4.

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It was just recently reprised and

people just absolutely adored it.

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And again, it's a totally

single player focused game.

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Um, so to see that...

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MetroProm as well!

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Yeah, Metro Prime as well.

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And so to see those games sort of

shine again and to see really this

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focus on coming back to these really

narratively focused really like gameplay

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mechanic focus games without all of the

multiplayer matchmaking and everything

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else involved is really awesome.

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Yeah, it's a man it's it's crazy

like I don't know if I'm if I'm

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a studio right now if I'm like,

I find out feel comfortable like

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staying the course at this point,

like, I don't like, I don't know.

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I'm like, I might shift.

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I'm like, I might shift if I'm like

one or two years into development.

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I'm like, can we can we make a

lot of this concept into a single

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player experience at this point?

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As are do we kind of like move, move and

keep doing what we've been doing at this?

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Like, I don't get it.

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I really don't.

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I think that's the hardest

decision in the world right now.

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Yeah, I think, and I think a big

part of it too is also IP focused.

435

Yeah.

436

I mean, you see it, Bethesda's

taking a big risk right now.

437

Yeah.

438

They have delayed Fallout developments.

439

They've delayed Elder Scrolls

developments for something that

440

is totally different and new.

441

Um, and so to...

442

Sort of forsake the, the fallout 76

route and then go for a totally single

443

player focused experience and something

like Starfield is so exciting to see.

444

And so I'm, I'm hoping that more companies

are willing to take that risk, that

445

they're willing to sort of put down

some of the more popular IPs and go for

446

something that's totally different from

everything that we're seeing right now.

447

I, I don't think like

448

give me a better example, but

I don't think in recent memory.

449

I can't remember any game having this

much pressure on it than Starfield like

450

Starfield feels like it has the weight

of it feels like it has the weight of

451

the empire of Xbox on it like because

of the the drought of their first party

452

exclusive lineup and the feel like the

I say what you will about like a like

453

Halo and everything like that that

game did not live up to expectations.

454

Yes.

455

And then Redfall happened and then

like, Outside of, yeah, Red Ball

456

happened and then outside of Forza,

I'm like, they haven't really had

457

a big victory outside of that.

458

So it's, it's hard to think of

a game that has been this highly

459

publicized outside of cyberpunk.

460

Which again, another game that had

its own issues, but like, it's really

461

hard to, or I know, well, Zelda,

of course, was another extremely

462

highly publicized releases as any

Zelda releases, but yeah, I can't.

463

The very much the weight of Xbox

is gaming platform is, I think,

464

going to be very reliant on

whether Starfield can land or not.

465

And that's going to be, yeah,

that's what I was just like, it's

466

like, that's so much pressure.

467

It feels like you just like.

468

He, like, Xbox put all the chips

on the table in Las Vegas and

469

just said, let it roll, baby.

470

It just, like, let it roll.

471

Please be a son, baby.

472

I, I'm gonna make a prediction

that might not age well, but...

473

It's my decision to take!

474

I,

475

I adore Bethesda games.

476

I absolutely love them.

477

But what is well known amongst

Bethesda games is they are buggy.

478

So I have a feeling that this

is going to be a very polarizing

479

release for a lot of folks.

480

I think there's going to be a lot

of people who are really happy

481

with it, who are like, this is

what I wanted out of a space

482

exploration RPG, and this is amazing.

483

And then you're going to have

people who are not as familiar

484

with the Bethesda IP who get on

there and go, what am I playing?

485

What am I playing?

486

Yeah, I was, I remember talking to

my brother once about, um, there was,

487

uh, with the original Skyrim release

for testing for internal testing,

488

they couldn't get Skyrim to run.

489

So they had to, they had to release

it on its test mode because that

490

was the only way it could run.

491

They could not run it in release mode.

492

And that's how Skyrim released.

493

Um, so based on those things.

494

Plus all of the Fallout 76, plus Elder

Scrolls Oblivion, plus the Fallout 4, I'm

495

like, this is gonna, it's gonna be a spicy

release to say the least, and I think, I

496

think overall, at like, at the end of the

day, kind of like Cyberpunk, despite the

497

bugs, it's gonna be an incredible game.

498

You're gonna get incredible narrative

storytelling, you're gonna get

499

incredible gameplay, but you're

also gonna get a lot of bugs.

500

Yeah.

501

I'm going to go the opposite for you,

like, I think it's, yeah, I think it's

502

going to be like, I think it's going

to be polarizing in the system where,

503

like, I think every, I think it's

going to be a polished experience.

504

Cause I don't think Xbox can afford a

buggy mess right now, but I, yeah, I,

505

so I, I think like that game's probably

done now, except for like just polishing,

506

polishing, polishing at this point.

507

But yeah, I think that.

508

It's going to, I think like it's

game is going to be pretty pristine.

509

I think that 30 frames per second thing

is going to affect a lot of people because

510

it's a shooter game for a lot of it.

511

And then I think like it being the fact

that you can explore a thousand planets.

512

I feel like a lot of those

planets are going to be lifeless

513

and have nothing to do on them.

514

And I feel like that is really

going to hamper a vast majority of

515

people's experience with the game.

516

Yeah, sort of the no

man's sky thing, Exactly.

517

No,

518

I, I mean, I wouldn't doubt it.

519

I'm, it's gonna be really,

really fascinating to see how.

520

This releases, like, typically I'm

very quick to pre order Bethesda games,

521

but this one I'm like, I, I have been

burned so many times lately with pre

522

orders that I'm like, I'm just going

to let it release, maybe let it even

523

sit for a year, depending on how the

reviews are, and then come to it.

524

Because it usually, it seems like every

game that drops nowadays, especially from

525

AAA developers, unless it's good off the

bat, that it's like, come back in a year.

526

It's all polished up and fixed.

527

I think for the drama aspect, like,

for both sides of the fence, like,

528

the, like, for all the issues that you

listed out with Bethesda's history,

529

and then my theory, I'm like, this is

probably my most anticipated, like,

530

game this year, and I adore Spider Man.

531

I think Spider Man, like, Spider Man is

probably, like, the most Sebastian game

532

there probably is coming out this year.

533

It's just, like, The drama, the

tea, the mat, like the anticipation

534

for how good or bad or everything

in between Starfield is going to be

535

like, and how much is riding on it.

536

Like, I'm just a spectator at the casino.

537

Like, well, Xbox is shaking its

hand right now with the dice

538

and I'm like, Oh my goodness.

539

Are they going to go?

540

Oh, they're going to do it.

541

Like, Oh, like, like that

is how I feel right now.

542

Like, like, I think about it and

I like get excited because I'm

543

like, I need to know, like it is.

544

Uh, it is almost like a Game of

Thrones like cliffhanger level

545

of like, of like, Oh, snap.

546

If they fail at this, it is,

it's, it's not just Halo Infinite.

547

It is.

548

It feels like everything.

549

Like, it feels like, yeah, it feels

like this is the generation on the

550

line for Xbox and Oh, for sure.

551

Yeah.

552

So I'm like, I, that drama, that level of.

553

Of anticipation for me.

554

It's gotten to a point that fever

pitch, like it's the bowling

555

pot that is bowled over now.

556

I'm like, I need to know

how this is going to end.

557

Like I'm in it now.

558

So yeah, Starfield is Starfield

is my most anticipated game now.

559

I'm like, Oh, I need to

know, I need to know.

560

Oh, a hundred percent.

561

I mean, Xbox is in such a tough spot.

562

I mean, you have everything Nintendo

does that just seems to turn to

563

gold, and then all of the exclusive

Sony releases, like things like God

564

of War, which came out earlier this

year, which again, did not miss.

565

They are in a very tough spot,

especially after Halo Infinite.

566

Even though I do have some gripes

with that community as well,

567

but it's, it's interesting.

568

It's going to be really interesting to

see and I, I really hope for everybody

569

at Bethesda and Xbox that it lands

because I personally, again, love their

570

studio, love the work that they've done.

571

Really excited and really hope that

Starfield is that sci fi experience that

572

we all want, of being able to explore an

open world and have those narratives and

573

have the cool combat things and design

your own ship and bully the adoring fan.

574

Like, we always want those kinds of

aspects, but yeah, it's gonna be,

575

it's gonna be a very spicy September.

576

I, like, I know Game Pass is probably

going to, like, and completely, the

577

servers for Game Pass, they better, like,

up those because, like, they better,

578

like, they better up those because, like,

it is less than, as of this recording,

579

so, like, this is, we're August 10th

when we're recording this right now.

580

It is going to be September 6th when

Starfield officially releases and

581

They better be ready because like

the floodgates are going to be like

582

open for people who are interested

in this game to see if it's going

583

to succeed, fail for people who

just want to play a good video game.

584

Like that, there's going to be like a

wave of people like old school black

585

Friday, kind of like people rushing

through the gates of those servers.

586

It's yeah, I, I, I can't wait

to see what type of like.

587

Drama in ensues.

588

If this , if this, because it has

to be a game of the year contender.

589

It's like it's, yeah, it has to be, yeah.

590

Any, anything less than that

is considered like, yeah.

591

Like a misstep at this point.

592

A misfire.

593

Yeah.

594

This is sort of the perfect storm of an

enormous studio with high expectations.

595

Yeah.

596

An enormous platform

with high expectations.

597

And if it is anything less

than absolutely stellar.

598

Yeah, for sure.

599

Yeah, for sure.

600

Xbox fans are gonna be burning

down the gates, . Oh yeah.

601

They really are.

602

They really are, you know, like, and,

you know, as like the other Xbox studios

603

have to be like waited on bated breath

thinking to themselves like, please don't

604

let this fail because like, then that

wait, that wait, like the hope of the

605

new saviors like switches on to fable

like coming up and then like, can fable

606

be the the savior that was promised at

that point and it's like, yeah, it's

607

Starfield has so much riding on it.

608

It's so interesting.

609

Oh, yeah.

610

And not only that, but especially

for those other studios.

611

If Starfield lands and lands well,

then people are interested in

612

whatever Microsoft has to sell.

613

Yeah.

614

So, for those other studios,

they need Starfield to succeed.

615

Because like you said, like either

the pressure falls on them, or

616

their sales are also going to tank.

617

Because their s They're going to be

somewhat reliant on whether Microsoft

618

can deliver a good product or not.

619

Um, because if Microsoft

can't, then it's, it's, yeah.

620

Then Xbox is going to be

very dead in the water.

621

Yeah.

622

Oh, this whole generation.

623

And it's, that's sad.

624

I hope, I hope for their sake

and also for mine, because I

625

really want this game to be good.

626

Yeah.

627

Yeah.

628

Yeah.

629

And not only that, but like the.

630

One of the great, uh, hilarities

of my time has been the, the whole

631

PlayStation versus Xbox versus

Nintendo versus, you know, PC debate.

632

And it's, and part of the enjoyment

of that though, is that you have so

633

many different platforms that have so

many different access to great items.

634

And so, you know.

635

Having that competition is healthy, but

at the same time, it's also really good

636

to be able to be like, Hey, you know what?

637

I want to go play a Bethesda product

or, Hey, you know, I want to go

638

play Spider Man and, and have those,

those games be good because they're

639

all trying to one up each other in

terms of, uh, where their games are.

640

And for us as consumers, it's great.

641

It really is.

642

This is magnificent.

643

Yeah, it's magnificent.

644

So, you know, I gotta ask you like.

645

I want to get to another, the

next topic of the show, because we

646

have a very interesting segment.

647

It's something, nothing, or everything.

648

I'm gonna read out a couple of news

stories, and you, Alec, are gonna tell

649

me if this is something worthwhile,

if this is everything, like the whole

650

existence of gaming is riding on this.

651

Like, this is a very important

story, or like, you know, this is

652

nothing at all, nothing of note.

653

So, like, Baldur's Gate, You know, I

want to start with like Baldur's Gate 3.

654

This game, it's already everything.

655

Already everything.

656

That is, that's so funny because

I, I, I'm already with you.

657

Like, it feels like it's just

everything at this point, but yeah.

658

Um, yeah.

659

So Baldur's Gate 3 had, had a very

interesting story, um, where basically.

660

It had, it had like saves that were bigger

than a lot of indie games out there like

661

the save files were bigger than a lot

of the indie games completely like, is

662

that something nothing or everything like

how, how, like, how cool and also like.

663

I guess you could say intimidating

that is for like a hard drive.

664

Yeah, I would say that's definitely, it's

definitely something, um, like, so to,

665

I've had this discussion a lot with people

because they ask me why are games so big?

666

And typically games are So big because you

have to so like if you develop a let's say

667

you develop a first person shooter for an

xbox game right xbox has such set hardware

668

that you know exactly what you're getting

you know exactly how every xbox well

669

Every Xbox, you know how every Xbox is

going to run for like the next five years.

670

So when you develop a game,

you're like, okay, cool.

671

I'm going to use these textures.

672

I'm going to have this many

items in my environment.

673

I'm going to have this lighting

set up and that's going to

674

dictate your frames per second.

675

So typically, like, especially with

something that's a PC game, that's why

676

like war zone is like 300 gigabytes.

677

Cause they're having to account for.

678

This large bandwidth of hardware

across all of these different systems.

679

So to hear that a save is, like, bigger

than some indie games is like, what?

680

It's crazy, isn't it?

681

Like, I'd be curious to see

what all the save data is about.

682

I assume it's about, you know, uh,

player interactions and, uh, sort of

683

the information that it needs to...

684

Store, but I don't know.

685

Obviously, that's what save data is, but

I, uh, yeah, that's, it's really something

686

because I think it also highlights

this, this really big thing that my

687

brother and I were talking about, which

is this, this, this sort of shift in

688

hardware, um, that's sort of occurring.

689

Like, I know everybody has to

update their PC every three to five

690

years and you need to yada, yada.

691

But I think, again, it sort of

highlights how much space do

692

you need for a game and how.

693

That affects your GPU and how that affects

the whole price of your PC in general.

694

Like if I buy a Steam Deck, how

much space do I need on my Steam

695

Deck for a Baldur's Gate save?

696

So that's, yeah, I think that's definitely

something and it's definitely something

697

consumers should keep an eye on.

698

Cause yeah, that affects, it

could potentially affect a lot.

699

Yeah.

700

Here, here, let me further the

story and let me add a little,

701

little spice on top of all this.

702

So, I'm reading a report from The

Gamer written by Joshua Robertson

703

and like, he wrote, According to the

game's most recent hotfix, a lot of

704

players in Boulder Skate 3 were doing

so much in their own adventures that

705

their personal stories, databases, were

getting too big and causing all sorts

706

of issues such as crashes and glitches.

707

Obviously, Boulders Gate 3 is a game full

of personal choices and the game takes

708

into account all your decisions, even

in the side quests and optional content.

709

So all of you completionists

out there were doing too much

710

and cramming your databases so

much that things needed fixing.

711

It also probably doesn't help that save

scumming is quite popular thing to do

712

in a choice driven game titles such as

this, which is the act of saving your

713

game before a big decision in order

to potentially reload your game if an

714

outcome isn't what you want it to be.

715

So, like, that's also,

like, attributed to this.

716

Interesting.

717

Yeah, I, that, that makes more sense now.

718

So they're just stacking saves on

saves on saves on saves on saves.

719

Cause, you know, you have the

people out there who they make

720

a decision and they're like, no.

721

No, I save and then they work

through the three other things.

722

And they've saved on top of that save.

723

And they're, you know,

50 hours into the game.

724

And that's, yeah, okay,

that makes more sense.

725

But holy moly.

726

But still, I'm like.

727

Like, there's what, like, I think

they said, what, like, close

728

to 17, 000 lines of dialogue in

this game, and it is Okay, yeah!

729

And like, every little

decision, like, matters.

730

Like, if you kill someone

later, like, that plays, uh,

731

early, that plays a factor.

732

Like, all the side quests also

integrate with, like, the main quest.

733

Like, and they play a part in the

main quest later, and Whether it be

734

a little part or a big part, or like,

everything matters in this game.

735

It feels like Game of Thrones, like, but

a video game It really is D& D, I love it.

736

Yeah, yeah, yeah, so I'm

like, this feels like...

737

In a weird way, you know, like, everyone

was praising, uh, like, Zelda Tears of

738

the Kingdom's game mechanics, and, and

it was revolutionary, but, like, this

739

feels like it's doing, like, the impr

like, this is, like, ze to the level

740

of Zelda's impressiveness of, like, ga

like, Zelda was game mechanics, but this

741

is, like, storytelling and character

progression, and character, like, and, and

742

character development, and it feels like

they're, like, putting that same level

743

of, like, Development towards that those

facets and almost balancing the scales

744

a little bit like, yeah, it's weird.

745

It is.

746

It's a weird thing.

747

Yeah, it's it's really fun to see

that, though, because it's to to have

748

a game that's so focused on what it

knows it wants to be is phenomenal.

749

Um, and that's what made Zelda so

incredible is they knew from day one.

750

What's going to make this fun

is people playing with physics.

751

Um.

752

And so they just built on top

of, okay, if I were to play with

753

physics, what can I, how can we make

everything interact with each other?

754

So people can build their, their,

their Mecca robots and stuff.

755

So it's great to see another,

another really focused, okay,

756

we are a story driven game.

757

So let's go as big as we can in terms

of, uh, being able to tell a story.

758

So that's phenomenal.

759

That's really cool.

760

It's like, so.

761

You know, before we move on to

our next story, like mm-hmm.

762

, do you feel like you're gonna

jump into a Boulder Skate three?

763

Oh, yeah.

764

Oh, oh, for a hundred percent.

765

I know it's, it's on the list.

766

So not only that, but it's

got like a 97% on meta critic.

767

It beat tears of the Kingdom man.

768

Like, which, what?

769

It's unbelievable that Tears of

the Kingdom is, is the, the second

770

highest rated of game this year.

771

So to see a game that's, that's up

there like that, I mean, that's.

772

This, yeah, that's really second

to none, like, that's incredible.

773

I, I didn't think this was, like, I

didn't think this was possible this

774

year, like, I thought if any game had a

chance, it was Starfield, just because,

775

like, a western RPG, based on all the

things we said earlier, like, if it lived

776

up to the highest of highs, I thought

it was, like, possible, like, that it

777

would be, like, those two going toe to

toe, but, like, Is there a chance we

778

might live in a world where Boulders

779

I would love that so much.

780

That would, that would make me so

happy to see that, because that game,

781

like, the hype around it and the joy

that it's giving people is phenomenal.

782

So to, to see a D& D...

783

Style game be the, be the

number one game in the world.

784

I can, I can live with that.

785

So cool.

786

Like what world are we living in though?

787

That this is a possibility that

Zelda game comes out, a Spider Man

788

game comes out, like you got a Todd

Howard, Western RPG that comes out

789

and like a final fantasy 16 dropped

this year, a Star Wars game dropped,

790

you know, like a Metroid game dropped.

791

And then like the game of the

year might be a D and D game.

792

That would be wonderful.

793

I love it.

794

I absolutely love it.

795

Like, oh man, that's,

that's so fascinating.

796

So I want to, so moving on to

the, to the next thing is this

797

something, nothing or everything

Devolver Digital had a showcase.

798

Did you hear about this?

799

No, I didn't.

800

Okay, so Devolver Digital had a showcase,

um, a couple of days ago, where it

801

had what they called Devolver Delayed.

802

It's a cheeky take on game

announcements, where they basically

803

had a showcase of games that

they're delaying until next year.

804

I love Devolver Digital, but like,

included into that, um, was like...

805

The Plucky Squire, which looks absolutely

amazing, um, Freelives Stick It to the

806

Stickman, Sam Egg's Skate Story, Freelives

Angry Foot, and the Air Etch Pepper

807

808

The showcase had a very cheery

vibe that felt like it was

809

reminiscent of Nintendo's Direct.

810

Like, is this something,

nothing, or everything?

811

I wanna say that's everything.

812

I love it!

813

As a developer, I love it!

814

Like, delays are never fun.

815

Reporting delays are never fun.

816

And as we highlighted earlier,

your community will tell

817

you about how it's not fun.

818

So, to see a company actually be so

transparent and, and almost make fun of

819

themselves for the delay is wonderful.

820

Like that, I really wish that was

the approach to how these delays

821

are occurring as opposed to,

nothing kind of cracks me up more.

822

That when a game gets delayed and you

get on social media and it's like reading

823

a funeral eulogy or something about, we

are so sorry, you know, this happened.

824

And then, you know, we made

these expectations and it's not

825

at the point that we want it.

826

So like reading those suck.

827

So to see that instead that they're

having fun with it, that's wonderful.

828

I think that's That's phenomenal.

829

I wish, I wish that was

more of the approach.

830

Cause I think it gets the

community behind it more as well.

831

Man, I like that.

832

I thought this was, this was fine.

833

It gave a good vibe.

834

They, they did confirm that they still

have games coming out later this year.

835

So I'm like, if you have to delay a

game, like, and break news to people,

836

like this is a fun way of doing it.

837

Yes.

838

Totally agree.

839

Totally agree.

840

so, I want to move on

to the next story here.

841

And this is one that I,

I had to have you on for.

842

Because, Destiny 2 has, you know,

replaced the late, great Lance Reddick.

843

With, um, Keith David.

844

For everyone listening who don't know,

who doesn't know who Keith David is.

845

Phenomenal, like, actor,

especially voice actor.

846

He's been the voice of,

um, Spawn before, like.

847

Um, he's also was the Arbiter and,

um, Halo, like the Halo series.

848

He played, um, let's see the

president and Rick and Morty for all

849

you Rick and Morty fans out there.

850

He's been in Saints Row.

851

He's been in like a Mass

Effect as, um, David Anderson.

852

And, uh, he was the Black Panther in

the animated Avengers show as well.

853

So I'm like, he was

mongled in Young Justice.

854

Like, this dude's been

in the Proud Family.

855

He was the bad guy in the

Princess and the Frog movie.

856

Like, for all you Disney fans out there.

857

Like, this guy's been killing it.

858

Like, absolutely killing it.

859

He was my childhood, basically, is

what I'm finding out right here.

860

My whole damn childhood.

861

But, um, yeah, he, so he is

replacing the, like, great

862

Lance Reddick as the character.

863

And correct me if I'm wrong, is it Zavala?

864

Yes, Zavala.

865

Yeah.

866

Is this something, nothing, or everything?

867

So, it is definitely something.

868

Okay.

869

It is...

870

It has been really tough.

871

Uh, everybody who plays...

872

Destiny and who has played it,

especially over the last 9 years.

873

I've only been a part of this

community for a year now.

874

Uh, have dipped my toes into Destiny

1 recently and started playing

875

through some of those campaigns and...

876

Zavala is, like, the guy.

877

He is...

878

He is the leader of the Vanguard.

879

He is the, the voice of wisdom.

880

He is like the focus and, and Lance

Reddick very much embodied that.

881

Like he, his voice acting with

Zavala was incredible, but like he

882

also to a degree led the community.

883

He was a Destiny player himself.

884

He loved to talk to Destiny fans

about his experiences, recording

885

what it's like to be Zavala and

all, and everything surrounding it.

886

And he's, Zavala is such

a beloved character.

887

That, uh, I think a lot of

folks were really struggling

888

with how do we move forward?

889

Like, do you kill off Zavala?

890

Uh, there was a debate whether to just

stick Zavala in his office because

891

technically he has an office in the tower

and they're like, well, if we just stick

892

him in the office, then we never lose him.

893

Um, so.

894

To recast him with the incredible Keith

David is, is I think the right play.

895

I think, I think Bungie

made the right call there.

896

Um, I'm, I'm so happy that we

get to continue to have Zavala

897

continue on as a character.

898

Um, and, you know, losing Lance was really

rough for the community, but I think Keith

899

is really going to fill that role well.

900

So, I'm really excited for Keith

to be there, and I'm also really

901

excited to still hear Lance in game.

902

Uh, because I know that they're going

to keep a lot of his voice lines in for

903

stuff that he's already created, and I

think they said that there might be a

904

couple of his voice lines in next season.

905

So, I'm, I'm really excited to, uh,

to see Zavala continue on, especially

906

through another incredible actor.

907

Okay, everyone, before we continue,

I'd be remiss in saying that Keith

908

David also voiced the one and

only Goliath from Guard Rolls.

909

Yes!

910

Like, yeah, I was about to say,

probably one of the most iconic

911

roles of all time as Goliath.

912

But, um, yeah, like, so, so wonderful.

913

But, um, I want to ask you, so,

like, Zavala, like, the way you're

914

describing him kind of reminds me

of, like, Is he the Charles Xavier

915

of, of like, Destiny 2, basically?

916

Yes.

917

Of the Destiny universe?

918

He, he is the stoic, brilliant, cool guy.

919

Like, he is the guy who

is so cool under pressure.

920

And this, this season in

particular, I know there are a

921

lot of folks who had an issue with

sort of the drip story mechanic.

922

Beyond the point.

923

The stories that were told this

season, the cutscenes that we got,

924

particularly between Zavala and

other characters, I think was.

925

Unbelievable.

926

In fact, there's, uh, I don't want

to spoil anything for anybody in case

927

anybody hasn't played it, but there

is an interaction in one of the story

928

missions between Saint 14 and Zavala,

and Saint, uh, is sort of, he's another

929

leader in the Vanguard, but he's seen

as, he's like, he has a, a PVP content

930

thing called Trials of Osiris that he

runs, but from a story standpoint, he

931

used to be the leader of the Vanguard, and

there's this incredible exchange between

932

the two of them, um, that sort of goes

about, That talks about the difficulties

933

of leading, the difficulties of losing

people under your command and, you know,

934

how do you go about sort of overcoming

everything that's going on at the moment?

935

And so, uh, yeah, Zavala really

is sort of that, that Professor X.

936

He's the, he's, you know, the, the full

leader of this group and has sort of been

937

the stable, I hold everything down, but

at the same time, he's a Freakin badass

938

and it's, it's so cool to be able to, to

have such a, a transformative character

939

like in the, as sort of the lead of, of,

of everything about it and the community's

940

respect for Zavala has been unbelievable.

941

I know when Lance passed, a lot of

people put on their salute emotes and

942

went up to Zavala and saluted for hours

and just the, the love, the outpouring

943

of love that people have for that

character has been incredible to see.

944

I love that.

945

It sounds like, you know, like, you know,

this, it's always tricky whenever you

946

have like a real life person pass away

who played a beloved character because I'm

947

like this, you know, this whole situation

kind of reminds me of the debate that

948

happened when Chadwick Boseman passed

away and with the Black Panther situation.

949

Should they recast him?

950

Should they retire that mantle of like

T'Challa and everything like that?

951

They went the opposite direction to

where they retired Chichalas, like the,

952

the whole mantle for, for his character.

953

But like, it, it's so interesting to see

like how different, how the response is

954

for the other side of the foot to where

like the, to see the recap, like recasting

955

this character, this beloved character.

956

A hundred percent.

957

I know, I, I might be biased too

because one of my, Zavala is my favorite

958

character to, to have him in the series

and to have Lance be, one of the reasons

959

I love Zavala is because of Lance.

960

I mean, Lance's work across all

different kinds of mediums has

961

been incredible to experience.

962

But, uh, yeah, to.

963

One of my, uh, one of the things I

remember telling my friend before

964

Lightfall dropped was, man, if they

kill off Zavala, I would be so bummed.

965

Oh, no.

966

To lose Lance like that, like a couple

months later, was like, oh, come on.

967

That's real rough.

968

Yeah.

969

But yeah, it's, it's, I'm, I'm happy to

see Zavala continue on and I'm, I'm happy

970

to see Zavala continue on through, uh,

such a legendary actor as Keith David.

971

I mean, I would be lying to you if I

told you I did not adore The Arbiter.

972

I mean, The Arbiter is such a

fixture of my childhood and, and

973

especially as I got older and started

to understand the lore around Halo.

974

And it not just being a big, bad space

Marine killing aliens and actually

975

understanding the arbiter story.

976

I remember when I played Halo

two and being disappointed that,

977

Oh, I have to go be the covenant.

978

I don't want to be the covenant.

979

And then growing up a little bit and

understanding the entire backstory of

980

everything, the arbiters going through,

it's like, Oh my God, this is incredible.

981

So I, to, to play another bungee

product with Keith David in

982

it is really, really exciting.

983

So I, I.

984

Yeah, wish him all the best in that role.

985

Oh, that's good, man.

986

That's good.

987

I hope he's everything

y'all want him to be.

988

Cause like, I, you know, I'm so curious

because like, he also played another

989

beloved character in video games, and

that was like his role in Horizon, the

990

Horizon series, like for Ben West and

Horizon Zero Dawn, and I'm like, I'm so

991

curious on if like, That kid that his

role in that like game is also going to

992

be recast at this site at least but or

whether or not they're actually going to

993

just have the you know, like Find a way

to write that character out of the story.

994

So, yeah, it's, it's, it's definitely

interesting, but I'm glad the,

995

I, it seems like the reception

for this online has been very

996

positive for the destiny community.

997

So I'm, I'm very glad

everyone's happy there.

998

I got to ask you for this next,

um, story, we have a review round

999

up for a game called Atlas fallen.

Have you, have you heard about this one?

Okay.

Atlas fallen is like a.

It is basically the newest RPG from Deck

13, which is like a company based in

Germany, is owned by Focus Entertainment.

It is, it is an action RPG that

was, that is kind of like a mixture

between like, um, it's sort of

appeals to Devil May Cry fans.

It's like, yeah, so it has,

it has some really cool vibes.

Um, but It is, let me see if I

can, I'm trying to figure out

how I can describe this game.

It's like, I'd probably say it's very

reminiscent of like Lords of the Fallen.

Have you played that game before?

No, I've played Lords

of the Fallen either.

Okay.

So like, it kind of has, uh, some, some

like hack and slash elements, but it also

kind of has like some, some cool, like,

um, Magic, magical elements and kind of

to me, it feels like if I'm looking at

these characters, it sort of feels like

a mythology, like magical version of

almost destiny, like the way that these

characters move around Atlas falling and

such like that you, um, so yeah, it's.

It feels like kind of like a

more mythological, mythological

version of Destiny, so to speak,

but like, it feels like this.

It looks like it's a single player game,

more so than it is like a multiplayer

game but I could be mistaken there.

Um, but anyways, so the review roundup,

like, It seems like this game is kind

of just mid, um, it, it based on legit.

It's based on reviews.

It's good.

Like, um,

yeah, sure, sure.

All this to say like scream rant, gave

it a four out of five, IGN 10 push square

seven out of 10, um, RPG site right now.

Six to six out of 10 games.

So I'll give it a two out of five.

It is so.

Yeah, so it seems like, just to

read a little bit from like, uh,

IGN's review here, just a snippet.

Atlas Fallen is a solid open world

RPG with plenty of platforming and

large monsters for you to fight.

Putting aside its weak story and the

console's version's gritty graphics,

there's a hidden gem of excellent combat,

robust exploration, and surprisingly

deep customization to uncover in

the sinking sands of its Wilderness.

Um, Games Hub, the one who gave it a

two out of five, basically said, the

first time you're given a chance to surf

down a sand, um, sand cover mountain

and atlas fall, it is invigorating.

You immediately want to do it

again and again if, and you can.

Anywhere there's sand, you can surf,

slide, and leap great distances while

admiring the, The static horizons,

a moment like that doesn't exist

in the game's combat, though, when

it's lackluster combat makes up

the bulk of Atlas's Fallen's loop.

It makes it a much harder to work up

the motivation to continue exploring

everything else the world has to offer.

So kind of middle of the road there,

like it seems like if you're into this

game, you know, like maybe Maybe wait

for a sale or maybe just try it out,

you know, if you got big bucks to spend.

Yeah, that's what it sounds like to me.

It sounds like even though the

combat's a little, it's going

to divide opinion a little bit.

I mean, yeah, it sounds like definitely

a game that you'd want to pick up in a

sale or just keep an eye on in general.

I mean, if it's something, I've

always had the opinion that if you're

really interested in it, you should

just buy it anyways, because at

the end of the day, you'll, you'll

know whether you like it or not.

Um, and you know, depending if that's

at full price or not, but you know, I

mean, yeah, it sounds like I generally

speaking, it seems like to me that if a

game is at least or six or a seven for

most people, then I would give it a play.

I bet that's something that I would

take a chance on, especially because

I come more from the, initially from

the GameSpot side of things, where

they were once upon a time, they were

a little stingy with their ratings.

Now they've sort of gotten a bit more

liberal with giving people higher reviews.

Um, I think, uh, generally anytime that

I came across a game that it was a six or

a seven, even though it wasn't, Perfect.

I generally enjoyed it.

So yeah, that's something

that I would give a play to.

Okay.

Okay.

That's, uh, that's solid.

I, you know, I'm, I'm

right there with you.

Try it, try it out.

If you are interested in it, if you like

it, hopefully you'll, you'll love it.

But, um, yeah, so the, our next

story, um, Twisted Metal revs up

and breaks records on Peacock.

The, have you, have you seen

the Twisted Metal show at all?

I haven't seen it yet.

I had an interest in it though.

So it's, The most binged original

series record like recorded on

Peacock basically right now.

Okay.

Yeah.

Um, I'm gonna be honest with you.

I've watched all 10 episodes of the show.

Okay, what'd you think?

I am surprised I'm gonna say

this, but I really enjoyed it.

Okay!

I really enjoyed it!

That's, that's, I cannot tell

you how reassuring that is,

as, as a enormous fan of Halo.

And then to get the TV

show that we got, which...

Yeah.

To put it bluntly was so far off of

expectations that it was maybe one

of the most disappointing things

I've ever seen in my entire life.

So to to go from to go from that

I especially when it was announced

I was like oh boy like That's,

that's, that's a tough one.

I really hope that they land that.

So to hear that you're, that

you enjoyed it is reassuring.

This, okay, so put like this, this

is very popcorn flicky type of show.

Like, don't go in this thinking

you're gonna get like the Bear

Succession, Ted Lasso level of

like, of like cinematography here.

Like, you're not getting the masterpiece.

You're not getting like House of

the Dragon level like, of like.

Can I get an Oppenheimer?

No, for sure, you're damn sure

not getting an Oppenheimer.

You're for sure not

getting an Oppenheimer.

But, um, it's...

It's hot.

It's hot.

It's got heart, you know, it's

got some heart like the characters

really resonate with me.

It's like I, it feels like if it

feels like a goose goofy, like twisted

metal version of Mad Max in a way

that yeah, so I'm like, it's not.

It's not great, but it's not like bad.

It's the only show this year that I

wanted to rewatch after it was done.

Wow.

Alright.

Yeah, so it just got me in

the right mood, I guess.

The right mind frame.

I was just like, it's fun.

It's just fun TV at this point.

It's like, I'm like a person who

loves like heartfelt storylines

or like really in depth storylines

where everything matters.

This is not that, but

it is very much like...

They're trying, and that's more than I

can say for a lot of video game stuff,

period, like, as far as, like, movie

to TV adaptations and stuff like that.

This is better I.

e.

Halo.

Exactly!

Exactly!

Oh, Resident Evil!

The Resident Evil show as well.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Uh, yeah, I heard such bad

things about it that I didn't

even give it the time of day.

Whereas opposed to Halo, I Again, Halo

was such a huge part of my childhood,

so for that to have released...

And I think for those that

haven't had a relation to Halo, it

probably was enjoyable for them.

And that's great.

I'm happy that those people

were able to enjoy it.

But it's like, when you actually have

an interest in the lore, and Master

Chief is taking off his helmet.

Like every two seconds you're like

and there's like I think a grand total

someone put together one of those like

warthog compilations you get like a

warthog for a grand total of like five

seconds over the 10 episodes you're just

like no no this missed my my expectation

of what I wanted but yeah so to hear

that I'm happy that it sounds like it

was fun and that, which is what you

really want about a Twisted Metal.

I remember playing it as a

kid and not really, I know it

has actually pretty deep lore.

I had a friend who was telling me about

the Twisted Metal lore the other day

and I was like, holy crap, really?

But to hear everything else, I was like,

so to hear that it's fun, I'm like, okay.

I can I can live with that.

I can live with that.

I'm gonna be honest here, like, we live

in a world, like, I I can't believe

we live in this world, but like, this

is my second favorite adaptation based

on a video game this year, and we got

the and we got The Last of Us this

year, we got Mario this year, we got

another Resident Evil type of show.

I'm like All these, like, the, um,

Gran Turismo, I think it's coming

out, like, later this week or

something like that to that nature.

It's like, I never thought, I thought this

would be the worst out of all that batch.

And I, I like this more than

Mario, like, and I actually enjoyed

the Mario movie, but like, I

think this is better, like, but.

Yeah, so this is, yeah, I, I think

if people, if you're interested

into, into something that like has

some heart, that has some character

development, some really, Anthony

Mackie's really great in this, like,

um, yeah, yeah, for sure, for sure.

And then like, um, I think

Stephanie Patriz is also like one

of the roles she played, um, um.

In Brooklyn nine nine as well.

So like also really, really good.