Category: Episodes

I was going to lay out my whole situation here but it’s covered pretty well in the second half of the first hour of the show.

Last fall I built a new PC. Almost everything in it was new except for two things: my power supply and my graphics card.

This past week I somehow found a way to kill those specific two things, however. And this isn’t really the best time to be breaking PC parts, right now. Specifically those parts.

Thankfully, I’m pretty much back up and running with a brand new power supply and a borrowed video card from Matt. I had one of my old ones (680) but it was from 2012 and Matt, thankfully, had a more modern card in his 970 that I’m currently borrowing until the availability gets better.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,770 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Strictly speaking consoles, when you take the big 3 and put all their exclusives together, Nintendo probably leads the pack with the most, both in intellectual property and games featuring that IP. Microsoft SHOULD be in the number 2 spot there or maybe even number 1.

I would think Sony would come in last but this all changes when you just ask someone who they think has the most exclusives. Microsoft doesn’t stick out at all when I try to think about it just off the top of my head. And they should. They bought up more studios over time than most of the other two, if not more than the other two combined. They should own the rights to PLENTY of exclusives, but I can’t name more than like five different IP’s. It gets less if you want me to name ones that are recent.

They should be leading the pack or at least come close to Nintendo. Course, now that they officially own Bethesda, that number has increased. And in more ways than one. Just the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series alone is enough to be swinging all kinds of mud in the face of the other guys, especially when they go exclusive.

And they will go exclusive. Should they? Of course not. But they will. Microsoft needs system sellers. They haven’t had that kind of pull in a long time. Sony has been showing them up time and time again, and they shouldn’t. MS should be wiping the floor with them given all the companies they’ve bought but it just hasn’t happened. Yet. Microsoft WILL go exclusive with some of these titles. They know what they’ve got and it’s the reason they bought them (and other companies) to begin with.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,763 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Ever had peer pressure to play a game. Honestly, I never have, but there is some sort of feeling when you see so many people playing or talking about a game and you aren’t in on it. Maybe it’s an odd social pressure.

Currently, for me, that pressure is Valheim. A lot of people are playing it. A lot of people are talking about it, but here I am on the outside looking in. And the problem comes from looking in, actually. Because what I see is something that I won’t enjoy. Or, at least, that I typically don’t enjoy. The only thing about the game calling to me isn’t even the game itself but the people playing the game. I feel like eventually I’ll give it a go, but I’d imagine by that time the moment will have passed and something else will have taken its place. It happened with Bastion. It’s a little bit different, but there was tons of praise for that game and people playing it but it took me YEARS to finally play it and afterwards I was left with a sense of…what’s the big deal?

Something was missing and maybe it was because I was years late to the party and whatever was done in the game had been done previously for me by the time I played it or…whatever, but something didn’t connect.

Sometimes there’s an expiration date on the zeitgeist.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,756 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Apparently, I really need to play Until Dawn.

And from our caller praising it I’m actually looking forward to it. Now to just finish up some more time with Destiny before that.

Anthem never really did anything for me (or anybody else it seems, for that matter), but I didn’t want it to die. I understand why it had to, but there could have been something good there. That’s why it got canned, however. There could have been, but there wasn’t. And more money and time were not going to fix its problems. I’d say it was a noble effort, but this thing was dead out of the gate, if I remember right. It wasn’t ready. And I don’t think EA is a company known for their patience. They had a nice creative stint in the early 2000s where they had a few games they threw at the wall and actually stuck, but then they delved back into sequels and loot boxes.

Besides, they found what they wanted from Anthem. And they called it Apex Legends.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,749 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’re having trouble with our metaphors. But we think we’ve got it in the bag.

I’m always surprised at how something becomes popular. Even when I know, I sometimes can’t understand it and, even when I’m involved, it can still be hard to explain. Valheim is the best and most current explanation of what I mean.

It’s very rare, especially in video games, that I’m on a bandwagon before it becomes one and Valheim is no different. It just…happened. Felt like it was out of the blue but the thing exploded with popularity and players. Still, like other games people relate it to, I can’t really see the draw. Which isn’t to say it doesn’t have one, but the hooks aren’t holding me. However, this is from an outsider perspective. I haven’t actually played the game so I’m sure I’m missing a ton about what keeps players there.

The feedback loop. Then again, I’ve got another game keeping me trapped in that particular experience.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,742 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 since I forget to bring it up at the beginning of this episode: No show next weekend.

There’s double dipping in a number of different ways be it comic books, video games, movies, music, etc. It’s not something I do a lot of, though I have bought the DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K version of the same film before. I’ve done it with games with remasters and remakes. But then there’s collector double dipping. It’s when you buy two of something with the intent on keeping on completely sealed and never opening it, while the other is the one you actually use.

That is VERY rare for me with the exception of comic books back when I would collect those. With video games, it may have only been done once for me. In fact, I’m looking around my room now to see if I can find any examples and there aren’t any. The one single example I have is sitting in another room. And it never started out that way, but I explain it in the show.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,728 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Time for another episode of our show about playing video games. So let’s get right to it and talk about the stock market!

Yeah, that’s how we open the show and only really because of the stock involved. We’re it almost anything else (and it was already random as hell that it turned out to be a game retailer), we’d probably only mention it in passing, as would most websites that cover gaming as well. But this happened to be GameStop and that’s why the lot of us have taken note.

We talk of it like we know what we’re talking about and we somewhat have the basic essentials of what’s happened, but none of us would ever claim to be smart enough to push the advice. It’s your money, spend it how you want, and just be careful. That’s it. Best advice I got.

As for actual gaming discussion, I’ve been branching out of my Destiny cave since we’re in the last two weeks of the season so I’m looking to fill that time that isn’t doing the same thing over and over again week after week. As least for the next two weeks anyway. Then it’s back to my cave.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,721 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 good to catch up. Be it with friends or just a backlog of games. As of late, I’ve been doing both. Well, on the gaming side of things it mainly means I’ve slowed down my time with Destiny 2 and have gotten back to playing other games and hopefully finding the time to dip into some that interest me – be it new or old.

What I didn’t expect to find out was that while I wasn’t paying attention VR got way more affordable – as least compared to when I got mine – and got way less wires to mess with. Two things we always said would need to happen before most people would even pay them any attention. It may have come too late, but there’s still room to improve on the pricing front. Well, speaking of room, that’s the other issue, isn’t it? Space to play. You don’t need it for the sit down VR type stuff, but to really get the effect and the full immersive experience…you need the whole room VR feel. You need to “walk” in that space.

Again, there’s room to improve, but will it be too little too late. I don’t know. VR isn’t nearly as talked about as it was a few years ago. Games are still being made for the format, but they’re small, quick, and usually indie of some type. There’s less and less VR implementation in bigger, more notable games nowadays. That bubble may have already burst, but there’s still a pretty good amount of life in it. I just don’t know for how long.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,714 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Every now and then a game, or some aspect of a game will dominate the talk. Not just ours but everyone playing games. Such is the case with Cyberpunk 2077. It had the hype going for it and the numerous delays as well. All of that combined to make it a talked about game in and of itself. Then it finally released and well…you know what happened after that.

You know because it’s all that’s been talked about. No one really brings up the game itself, but rather everything wrong with the game, and they should. That sort of thing isn’t off limits for whatever reason, but when your problems and issues dominate the news cycles and the conversation INSTEAD of the game proper, then you’ve screwed up somewhere along the path.

And boy did they screw up. CDPR did it all. They screwed the pooch AND shook the hornet’s nest. And the hole they keep digging gets deeper and deeper for all the bodies they’re about to throw into it. And, as said on the show, this will last for as long as it can until something else takes its place or they announce a new game/update/fix that brings the zeitgeist back into their favor.

It’s the cycle of gamer rage. I mean, it isn’t so much rage as it is a massive disappointment. You’d think by now we’d all be used to it, but those wounds never seem to close completely for some reason. Regardless of how good or bad the current thing is, the next thing to focus our attention on is usually right around the corner.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,707 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 the beginning of the year. So, really, there wasn’t much to talk about actually. At least nothing we hadn’t already covered. We do spend a good time talking about what we’ve played over the past two weeks (for me that means about 3 or 4 more games other than Destiny – though it’s mentioned a few times).

We hope you had a great holiday and we’d love to know if you got a new console, new games, maybe the lucky few of you who got a new graphics card for the PC (seriously, that’s amazing luck right there). Whatever the case, email us, call us, join us in the chat room on the next episode and tell us what’s new with you in the new year as far as gaming is concerned. We’d love to hear from you.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,700 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 the end of the year. Just as a show note, we’re probably done with episodes for the next two weeks. With that in mind, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for sticking by this year. I think 36 episodes is probably one of our lowest outputs of the time we’ve been back on air since 2013 or so. There’ve been a lot of unforeseen things take place in our (well, MY) personal lives. All of it seemingly to come about towards the end of this year. We appreciate all the support you’ve given us through this year and in all the years past.

We’re not yet done with this show and we’ll be back in the new year. I say it almost every year, but without you, there is no show at all. And we can’t wait to come back in the new year with hopefully more episodes than this year – and I mean that in the sense that we don’t have any more health surprises to endure.

We hope you had as best a year as you could in light of what this year has given us and we hope your new year is full of health and happiness. Thank you so much for listening and watching.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,679 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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So, last week I talked about playing Cyberpunk on consoles since my PC isn’t ready to handle such a game. Turns out, the consoles aren’t either for the most part. I guess I’ll get around to it at some point, on some system.

Meanwhile, I’ll hammer away at Destiny 2 and, as the grind of that game starts to diminish for me, I’ll be including other titles.

Looking ahead, there doesn’t seem to be much in the near future on my radar. The Game Awards took place last week and it was more new-game-reveals than it actually was giving out awards, and that’s fine. But given the reveals nothing really pushed me over the edge of wanting to know more about. Mostly what we got were CG trailers and VERY little gameplay. We’ve been down this road before. A whole lotta show and not much tell. Hype trailers are great, but that’s all they are built around – getting you excited for the game in the 60 to 90 seconds available. And that, usually, means little to no gameplay. Here’s a CG cinematic trailer that doesn’t represent ANYTHING of what the final game will be or puts nothing into context of how the game will play. Enjoy.

And, for the most part, we do.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,672 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 know better now to say that I’m not going to get new consoles when they release. I said I wouldn’t for the Switch and then was there day one. I said I wouldn’t for the two new systems, and yet they were both hooked up to the TV right after Thanksgiving. Don’t tempt the hype, or you’ll hype yourself into buying these things.

The “new and shiny” disease is a real thing.

The one thing that still eludes me so far is a new graphics card for my PC. People can say what they want about how hard it is to get the new game consoles, but it’s nothing compared to the new video cards for the PC. These have been released since September and it is STILL insanely difficult to grab one. Eventually, and I don’t know when this will be, they’ll be easier to come by, but I’ve never seen it this bad this far into the release. And it isn’t just the one card I want – there’s a whole family line of these things in different versions made by different brands and NONE of them can stay in stock.

Guess I’ll be playing Cyberpunk on one of my new systems or not as pretty as I’d like on my PC.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,665 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Our schedule has been a bit sporadic as of late and we’d like to tell you upfront that, due to the holiday, we will NOT be doing a show next week. After that, however, we’ll be back on a regular, more reliable schedule. Then again, this is 2020, so who knows?

As always at this time of year our show before Thanksgiving concerns the sales! We go over a few deals here and there and give a rundown of the new consoles and where you MIGHT be able to get one. But be warned, if it’s in-store then prepare to camp out. And I mean seriously camp out. And if it’s online, well, may the odds forever be in your favor (amongst the bots, scalpers, and the mass amount of other people trying to score one of these systems).

But keep in mind on these things…they will eventually be in abundant stock. And the price will come down.

Maybe waiting isn’t so bad? Yeah, I know…I laughed at that, too.

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,651 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Sorry for the delay. We’re back, even if just for a moment. If you didn’t already know why there was a long stint between shows then you’ll find out in this episode. In fact, you’ll hear more about me personally in this episode than any one before it. And you’ll hear more about me personally on why we won’t have a show next week.

None of this has to do with gaming however, and because of the reason for that long time away, it also has nothing to do with gaming. It wasn’t a thing…gaming, I mean. There just wasn’t any place for it. And that’s weird to say for a gaming show, but, well, you’ll find out in the episode.

I will say new console launches are upon us. My opinion has changed somewhat since the reviews were released, but not too much. Like all console purchases it comes down to what YOU want to play and what’s currently available for you to actually play. As always, go with the games, not the hardware (this includes taking a long look at those gaming subscription services too…lotta value there).

In the meantime, Ubisoft, it’s been 2,637 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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