In-Game Chat

It’s like McDuck’s Money Bin…for games.

Just a note that we won’t have a show next weekend, but we’ll return on April 2nd.

We talk a lot about video games. Be them new, old, classic, vintage. We also bring up board games from time to time – like this episode for instance – and we’ll mention pinball on occasion.

There’s a wealth of games to be had out there in whatever form you may desire. And some of them might even be free, or really cheap. We try to let you know when the free and cheap ones come up. The Epic Games Store on PC gives out a free game every week. Amazon, if you’re a prime member, gives out games every month. There’s Playstation Plus, and Games With Gold on Xbox and Gamepass will likely be our future if our video entertainment path is any indication. There’s Humble Bundle that offers a lot of games for very little (And you can decide how much of what you spend goes to charity, the developers, or the storefront). Speaking of charity, you’ve also got the big ones like the one for Ukraine we mentioned that raised millions because for $10 you got like 1000 games. That one ended but another has come up with 170 items for only $40 (I can probably pick 3 or less games in that bundle that would regularly cost that amount so it’s a great deal).

The whole point here is that if you like games, of almost ANY type, something is out there for you and probably doesn’t require all that much for you to enjoy it (Vampire Survivors is the best $3 I’ve spent on a game ever). And in a lot of cases with these big bundle things, you’re helping others in a charity. Gaming for good, as it were.

You will likely build a backlog the likes of which you may never escape. And that’s really not a bad problem to have.

Maybe one day I’ll have another Splinter Cell in my backlog…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,133 days since the last Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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Fair warning for those about to listen, there might be a spoiler or two for the first Hellblade at the beginning of this episode. Also, there’s vagueness around some possible spoiler stuff for Guardians Of The Galaxy as well – not the ending, mind you, but just a section of the game.

The reason I’m throwing out that warning is because we talk about some video game tropes. Two, specifically, and I don’t want to throw them out here because maybe you’re trying to avoid ANY kind of spoilers for either of those games. Having said that, however, it’s going to make it a little difficult to write about here, but I’ll try.

…10 minutes later…

Okay, so that’s pretty difficult. Anyway, sometimes tropes work. Sometimes building a mechanic that strays away from the usual gamer mentality (and I don’t mean that in a general sense but more in the habits of how we play and have played games) can be a good thing. We brought up examples from Eternal Darkness, X-Men on the Genesis, and Metal Gear Solid 2. There are elements of these games that play with the player. It’s really very creative.

One that isn’t creative, and this isn’t a spoiler for any game at all, is the one where you start the game completely upgraded and then at the end of the level it’s all taken away. You spend the rest of the game getting back to that point only to enjoy it for maybe not even a level before the game ends. I hate that trope. And underwater levels. And time trials.

There’s more to it, but you get the idea. I’m curious what video game trope annoys you the most. Or maybe there’s one you absolutely love. Let us know.

As long as we all agree to hate escort missions.

Another trope I can’t stand is when game companies NEVER do anything with good properties…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,126 days since the last Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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To Play Or Not To Play

Elden Ring still tempts me. And I don’t completely know why. There’s no FOMO there. It’s all very self contained and…singular, in a way. It’s something that can be played now or years from now and you likely won’t be spoiled on content or story or, really, anything at all.

The hesitation comes from the history of the studio. I guess it’s a gut vs. impulse feeling. The impulse is to get it right now and start playing it. The gut feeling is that I’ve never enjoyed the kind of game Elden Ring is – just simply based on the studio that made it. They have a type…as it were. They invented a genre. One known for brutal difficulty and constant trial and error.

I have briefly given their previous outings a try. Once with Dark/Demon Souls and then again with Bloodborne. None of these have ever stuck with me. But then you watch reviews of Elden Ring and read people’s impressions and it really wants to pull you in again. But I think I can wait it out.

Something will come along to take its place in the zeitgeist. Something else will lure my attention, but I won’t forget. Because at the right price of entry (for me), temptation will come calling again. And I will give in to it. Maybe to be fooled once more, or maybe to be surprised by how well I take to it.

Either way, I’ll eventually play the game.

Also eventually, I may play another Splinter Cell…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,119 days since the last Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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Now You’re Playing With Power, Portable Power!

I can’t speak to owning a Steam Deck. I can speak to owning almost everything else Valve has released on the hardware side of things (minus THEIR version of VR) and it makes me skeptical.

Not in the sense of what the Deck can do. But more about how much Valve will support the device. They don’t have the track record of say, Google, when it comes to making things and then killing them, but they do have a record. And it’s the record of following up. There is no “version 2” of anything Valve has made. And maybe there doesn’t need to be so far with what they’ve made but the biggest aspect I see of the Steam Deck is the room for improvement.

Watching reviews of the Deck, this thing is no slouch for a handheld device. There does seem to be plenty of room for improvement where the screen is concerned and there will always be improved performance as time goes on. Does that mean we’ll get one somewhere down the line?

History on Valve’s part says no. But I have a horrible feeling of optimism in this case.

Speaking of making something and never following it up…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,112 days since the last Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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Two Is Better Than One

Sequels, as we all know, can be hit or miss. And this extends to threequels, prequels, and whatever else comes before or after. Point being, is the next one better than the one that came before it?

In most media, the original stays winning, but in gaming, that isn’t always the case. There’s a lot more levels to judge on where gaming is concerned. With the jump in tech happening so fast the sequel to a game can LOOK better than the first and win out on those merits, but they can falter a bit in the story/writing department.

What you’ll usually find in gaming is that a sequel to a game is, probably 8 times out of 10, better than the original. Especially the more recent you look. Uncharted 2, Assassin’s Creed II, Mass Effect 2…all outshine their previous counterparts. But then go back even further. Was Kid Icarus 2 better than the first? Was Contra? Mario…well, that’s kind of a special case isn’t it?

It doesn’t always work but it is usually pretty close and there’s almost always some aspect of the later games doing at least one thing better than the original. The problem, however, is that if a studio can make a good first game, it might end up being a long time before you ever see them make anything new again. It takes a long time and a lot of money to make these things and when they work, you can expect them to ride that horse into the ground.

And then there’s Ubisoft, who haven’t made another Splinter Cell game (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive) in 3,105 days.

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The Bungie Cinematic Universe.

I don’t really know what it means with Sony buying Bungie. As a Destiny player, I don’t think it’ll mean anything. The road map for this game seemed pretty clearly defined. They plan on wrapping it all up with an expansion next year (or maybe the year after?), and have also told us that Destiny will carry on beyond that. And beyond that is what I don’t know. I figure with the current expansions planned that Destiny 2 really won’t see much change. But everything after that and outside of that…stands to reason Sony will pull some exclusivity out of it.

But, maybe not? It’s just odd right now because Bungie is known for two things and one of them isn’t theirs anymore. And what’s left is a cross-platform, cross-save, free to play (somewhat) game. It’s something I don’t see them changing the formula of any time soon. Yes, they have other things they are working on but most of that is unknown and probably a ways off, so right now, this is all we have to speculate on.

Then there’s the media side of things. Turning the properties (well, it’s just Destiny, at the moment, really) into some sort of TV show or film. There is potential there, and maybe a lot more of it than we think. In fact, out of this purchase, I think we’re more likely to see Sony do something like that before they announce anything exclusive or otherwise with the company and property.

And speaking of Destiny, it was released a year AFTER the last Splinter Cell game from Ubisoft, and it’s been 3,091 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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Don’t Believe Their Lies

There’s been a running joke on the show over the years about me not willing to drop $15 on a game on sale cause I think it could be lower or that $15 is too much. Then I’ll turn around and tell you I just dropped $250 on a steelbook or something. Proportionally, the money thing has always been a bit skewed when I talk about it.

But, it’s also a good example of how the value of something can be a point of perspective. But it is REALLY hard for me to see the perspective of the NFT thing going on. I’m still not about to tell you what to do with your money, but I will say the same thing I tell anyone who asks about making a purchase of anything – do your research. I might buy a really great TV, but that’s usually after about 6 months or so of really looking over what I want and then magnifying that even further to find the best of what I want.

I see the perspective from a seller point of view. And I can’t see how anyone that pushes NFTs doesn’t feel at least a little off in what they’re offering the buyer – and for what price.

I don’t really care that Ubisoft or any other company gets in the NFT game, but they think if you don’t buy in, you’re missing out or are completely clueless as to how it works.

They also think if you do buy in, well, they don’t actually care once you do that. Again, not going to tell you how to spend that money, but I will urge you enthusiastically to research every single bit of what you are buying when it comes to NFTs.

And speaking of Ubisoft, of course, it’s been 3,084 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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Microvision Blizzardsoft

That’s pretty much what the whole show is about. There’s a time or two we talk about a few other things but really the focus is on Microsoft buying Activision.

Oddly enough, having talked about it for two hours there were still things we didn’t get to – mainly the good and bad of things or, well, if this is good or bad.

I think almost any other sort of acquisition I might be questioning the ramifications of it as well, but I’m not in this case. Activision needed new management. From the highest point on down, really. And outside of being bought like this, I don’t think it was ever going to happen. Maybe they shoot themselves in the foot enough with the government and that causes a change, but they probably had enough money and pull to skate by without worry. Although lately it seemed like the water was getting above their heads when it comes to this stuff. Given that, I’d have probably been okay with any company buying them, and I’m totally okay that it was Microsoft.

It remains to be seen how good or bad this will end up being, but hopefully it’ll break the awful cycle in that company and I feel like that’s probably good, regardless.

It would be great if someone would buy Ubisoft, cause it’s been 3,077 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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I think I own Hellblade on both consoles and PC. And I’ve had them now for quite some time. Years, in fact. So I’m just a little bit behind in finishing it but that’s exactly what happened over the course of the week.

I have stronger feelings about Guardians Of The Galaxy, be them good or bad, than I do of Hellblade. My complaints for the former are far more numerous than those of the latter. Hellblade is just all around good except for some issues with combat. The game looks great, the story told is wonderful, the puzzles aren’t too difficult and the acting, voice or otherwise, is top notch. This game deserved every award, praise, and accolade it received. But Guardians is the better story. At least for me, the story in GotG had more of a pull for me. And I’m not really comparing these two. You can’t. I just happened to beat them both within like 2 weeks of each other. And the story of Guardians Of The Galaxy is still sitting with me.

I’m not yet sure where I’ll go from here. I never finished Horizon Zero Dawn and that sequel is just around the corner. Days Gone is another I’ve been curious about and there’s a few smaller games here and there to jump into and some that are just ways to pass time (Pedestrian & Hot Wheels). And there’s the return to Mass Effect as well. All before Destiny’s expansion takes hold in late February.

Not a bad problem to have really on where to go next.

I could always replay Splinter Cell. Speaking of…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,070 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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It’s been two weeks but it feels longer for some reason. Anyway, we’re back and the topic of discussion is what we did on our Christmas vacation.

I’ll probably ramble on a little bit here like I did in the show about these two things, but I’ll start by saying Guardians Of The Galaxy is worth your time. It really is. It shouldn’t be – I mean, just at a quick glance and seeing what Square did with the other Marvel game you’d be justified in being a bit concerned. Fear not, true believer! This game, like a certain character within it, is golden. Combat is annoying. It isn’t hard. It isn’t broken. It just isn’t good. That’s my one complaint. The rest of the game is great.

Then there’s Hellblade. Yeah, I’m a bit behind here. There’s nothing broken in the game. It’s beautiful and the story is captivating. It’ll hold you through it, but that’s all it’ll hold. There’s no guidance here. No hand holding, no tutorial. Your best friend is the pause menu with the controller options because that ‘s the only way you’ll know how to fight. There’s no waypoint or map. In some cases (MYST), I’m okay with this. In a game with combat, death, and permadeath, I’d like a little hint now and again on how to stay alive or where to go. Too many times now in the game I’ve spent the better part of 30 minutes just trying to find my way around an area. When I do finally finish this game, I’ll come back to it on the show and see if these problems, after all is said and done, are actually problems.

As another year begins we still count the days…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,063 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise, remake, or VR exclusive).

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The more the merrier.

Our final episode of Season 15 (and 2021) did not end quietly. Nor should it. We celebrated old friends and new games with a hopeful look to what’s next for 2022. I say hopeful but we’re all quite certain more companies will be facing reckonings of some sort or another as old stones get overturned. Which, actually, is kind of hopeful in a way since they all need to be held accountable.

It’s been a long time since we’ve had this many people on the show with us and it was wonderful to see this time of year. I’m hoping in the next year it’ll happen a lot more often. I’d also like to bring back guests again for interviews so that’ll be a goal of ours in the coming year.

We can’t thank you all enough for giving us another great year of episodes and constantly and consistently showing up for the live broadcasts. Be it through Twitch, Discord, the radio, or however you listen – it really means the world to us.

Thank you all so much for listening. We’ll be back in two weeks.

As another year ends we still count the days…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,042 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive or remake).

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You do plan to have dinosaurs on your dinosaur tour, right?

It shouldn’t be called “The Game Awards”. At this point, just call it “The Game Show”. I mean, there’s very little award there to even be mentioned. It’s a sorry excuse to just show off new stuff. So do that. Show off the new stuff and do something else to honor the developers. Within the first five minutes of someone actually being on stage, they give out an award. Then, you’ve got nothing until nearly an hour later. About thirty minutes after that you get another followed by like, 5 more just rambled off without any fanfare or acceptance speeches.

Look, I know you aren’t going to please everyone. The majority of people tune in for the announcements, but most don’t even do that. They watch them all later without all the filler in between. Look at the viewer count for a new trailer compared to seeing some developer win something. It’s a massive difference. And so while you say you are there to honor the devs who made these games and show off new stuff – it’s really only to show off new stuff. Your actions and their views easily prove this. So lean into it.

But stop calling it The Game Awards. Unless, you know, you do plan on having awards at your award show.

For what it’s worth, I’d enjoy having both. But if I can’t, I’d rather have the awards. The people who make these things we obsess over deserve the recognition – and they deserve it better than what’s being done so far.

And the award for longest break in a Ubisoft franchise goes to…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,035 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 was brussels sprouts for me.

You know how when you were a kid you specifically remember hating a certain food. It was probably a veggie of some sort or another. Maybe even a fruit. Usually healthy, but that’s not the point. What happens is, you remember hating that food and really not liking it but then you try it later after some years and LOVE it. You can’t even remember why you hated it as a kid, but damn it’s delicious.

That’s not really what happened with me and VR, but it’s close. I loved VR when I first tried it years ago. I loved it when I had my own headset and loved it again with the Playstation version. But it was a process. A lot of wire connecting and more effort to play a game for 20 or 30 minutes than what’s usual – which is none, really. I had those headsets years ago – the first versions of the Vive and Oculus. Maybe a few months of time spent with them then nothing. Then PSVR came around…another month or so of enjoying it and nothing.

Then I got a Quest 2 last week. VR is back on the menu. But for probably longer than a month or so this time.

I still need to put in a lot more time with it, and I will, but right now it’s amazing and I want to show it off to everyone (which I can thanks to its ability to stream cast to a tv, phone, or PC). It’s portable. It needs nothing but the headset and the controllers. No wires. Every room can be room scale VR. It’s not THAT expensive (compared to other VR units) either. It pretty much ticks the boxes I talked about years ago for VR to become more accepted.

I’m excited about VR again. And, again, excited for the potential of VR.

Maybe in some other reality it’s already happened but for us…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,028 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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Stuffed with savings.

As usual this time of year we won’t be doing a show next week.

I’m currently in the middle of looking over deals and checking reviews and patch notes to see what’s maybe worth picking up at a decent price when I remembered I had a show to post.

Seriously, I was up until 2am this morning as the last of the expected deals for today started going live (more to come tomorrow and later this week, of course). I’ve only made a few purchases here and there but overall it looks to be a nice sizable haul of games. I’m still hoping for some sort of miracle deal on Returnal, Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut, & Ratchet & Clank. Their current sale price just doesn’t cut it for me. And, honestly, the more I sit on them, the more I think waiting for a PS+ freebie sounds like the better option. Still, there is a price point for those I’ll bite at and I’m eagerly awaiting to see how that may play out.

Check out our twitter and facebook page for a spreadsheet of ALL the deals currently available and those will be updated as prices change or new sales announced.

Happy deal hunting, everyone!

Meanwhile…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,014 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 new kid in town.

Every week I come away playing one game more than another. And yes, usually that game is Destiny, but not this week. And likely not for a few weeks to come until something pulls me back into Destiny (and it will). This week, that game was Forza Horizon 5. For some of the lucky few, it might have been the Elden Ring network test.

I’m not going to write a review of FH5, but I will say it’s one of the prettiest looking games I’ve seen. There’s a ton of vehicles, and the map is gigantic and you never stop progressing. Those are just some quick high spots of the game. There’s a lot more to it and it’s hard to find fault in any of it. Just…well, I hope you like driving games.

On another note, we’re less than two weeks away from the big Black Friday sales and if you’re looking to pick up a few games then just hold off a little bit longer. We hope to have a better list of things on sale come next episode (hurry it up Target & Best Buy), and we’ll run down what you can find and offer up a very well done spreadsheet so you can keep track of it all.

Meanwhile…Ubisoft, it’s been 3,007 days since the last Splinter Cell release (non-animated series or guest spot in another game franchise or VR exclusive).

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