Month: August 2021

First things first: No show next weekend.

Secondly, the video for this episode might seem a little different since we’ve switched studios. This room has windows!

So, Gamescom was like a little mini-E3 there for a bit. I still wish they’d stop with all the interview segments or, at the very least, just put the voice over on top of video of the game. If you’re trying to sell me on something in a visual medium, well…visuals help.

Then again, sometimes they don’t. He says with a slight glance over to Saint’s Row.

Speaking of the 3rd Street Saints, I’m ambivalent about what was shown. Or, more accurately, I’ll wait to see a lot more before I pass judgement. Currently, again from what’s shown, I’m perfectly fine with it, but I’ll wait for more. The studio has already said they aren’t backing down from the direction they are going with the title, so I’ll trust them to that and see where it goes.

In the meantime…Ubisoft, it’s been 2,930 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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I really want to play Humankind. And I can actually play it right now with my Gamepass subscription. It isn’t on the console versions but it is on the PC versions. But…I can’t play it.

Actually, I can, but there’s a risk involved because of Gamepass on PC and something Microsoft has done. There’s a chance, and seemingly a high one, that wherever that game gets installed, a number of issues could crop up. Mostly, it’s that you can’t fully delete a game from your system when you are done with it. Something stays behind. Sometimes it reinstalls the game later. Sometimes other bugs occur. And the thing is, it isn’t because of the game, it’s “Gamepass On PC” that has the issue. So any number of those games available could cause problems.

The other problem about this issue is that Microsoft doesn’t seem at all concerned with it. Not from the numerous threads I’ve read about this and tweets which show no sign of any sort of update coming that could fix it. I mean, there’s not even acknowledgement of it.

Speaking of things that game companies aren’t talking about…Ubisoft, it’s been 2,923 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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We had something brought up in this episode that I haven’t given thought of in more than 25 years or so. Probably longer. And I probably only thought about it for the span of maybe a day or so when I did all those years ago.

Made me wonder about the other things in gaming that weren’t really given much thought, but you still remember it. And I don’t mean moments in a game or even items like the VirtuaBoy or whatever. The specific thing I’m speaking of is the Sega Channel. That’s what started the thought process. Cause…I only gave that channel attention up to the point that I realized I’d never see it (cable companies and what not) – and that was pretty quick.

But I remember it. And now I’m left wondering of those other things that stuck with us for a brief moment and then just went away. Except, gaming related, of course.

Speaking of things that went away and never came back…Ubisoft, it’s been 2,916 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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If the same thing that’s happened at Activision took place at another company that you support by playing their game, would you continue playing it?

I asked that question at the tail end of this episode so there weren’t any responses. It is a question I tried asking myself, and couldn’t easily answer. The reason being is that until you are put in that situation, you can’t really say for sure. I’d like to think I know what I’d do and that I’d actually follow through, but that’s not always the case. A lot of the time your mind likes to work it’s way around things if it inconveniences you or might put you out. You can stand outside of a situation and look at it play out and say you’d do it differently if it were you, but then, when that time comes, you may or may not actually do it. Context matters, of course, but really, until you’re in the middle of it you don’t know. If the same exact thing were to happen at Bungie, then yes, I say I would stop playing their games. But, it would have to be the same exact thing.

But it’s almost never the exact same thing, is it? So, how far does it have to go? What has to happen to get you to stop playing your favorite game because of things like this?

I give an example on the show of a situation I went through where, before it happened, I was pretty sure of how I’d react and handle the situation. That wasn’t the case. And it’s one of the reasons that I can’t tell you with certainty of how I would handle it.

And to be clear, this whole thing I’ve put forth is pretty trivial in comparison to what is actually going on. And a person can be far more proactive than simply not supporting the company with playing or purchasing their games. But what does it take for you? Where is your stopping point, even at the lowest level? And how do you know for sure?

In the meantime…Ubisoft (insert irony here), it’s been 2,909 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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I can’t remember the last time James was on the show. He may have called in for a segment or two but the last time he was in-studio I think we talked about Prey. The newer one…not the portal one with the awesome intro of the bar getting sucked into the spaceship or Art Bell playing through parts of the game. Not that one. The one with all the ink blots and space stuff. That one.

He joins us on this episode to talk about the current situation with ActiBlizzard, the Steam Deck, and we try real hard to remember what we’ve played in the years since we’ve talked about games. It was great to get back in touch and good to have him on the show again.

Speaking of ActiBlizzard…Ubisoft, it’s been 2,902 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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