Category: Episodes

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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It’s a strange place to be in gaming when the highlight of a publisher/developer showcase is a remake of a game from over ten years ago. We shouldn’t even be getting a Dead Space remake since there’s really no reason this series should have ever ended. I mean, sure, sales numbers or critical reviews may have dropped for the last game in the series way back when, but that’s never stopped EA before. Somehow it did with the Dead Space series.

And now we’re getting a sort-of remake. It’s the first game but it’ll look prettier, come with updated mechanics and stuff from the second and third game in the series, and also, a better story. Most of these aren’t really needed when doing a remake. And we go over a little bit of why we think they’re doing it this way and what that may mean down the road. There’s debate about the story in Dead Space. That it still needs an ending. The third game did not wrap it up. And while the DLC for it made an attempt to end it, it still split the community as to what might have happened at the end. A conclusion to that would be nice, but we’re getting a remake.

I don’t know if it’s a one and done sort of situation, but knowing EA they’re likely testing the waters. Just…where do you go after remaking the first game of a trilogy? Do you then remake the remaining two? Do you move on to a fourth or add a subtitle?

It feels like they had the right idea with Mass Effect. In fact, the more I think about it, something like that would have been perfect for Dead Space. I guess we’ll see what their plan is. I only hope that if Dead Space can come back, even as a remake, there’s still hope for Splinter Cell. Both series had their last game released in the same year – 2013.

Speaking of that…Ubisoft, it’s been 2,895 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Valve can really sneak up on you. Just out of nowhere announce a new device. And more so, a device we’ll see this year. Usually for console reveals or announcements, you’ll get a head’s up that something is coming or something will leak or you’ll get some sort of vague hints that lead to major speculation and even more disappointment.

Not with Valve. Surprise, here’s a handheld PC!! It’s a thing you didn’t expect because it’s something that wasn’t on anyone’s radar. And yeah, the thing looks like a Switch. Okay, it REALLY looks like a Switch, but I don’t think that’s the competition. I don’t think Valve looked at the other consoles out there and picked one to try and compete with. They just noticed something missing and made something to fill it. They’ve done it before in the past and the results…aren’t the greatest. About the only thing that survived from their previous product launches was the controller. And that’s a stretch, I think, to say it survived. And this isn’t to say what they made was garbage, it just didn’t grab on to the public enough to last – or even get updated.

I want the Steam Deck to work. I want it to thrive and succeed and be amazing. And then I want a second version down the line that works even better. And a third. And fourth. And then get some competition with other models. We’ll have to wait until later in the year though to get an idea of how this might play out. But I’m hopeful.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,888 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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First up is a note to apologize for the audio issues after the first 30 minutes or so. If you’re listening to the audio from iTunes, it’ll just cut from music to talking, and if you’re watching the video, it’s about 2 minutes of trying to read our lips and suddenly realizing no one can hear us.

We’re gonna blame all that on Dave. Even though it’s clearly my fault.

Speaking of, welcome Dave! He’s only here for the one show and only in town to visit the folks, but it was good to see him again and have him on. Our schedules aren’t the best for getting to hang out and this was one way to make it all work. So I’m sorry for the off topic conversation, but I appreciate you indulging me so I can visit my friend.

We’re kind of all over the place for this episode. There’s video game talk, movie talk, old classic game talk, Limited Run game talk, and arcade machine talk. Like I said, kinda all over the place but that’s usually how it goes with us anyway so not much different.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,881 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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What a completely crazy two weeks it’s been. And most of it we tell you about right at the opening. Most of it having to do with our website being down, then back up, then split between 3 different people and now, finally, all under one roof. It’s a lot to figure out, but the main part of it is that we’re back on solid ground with the site and everything is as it should be thanks to the good folks (and Sully particularly) at DreamHost. Also, a very big thank you to Daniel, Jeremy, Jeff, as well as Mike K, and John. They all stepped up and helped out so we didn’t lose anything and pitched in to get us back, stable, and not so spread out all over. Seriously, it was a mess.

As far as gaming is concerned, we’re rounding the bend getting closer to something similar to an E3. At least an E3 that’s all digital anyway. It all starts next Saturday right before the show.

Don’t forget to join our Discord. It’s another method for you to interact with the show and be on the air with us to discuss anything gaming. You can find the link to join at the bottom of our website and also our Twitter and Facebook feeds.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,847 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Last week, when RJ mentioned he wouldn’t be able to be on the show this week, I wasn’t really expecting to do an episode. But, given that next Friday I get my second vaccine shot, and the weekend after is Memorial Day weekend, it potentially meant we’d be gone for possibly 3 weeks in a row. (Speaking of, we WILL NOT be doing a show Memorial Day weekend, and given reports of other people’s dealings with their second covid shot, it’s likely we won’t be doing one next week, either.)

Inspiration struck when a long time friend and listener from Germany mentioned he couldn’t call in anymore the usual way because Google pulled…well, a Google – kill things off that everyone likes. He mentioned Discord and that’s the experiment we ran with this weekend.

Turns out, it worked. Now, ANYONE can be a guest host on the show. From anywhere. If you’ve got discord on your phone or PC, you can join us on the show. Our discord server can be found at this link:

https://discord.gg/BmzKNbkQqj

Join up. And then join us every….almost every Saturday.

But yeah, the door’s open now. Anyone can be on the show with us, now. And we hope you will be.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,826 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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The first thirty minutes of this show have barely anything to do with gaming at all. It’s just the recap of a VERY chaotic week.

The rest of it has to do with Epic and Apple and everything we learned in just the first few days of that court case. And the speculation of how much more we might learn as it goes on. I wasn’t planning on paying any attention to this thing because of the companies involved but so much light was shed on everything surrounding it with Microsoft and Sony being thrown in that it was just too good to pass up. For better or worse, anyway.

Next week, we’re trying something different. Something new. And, if it works, maybe something pretty awesome. And if it doesn’t work, probably the way it fails will be awesome to see as well.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,819 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’ve long since stopped trying to find the magic ratio for game to value. We talked about this with Returnal and it’s price tag. And how, at $60, I was more than entertaining the idea of picking up the game. Until I found out it was $70 and apparently that extra 10 bucks was just a bridge too far. Meanwhile I’m eyeballing this collectors set of another game that runs $175.

So yeah, it’s weird to justify things. Or, at least, my own spending habits and where I find value, I suppose. Ultimately, $70 is too rich for my blood and I’ll be holding off on getting the game. And I’m actually perfectly fine with it. It’ll be discounted on some sales here and there likely over the summer and should be very reasonably priced come the holiday sales. I’m fine waiting.

Graphics cards have really helped with my “new toy” patience.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,812 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Welcome to an episode that almost never was…twice!

Some of it’s explained in the show itself. That being the bad weather we were having and you’ll notice this show starts differently than the rest because of all the hecticness that was happening at the time. However, 24 hours earlier I was dead set against not doing a show as I was running a fever.

Regardless, we got it together for the most part and were able to knock out a show where I think I played more new games than I ever have before in a week’s time. That doesn’t always happen since I’m mostly in auto-Destiny mode. Speaking of which, we talk a lot about Bungie in this one and their transmog system for Destiny 2. I often think gamers, or most of the ones I know and listen to, can be a cynical bunch. But in the case of the complaints and issues with this new system, I don’t detect a bit of cynicism there.

It is verified legitimate concern. Even more so if it actually works and becomes successful.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,805 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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At this point I’m pretty sure ANY Pac-Man game will get my attention and will also end up being something that’ll just keep me playing over and over. It’s been doing that since the whole “Championship Edition” versions have been released. And it’s doing it again with some slinky little free game (free with a subscription to Nintendo’s online component): Pac-Man 99.

For those not familiar with the “99” series or any sort of number (they just finished a year of Mario 35), it’s where you are competing against 98 other players. And everyone’s actions send obstacles to other players. Everyone is battling to stay alive until none are left. It’s a battle royal, but…less personal since you’ve no idea who is attacking you or who you’re specifically targeting as well. You just play. I can’t place better than 4th so far. But, the hook is there and it keeps pulling me back in.

Until I found Cozy Grove.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,798 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Just a quick show note: No new episode next week. We’ll be back live again on the 17th.

I don’t want to sound like a shill for Microsoft, but I can’t really find a reason why you should NOT have a Game Pass subscription if you own an Xbox or even a PC. I mean, I’m sure there’s plenty of people out there who probably can find reasons, but outside of just being able to afford it (it’s actually a pretty good price considering what you get for it), I don’t know what they could come up with.

Then they go and get what was, up to last year anyway, a Sony exclusive game to show up on their system. But not only that, they go and add it to their subscription service so any subscriber will be able to play the game on day one. Just to add a little insult to the injury already.

I can’t see how Sony is happy about this. They may be happy to keep the MLB license, but maybe not so much after this. Also, stunts like this probably just go further to sour their ideas of cross-platform stuff. They weren’t really all about that life anyway, but they probably point to this and say “this is why”.

Not that I need big mega corporations to be happy or whatever. This whole thing is a win for consumers to me. Although I stand to benefit from it. Those who don’t, however, probably look at it as either more disdain for Microsoft, or shake their head at Sony for not giving them the same option. And let’s be honest here, Sony needs to find something, anything, to counter that whole Game Pass thing cause PS Plus ain’t cutting it anymore.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,784 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 don’t consider myself a hoarder, but I can imagine some people would say otherwise about me. I do tend to “hold on” to things a lot longer than most from time to time. Although I’ve recently backed off a bit with that habit. Or, at least, put a limit on what I’ll consider.

Then there’s the digital side to hoarding. How many hard drives of old systems I’m keeping around cause I need a file maybe down the road at some point. Then there’s the games aspect of that and a backlog that is, digitally, bigger than any amount of physical games I have ever owned in my life…combined.

It’s a lot of stuff. Stuff that…isn’t always guaranteed to be there. Paid for or free, it won’t last forever. But it’ll probably outlast me, and that’s really all it needs to do, I suppose.

Unless I bought any of those games on the PS3, Vita, or PSP. Sony seems to be shutting down those store fronts. And we’re not exactly sure why but it probably has to do with money. Now, I have no real idea what I’ll be losing because of this, and I’m not all that concerned, but there are other people who might depend on this for their games. Not yet having moved over to the PS4, or only ever had a PSP or Vita for whatever reason. I’m also sure that list is small and probably whatever that group of people is putting into the stores doesn’t exceed what it takes to maintain them.

Still, my point being, these digital copies won’t last forever. And if it suddenly ends in your lifetime, what’ll you do?

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,777 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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