2024 Rewind | House Of Wolves Podcast - House Of Wolves Podcast

Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Let them come. This is their fate.

(00:07):
Get my birdman hands in there.
All right, all right.
Welcome back to the House of Wolves podcast.
I am your host, Deontay, here with my near and dear friends, Jalen and Josh.
Today, we're going to be just talking about 2024.
Really, we're going to be talking about the year we've had and we're going to be

(00:30):
talking a little bit about what should we be expecting mostly from Nintendo,
PlayStation and Xbox for the year 2025.
Uh, but yeah, without further ado, uh, Jalen, Josh, tell the people how you've
been, what you've been up to, what you've been doing, how's life going?

(00:52):
How was Christmas? Talk to the people.
Yeah, it's been I guess it has been a while since we did our last podcast.
Christmas has passed. And for me, New Year's just passed.
It's already 2025 here in Japan.
Oh, yeah. Last year, boy, what?

(01:13):
I don't need to catch up.
I still like they're playing Borderlands.
I'm doing all right in the family.
Yeah, we celebrate it.
New Year's Eve yesterday, just mostly at home doing a lot of cleaning,
shopping for like food and stuff so we can have dinner.

(01:36):
And we had a family dinner last night.
So yeah, 2025 is here.
As for Christmas, we had a pretty chill Christmas.
My daughter and I end up getting sick.
Came down with the infant, the ones.
So we were sick for like four days.
Didn't really get anything done, but we got better by Christmas day.

(02:03):
Everybody was better.
So we opened up some presents, had a good time.
Of course, my daughter got a bunch of gifts, but we've been trying to buy her less toys
just because she has so many and they're like not going anywhere.
It's just taking up space.
Yep. Pretty much every every kid out there.
That's unfortunate, but they just the grandparents love them.

(02:26):
So go ahead. Yeah.
She ended up getting a lot of stuff from other people in the family,
you know, which also included toys.
But overall, she was pretty happy.
And when they're like really young, it's not a big deal of like
how many gifts they get because they don't really understand anything.
But, you know, come back in two, three years and be complaining about the quality of gifts.

(02:52):
So enjoy it while you can.
Other than that. I've been pretty busy with work and like working on projects
because I'm trying to finish up a project for like my portfolio
so that I can have something to show for my next job interview.
So that's been keeping me pretty busy.

(03:14):
But I have since when I was sick, I was able to start playing two games.
OK. And so those two games are made by the same developer,
which is Airship Syndicate, I think.
And they have. They're known for working on the Darksiders series.

(03:37):
I think that it was some people who worked on Darksiders 1 and 2.
They end up making a different studio, I'm pretty sure.
But then they came out most recent Darksiders game, which was like a spin off.
It wasn't Darksiders 3, it was another one.
But anyways, they worked on Darksiders.
I never really liked the Darksiders games, but they've been around for a while.

(03:58):
So I was checking out what they made.
The first one was Ruin King.
Ruin King is a League of Legends turn-based RPG.
And I was interested in that because I finished for Arcane recently.
And I just think the world is interesting.

(04:19):
But I don't have any interest in playing League right now.
One, because it's a PvP game.
And then also, since I live in Asia, they have super, super strict servers.
And if you're outside of the US physically, they literally won't let you play on the US server,
even with VPNs and stuff.

(04:41):
So I got to switch to Asia, which means I just got to reset all my progress and blah, blah, blah.
So I might as well, I'm just not going to play League right now.
But I'm still interested in that world.
So I picked up Ruin King a couple months ago, but I haven't played it.
But Ruin King tells the side story of a couple of the main characters.

(05:02):
Nothing to do with Arcane, of course.
But it's still the same world.
So it's pretty interesting in the art style that the developer does.
It's pretty unique, very stylized, very colorful, but still looks very good.
So I've been playing that.
So far, it's pretty fun.
But it's early in the game, maybe the first 10 hours.

(05:23):
And then the second game I played was also by the same developer, which is called Wayfinder.
And Wayfinder I played a couple months ago in closed beta, I think, or closed alpha.
But what happened with this game is that it's a failed live service game.

(05:45):
And it's a failed live service game because it came out in early access.
And a lot of people didn't play it.
They were losing money.
The deal that they had with the publisher fell through.
So the publisher actually left the project and left all the financial burden on the developers.
And then they didn't make a lot of money with the early access.

(06:09):
The early access money went with the publisher when they left because that was their deal.
The publisher kept the money.
And then, yeah.
But what they tried to do or what they said they were going to do is, OK, we understand early access
is not going well.
And we're kind of in the crunch for money.

(06:31):
So what we're going to do, we're going to stop selling the game for like three months.
We're going to remove all the live service features.
We're going to make it a single player offline game with co-op and with no microtransactions.
It's just going to be $20 upfront.
So that's what they did.

(06:52):
They took it off sale for a couple months.
They removed all the microtransactions, all the live service upgrades, all the weird farming stuff
you have to do to upgrade stuff.
We launched the game and called it Wayfinder 1.0.
And so I've been playing that and it's actually pretty fun.

(07:12):
OK.
Yeah, it's not, of course, it's not a 10 out of 10 game.
It's already had issues.
But it's a, I didn't even say the type of game, it's an action RPG.
Like, you know, a fantasy action RPG.
The world is pretty big.
It was kind of like a Destiny-like where you go out, you know, into like the Cosmodrome.

(07:32):
You're doing side quests.
You're doing public events and stuff like that.
So they removed all that stuff, but it's still three player co-op if you want to
or you can play by yourself.
It's balanced for single player.
It's got loot drops from bosses.
The character classes all have different abilities.
But one thing I like is that they used to start with like,

(07:55):
how to put it, like if you pick the guy with the sniper rifle,
he's stuck with the sniper rifle in most games, right?
But what they did is allow every character to switch to any weapon.
So that sniper rifle guy, let's say he's put down traps,
but you don't like his play style and get rid of the sniper rifle,

(08:16):
give him a sword and shield and he's still got the same abilities
and it changes the dynamic of the game where it's like,
oh, I actually like this character now because like I can throw a bomb down on the ground,
but I don't have to run away because they're a sniper.
I can just stay in their face and start punching them and stuff like that.
So overall, I would say it's been pretty fun.

(08:37):
It's like overall, like a seven out of ten game.
The story is not anything to talk about, but the gameplay loop is fun.
The loot drops are fun.
The characters are fun.
It's got a bunch of cosmetics and stuff that you can just beat up a boss.
It drops the cosmetics.
You can customize your character like no microtransactions at all.

(09:00):
So overall, I'm pretty satisfied with the game and I got it on the Christmas sale for $10.
And I feel like for $10, I've definitely got my money's worth.
So it's one of those interesting cases of live service games that if it came out when it did,
it's competing with so many different people and the expectations for a live service game are much higher

(09:22):
just because like they're they're literally asking for like two, three times amount of your time.
So they can do these challenges and battle pass and weeklies and stuff like that.
Whereas when they removed all of that, I have no friction with the game,
even though it's like a seven out of ten game, just quality wise overall.

(09:43):
I can just have fun, put it down when I'm not interested or if I'm too busy and pick it up again later
because there's no friction involved with, I guess, single player games.
So that I say I think they did it.
I don't know how successful it's been.
I don't know what they're going to do next.
But overall, I'm pretty happy with the product and they came out with an update maybe last month.

(10:07):
The added nightmare mode, which is just harder difficulty for more more rewards.
And I'm playing through that on the first playthrough and I think it's pretty fun.
So, yeah, Wayfinder.
I don't know if it's still on sale, but like, yeah, if you get it for twenty dollars or less,
it's definitely worth it. And I think it's on PlayStation five as well.

(10:30):
So, yeah, that's those are two games have been playing here. Airship indicates games.
OK. Well, I appreciate the rundown.
Open world zone type S game.
I'm looking at here a trailer right now.
But yeah, something you guys can check out, especially if you're interested in the action RPG.

(10:56):
But I think I'm a save that space for a little bit of that path of exile when I get a chance to get around to it.
But yeah, this looks this looks pretty interesting as well.
What about you, Jaylen?
You've been up to what you've been doing, what you've been playing.

(11:17):
So guys, I've been playing.
I mean, really, I just been playing the same multiverse.
You know, I got to get my Xbox out of time.
I'm just a reigning champion.
You got to pad those stats, huh?
With your stats, Tanner. Pad stats.
What you rest of West looking out for?
Literally, literally, I was just thinking about it.

(11:40):
So, no, but that I've been playing metaphor.
So it ain't a whole lot of probably about like 30 hours in now.
I'm metaphor, I'm still implying that I just find it a little bit earlier today last night.
So I had tried to pick it up just a little bit more because I had to beat the shadow shadow generation,

(12:02):
Sonic Cross Shadow Generations, whatever you want to call it.
So I beat that. I mean, it wasn't a long campaign.
Right. Like seven to ten dollars long.
So it ain't it ain't a whole lot.
But, you know, little victories.
I got to count every game I beat.
Did you have fun?
It was cool. It was cool for what it was.

(12:23):
I thought I was expecting something a little bit different for the ending.
But I like to see I actually went back and played some of Generations
and I could just tell like shadow generations is something newer than what the Sonic Generations is.
Like even just like the gameplay, the mechanics, like the fluidity of the game and stuff like I can tell like the Sonic Generations.

(12:46):
And I could be wrong because I never I didn't look into all this, but the way the game feels, the way the game plays.
It looked like they remastered that, cleaned up some stuff on the Sonic Generations aspect.
But the shadow, I can tell was like it was something that was newer that they probably built from the ground up with it.
It just feels different. Even just the controls are different.

(13:07):
They do like some of the same things, if that makes sense.
Oh, that makes sense.
Yeah, so but it was cool, though.
I enjoyed it.
I probably go back and play some of the Sonic Generations stuff, but I already played it before, so I'm really like super impressed.
I will say I thought Sonic Unleashed was cold, man.
I think sometime last week, man, I went back and played them.

(13:28):
I'm like, yeah, I got to cut this mug off, bro.
This mug is gone, bro.
I can't play this no more.
Not because of the Warhawk part.
That was as a kid.
I don't know how I played through that, bro.
Like I remember being annoyed as a kid playing through it.
But when I had cut it back on like a week ago and tried playing some of that, I said, oh, no, bro.
Cut this off, bro.
Get it off.

(13:49):
Get it off.
Right.
It was straight like that, bro.
The other part was cool playing with Sonic and stuff, but I could still tell like, you know, it was a little dated when I was playing it.
But anyway, that's neither here nor there, but that's pretty much it, though.
So.
Gotcha.
Okay.
Well, that's still some good gaming in.
There's still some.

(14:11):
Did you?
Well, I think maybe you said it.
I couldn't even hear you.
For Christmas.
Yeah, Christmas.
So Christmas I had.
So Christmas Eve, I went to Maryland or DC area.
Maryland.
Came back on.

(14:31):
Was it Thursday morning?
Went to work.
Got off work.
Drove to Kalamazoo.
Chilled there.
Drove to Detroit for a housewarming.
Came back to Kalamazoo Saturday morning.
And then I got back on the road to Chicago Sunday.
So I was going for an extended period of time.
I got to see Deontay.
Got the, you know what I'm saying, fellowship.

(14:53):
All that guy.
Good jazz.
Even got to take a shot.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Fun time.
I asked him 10 times.
You know, they asked me like 50 times to get an Xbox.
You know, I can't even get a shot out of me.
I don't drink.
I don't drink.
Nah, just play.
I don't play.
I don't play.
But no, it was good though.

(15:14):
You know, see how the family and stuff like that.
It was a good time.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, good, good, good.
I did kind of mostly the same outside of I hosted Christmas
at my crib.
So all the family came up here and then I had to shoot down
there for my sister's housewarming where we met up

(15:37):
with Jalen and I played a bunch of games in between that.
So as you all know, I beat that stellar blade.
I beat Silent Hill 2 recently, which I'm going to talk about
a little bit and what else?
What else would I do?
I also I'm finishing up Spider-Man 2 and there's a game

(16:01):
right before Silent Hill that I beat.
I don't remember it now.
Jeez.
No, did I go?
They always tell a blade and Silent Hill.
Indiana Jones, Indiana freaking Jones.
Jeez Louise of the Indiana Jones.
And that was also a really good one.
I think we talked about a little bit, but really really great

(16:25):
game.
So few things that kind of is transpiring now.
I'm trying to get this Space Marines to I'm trying to
go back to my backlog and beat all these games.
I purchased metaphor which is too long.
So I'm probably going to play Space Marine 2 first.

(16:45):
Then I'm going to play I might cop Dragon Age because I can
continue my my save if I buy it on a PC and it's pretty cheap
old PC like 35 bucks right now.
And then I'm going to go to Ash Robot.
So after Spider-Man 2 Space Marine 2 then I'm going to go

(17:08):
to freaking Dragon Age and then Astro Bot maybe not Dragon
Age maybe Astro Bot and Dragon Age, but I'm trying to go
I'm trying to beat a bunch of games really quickly.
And like I said, I've been having a blast with it.
Having a great time just playing games chilling.

(17:30):
This is the this is the month of recovery for me most of
the time.
I usually use this month to catch up on a bunch of games
chill and not do much which is kind of my reward for doing
too much throughout the year.
So I'm trying to beat a few more games is literally the

(17:51):
first so I only got like a day to beat try to beat Spider-Man
but once I beat that that's pretty much it.
So I probably have to just play through some other stuff
as I go throughout the year, but then we got more stuff
coming next year.
So it's even worse.
So it's just kind of like you cheese.
I got to figure out a way to beat this stuff and I just

(18:14):
think I'll have time for large games like metaphor.
So I'm going to have to figure it out.
But anyways, that's what my dilemma is.
I'm literally trying to find time to be games but outside
that the family is good.
They had a great Christmas.
They really enjoyed the stuff the kids enjoyed themselves.

(18:34):
I've enjoyed it.
So we had great food great vibes.
The housewarming was a blast.
We like I said, we have a lot of fun down there with my
sister and we just got to see a lot of family.
This is all pretty.
I'm pretty sure this is probably my favorite Christmas
and like holidays break in a very long time probably like

(18:58):
the last 10 years.
This probably my favorite one because of how much I was
able to see everybody and just how much I was able to
spend time with everybody as well.
I go.
That's my first time.
I think all my family came up here like all my brothers
and sisters at least so it was really cool and definitely
something I want to repeat.
So I think next year we're going to be down at my sister

(19:20):
house chilling for the next Christmas.
So good times good times for sure.
But yeah, not if that's out the way don't want to make
the intro too long.
Let's talk about some games because as you know, what can
I say?
We love these games.
First thing that I kind of want to talk about because

(19:43):
it's fresh in my mind right now is Silent Hill 2 and
this is kind of going to be a part of the whole looking
back at the year games that came out but Silent Hill 2
is fresh in my mind.
So I'm going to start there and I'm going to let you guys
gather your thoughts around what was some of the you
know, exciting things that happened in 2024 that you
want to bring up.

(20:03):
But Silent Hill 2 was one of those games for me and I'm
not going to be super negative, but I do want to say
that the Silent Hill 2 remake is somewhat is a little
bit flawed to me.
I really really love the atmosphere.
I really really love the acting.

(20:24):
I love the new character designs.
I love the stage designs.
It was really really cool to be back in that experience
and have that same feeling I used to have when I played
the first Silent Hill.
And it was really really great to see how much they
captured a lot of the same essence, especially when I

(20:47):
went back to watch some of the original Silent Hill 2
and kind of starting to see all the Easter eggs.
I really started to make a lot of sense to me.
But as I went through that story, there was a few things
that stood out to me that maybe I was either overthinking
it or I just remembered it wrong.

(21:08):
But when I went back it did feel like it was a little
bit different.
The first time I saw the pyramid head.
I don't know.
I just didn't feel like the same scariness like his boss.
The boss fight was a little bit off to me.

(21:29):
And then I realized we were fighting him in like a stairwell
the first time and the first time we really was like the
camera angles made everything claustrophobic.
The change to how we play games made that game feel
different.
If that makes sense Resident Evil 2.
I would feel the same way about if I ever played the

(21:51):
original Resident Evil 2.
I love Resident Evil 2 remake because I never played
Resident Evil.
Resident Evil 4 is always going to be true Resident Evil 4
because that's how it's always meant to be played.
But the Resident Evil 2 remake probably is a little bit
different for the people that played the original Resident
Evil 2.
So with the with the fixed camera angles, so it did lose

(22:14):
a little bit of its intensity because by the by the second
location I was running through I literally didn't stop
running the scared me being scared was no longer there.
I knew all the enemies moves.
I knew how to bait them until you do it.
Then we'll do what I want.

(22:35):
I've barely lost health.
I was running that game like it was nobody's business
basically and I wasn't scared anymore.
I was just more so like, oh, this is long.
Didn't I remember and then I looked at how long it was
and absolutely longer than I remember because I was like
this is like I was like, I know I beat this game like
seven hours eight hours and we wasn't playing it that

(22:58):
long.
We were just scared all the time.
It was like 1415 hours this time around and I was not
scared for like, I don't know probably like the first
after the first four hours.
I was like, yeah, this is everything I've seen already.
I've seen everything.
I don't I'm not worried about something jumping out on
me because by the time I notice it, I'm dodging.

(23:20):
I'm out the way.
I'm already on your already on your head top.
I was way too lethal.
So the difficulty plus me being like tired of the long
and the long gated puzzles and how it felt like it was
just I was doing the same thing over and over again.

(23:41):
I do the first part and I go into the underworld and
then I do it again.
I go to underworld.
I'm not trying to be super negative because I still
loved it.
But I if they would have shortened it and created that
intensity, I probably would have replayed it to get all
the endings.
I just watched all the innings.
I just felt like I wasn't really ready to commit that

(24:02):
many times to that game where the intensity didn't feel
strong enough and I didn't feel like I was scared
anymore.
It lost a lot of that appeal halfway through.
So I will say that is flawed.
I still loved it and they did the best they possibly
could do with that game in the way that the dialogue

(24:25):
actually made sense.
Now, like I never understood the concept of Silent
Mill 2 and what was going on, but I understood it
throughout the entire time I was watching it at that
point.
So it just felt like I remember feelings.
I remember presence.
I remember how long something is.
I do not remember storylines.

(24:45):
I do not remember characters.
So that was like something that I was re-watching again.
And then when I went back to understand it more it
felt like oh they did make this make more sense because
honestly it didn't make sense before I was just running
around doing stuff.
So what I would say about Silent Hill 2 is that even

(25:06):
though it may not live up to the expectations of someone
that probably have played it.
It's a great way to introduce yourself to that game
and the story without feeling like you just wasting
a lot of your time because regardless of what it is,
I think a little bit of tuning needed to happen to
the difficulty or at least to the scarcity of weapons

(25:29):
or you know bullets because I just felt like I was always
prepared for whatever.
I never felt like I was I was I was only for the first
like two three hours.
I was like, oh, I do not have enough.
This is scarcity out here.
I need to conserve and then after a while I started to
realize I'm popping everybody with three shots and I'm

(25:49):
too tapping the ones that I can fight easily and one
thing might give me a little trouble.
I know how many bullets I got to do to damage and I got
nothing to chamber.
So I'm good.
So those types of things where you really start to have
there needs to be another additional mix up to kind of
create some moments where you're generally either

(26:11):
genuinely scared or nervous about going around a corner.
I just wasn't anymore.
I'm busted through all windows all a little creepy
sounding make out like whatever I know what you're
going to do.
You're not going to do anything that deviates from what
I think you're going to do and they never did so and
that's the unfortunate part.
So but yeah, you had something to say Josh.
No, I was going to say I heard people liked it, but

(26:33):
the balance of the items and ammo and stuff like that
was something I heard people complain about whereas the
original is, you know, survival or limited ammo limited
resources, but people were saying with the remake where
it's like, yeah, you get to a certain point in the game.
You just basically got infinite ammo should not go
ever run out, especially if you just trying to play

(26:55):
well, where is it like, yeah, if you waste and everything
then maybe but you have to try really hard to use all
your ammo.
Yeah, you really do like I never once I wasn't even
pulling out my shotgun.
Most of the time I was just using my pistol.
I always had some stock in my shotgun.
So it was never like a moment where I felt like it
was like I ain't got enough.

(27:17):
There was only one intense moment where I was running
around it.
And like I said, I don't want to give everything away
because I still think it's worth playing.
I just think that I was expecting that level of
intensity to move throughout, you know, I was giddy
when I first talked to you about it because I was like
this is intense and then after a while I started to
realize the tricks.

(27:37):
So, you know, that's where the intensity started to
die off.
I don't think it was a bad game.
I don't think that they the puzzles weren't fun.
They were interesting.
I just knew that I was going to have to do two things
over and over again.
And I wanted a little bit of variety when it came to
different areas and what we were going to be doing in
those areas, which never change.
It was kind of unfortunately you seen it once you seen

(28:00):
the twice type of situation.
I mean, you seen it twice using it in every variation
that they could possibly do just maybe a different
type of piece of puzzle.
So overall though, I have fun.
I enjoyed it.
I feel like the soundscape was still enjoyable, even
though I wasn't scared anymore.

(28:20):
I didn't play in the dark.
So I was still nervous about playing in the dark.
So it wasn't like the intensity wasn't there.
I just like I'm just going to keep running through
everything because I knew that there was nothing that
that was going to really be scare me after a certain
point, but it's really really really solid game
really recreated the feeling of it in a great way

(28:42):
for most of most for the most part.
I think that them tuning the scarcity of items might
might make that game even more intense throughout
the entire time.
But that dodge the dodge they give you man is a powerful
you can like you can stop you know how you used to

(29:03):
you know how you got to commit to a fight or a hit
you ain't got to commit in there.
You got you got the time enough like an action or
beat like real action game.
So like even if you decide to swing and you see it
coming.
Oh you dodge step out of that mug or you dodge step
why they trying to swing you got if you got them
invincible.

(29:26):
Yeah, so you you literally can he can steal they can
steal like swipe through your body but because you
died in that motion you got those invincibility frames.
So I was cooking I was like I was out there playing
Dark Souls because it wasn't like it was easy.
It was easy because he only when you fight in one
thing and you know their movement is so easy to

(29:46):
start to get custom to it.
I think the I think what bloopers should have done
is adjusted for that as well that we are players that
have been trained with a little bit more of a we're
more responsive and our and our abilities when it
comes to those types of games because Elden Ring is

(30:07):
super popular so they have to kind of be a cussed
understand of that and and in kind of break it up
the monotony.
So unfortunately that didn't occur but overall though
they have some really cool interesting enemies to
fight and there was a lot of some situations where

(30:28):
it can be a little overwhelming too.
But I think I died like twice in that whole game.
So but yeah overall though, I still recommend that's
why I gave it a 7 out of 10 because to the to no
fault of blooper.
I think that they had recreated that world in a

(30:49):
great way and they used all the new technology to
make sure it worked well.
So played on a PS 5 Pro 60 FPS look decent without
the PSS already was able to patch that out.
It looked good.
I had a blast.
So check it out.
But yeah, I'm a I'm a pass it to one of y'all.

(31:11):
Hopefully I got something y'all want to talk about
for 2024 that has occurred and then we can kind of
keep pinging back and forth from there or if you
got a list whatever you want to do, but talk to me
about the 2024 experience and something y'all enjoyed
that came out of it.
Regardless of if it's a game or not.

(31:35):
Yeah, so I guess 2024 I played a lot of games, but
the ones that I guess I spent the most time over
were not actually my favorite.
Like, you know, I'll talk about Final Fantasy and
Dragon's Dogma and stuff like that.
I mean, but overall it was a it was a really good

(31:57):
year.
I don't know if we talked about our end of year
breakdown like it don't matter.
Jalen won.
He was putting up all the numbers.
Multiverses apparently.
Yeah, multiverses is his favorite for sure.
Yeah, but is I don't know as far as games.
I feel like I mostly spent this year working on my

(32:20):
backlog or playing games.
I got updates from last year because I think we've
entered into a really good space as far as video
games where the new games that are coming out are
typically pretty good pretty high quality, but also
the last few years have also been really good.

(32:41):
So you can even if you plan 2023 2022 games as
some bangers in 2022 and 2023 as well.
But anyway, it's yeah for me.
I haven't I didn't buy many games this year.
I wanted to make sure I went back and played as
many games that I spent money on that and get my
value out of them.
Most time I spent on the game was probably Elder

(33:03):
Ring just because that DLC was so good and it's
kind of unexpected to see a DLC that makes me want
to go back to a game that I actually like finished
over two years ago.
But it was refreshing.
It was fun.
It was still difficult.
So I really appreciated that about it in rain.

(33:27):
And I think most of the games I've gone back to
in my backlog have been pretty good experiences
and worth it.
And so I'm starting to feel less of the I guess new
game FOMO, especially with new games like being
super expensive.
I kind of rather would just wait.
Yeah, like six seven months when I have time to

(33:49):
play it and it's going to be on sale regardless.
Yeah, so nothing to highlight yet.
I know Jaylen got some stuff to say about multiverses
if you want to discuss your year review your review
Jaylen.

(34:10):
Man, I mean, clearly I haven't been playing the
most amount of games.
I kind of play them in spurts.
I mean since I said something about multiverses
I go there.
I will say I was enjoying multiverses a lot more
when it first came out.
It's just one of the games like I keep harping on
this.
We ain't got time.
You hit ready up with your boy.

(34:31):
They put you in a match in two seconds.
They don't care if you gonna fight the same Sam
Ryde Jack seven times in a row.
They gonna fight you in a row.
Sam Ryde Jack seven times in a row.
They gonna put you in that match bro.
So, you know, it got to a point where I block him
real quick just so I'll see him and I still seen
him.
You got gonna get rid of we both blocked them still
seen them.
So to clear the game on care, but they some of the

(34:55):
patches they did in the game want the biggest fan
of it.
You can actually block in a game now.
So that kind of change up the tempo but you can
just play the game.
Yeah, you can actually block in the game, but it's
a little annoying now.
I'm not gonna lie to you because I didn't got used
to not blocking but you know people be blocking

(35:15):
the stuff you can guard break if you knock out a
block meter out and stuff like that and they still
blocking but anyhow the game then got a little bit
worse.
We seen the numbers in the game.
I mean, I don't know how long how much longer the
game got.
But yeah, so I mean that was probably the biggest
highlight of the year as far as like what a game

(35:35):
I've been playing could y'all know I didn't clock
the hours on multiverses on there other than that.
I mean, I think again that I really been enjoying
I know I was going to enjoy it but it's like I
didn't put 30 hours into it.
I mean a game been out for a little bit of time
with metaphor.
So that's what I keep probably my time walking
into the next year.
Then we're gonna see what other bangers they come

(35:56):
out and try to maybe I spent some money on a game
man.
And I think the biggest purchase the highlight was
when I bought Sonic and metaphor in the same day
two games in one day.
Not one but two say it with me now repeat after me.
Not just for I bought two games.
I said man, I can't believe I'm buying two games
in one day.
I'm going to be both of these games and and I'm

(36:18):
playing on look at that like excellence boy.
Yeah, it's way 24 as a very straightforward in your
approach to the video games.
Well, I think a lot of my 2024 year wrapped with
like in December but some of the key games that

(36:42):
I remember playing or really stood out to me this
year was Prince of Persia the Lost Crown.
Another game that really stood out to me was
persona 3 reloaded like really really, you know,
like where I would kind of still like go back and
in and think about it or play it again.

(37:04):
Like I've definitely played a little bit more
Prince Persia to kind of go do some of the optional
stuff.
And then there's those games like I said, Silent
Hill, Stellar Blade and those types of games like
the one I've enjoyed the most as of now and go
lie is Spider-Man 2.
It's because simply because of how big the budget

(37:28):
is and you got ray tracing all around you zipping
through a town you you having fun being Spider-Man
man.
It's just what it is.
So regardless of how I feel about, you know,
Spider-Man 2 being similar to Spider-Man 1.
They still are telling a great story and they're
doing it in a fantastic, you know, over-the-top

(37:52):
type of way.
So it really is still the fun that I'm having in
that game because I've been on it for like six
hours and that type of game has a lot of variety
in it where to the point where you don't feel
like you're doing the same thing over and over
and I know that it's just going to be short and
sweet to the point and that's that's a lot of I

(38:12):
get a lot of enjoyment.
I those types of experiences today versus what
I used to so.
Anyways, having a lot of fun with you.
I was going to say used to be the multiplayer guy.
Was there anything because I know Jim playing
multiverses.
Is there any multiplayer game you was the onisher?

(38:36):
No, honestly, I just don't have a like I don't
have a capacity for him anymore.
I suppose I do a lot more than I used to when I
used to like those games.
So it used to be where I would have time if I
didn't have time to play with y'all.
I jump on a match for myself and just play a game
and try to get better at it or whatever.

(38:57):
But honestly, I'm looking more so for experiences
now that I can like sit down and a lot of that
got killed when I had the kids like ain't no
point of me trying to play a live-action game
where I can't pause it with with a family and
two twin boys like that angle happen no more.
So that kind of killed that off.

(39:19):
But one game that I even though I'm like, I don't
play them.
I like to see new good multiplayer games come out.
And one of them that has like I wouldn't say caught
my eye, but at least it's seems as if they're

(39:40):
they're doing I guess I guess good things is still
Halo infinite.
I feel like they are still updating that game and
it seems to be super in like it seems to be enjoyable
like they're doing things that make it more fun.
They have new modes in there that I wanted to check

(40:01):
out.
So if I was going to play anything multiplayer on
my own, it'll probably be that at this point in time
anyway, because I do like the movement.
I like the game plug gunplay in Halo and they do
have like fun little weird modes that I can just
jump into and try out and not have to commit so much
too.
So that's the one that I would say I've been seeing

(40:24):
and I was like man if I had some time I play that
so that'd be the one.
But yeah, 2024 has been the year of a lot of big
games a lot of a lot of good anime like and in all
types of stuff, but I guess what I wanted to do is

(40:47):
kind of go down a list of mine of the best per se
and I'm trying to see if I even played any of these
obviously.
I don't think I played many games that you wanted
to spend more time on.
Yeah, wanted to spend more time on or give a give

(41:08):
a shot.
Black myth Wukong.
Yeah, obviously I want to play it to just try it,
but I don't want to play it in a bad experience.
So I don't know.
I think it still has stuttering problems.
I think it still has problems on the PlayStation
and think it still has so I don't even know when
this game is going to actually be in a valuable
state for me to try it.

(41:30):
I think that the PlayStation did just get an update
for it to be in a better space or be in a better
place with the 40 FPS mode.
If you're playing on balance, that's like the best
way to play it now, but I don't know if it has I
think I think at least the PlayStation doesn't
have stutter or traversal stutter, but I know the

(41:52):
plate the PC does so I'm just trying to figure
out the best way to play this game at this point
and it probably going to be on a discount probably
half half the cost.
So that's when I'll play it.
But these are these are games that for me.
I didn't pick up but I'm definitely going to be
playing soon or trying to play and if you don't

(42:16):
know a black myth will come is you're kind of crazy,
but it's basically a action.
Say action adventure game similar to I would say
now more God of War than anything, but people have
claimed that it's a it's a souls like but I probably
would think it probably be more on the lot of lines

(42:37):
of God of War with RPG elements.
So those that type of game there is simply you run
around as a I don't even know what they call it is
is it a Chinese it's not a Chinese God is it what

(42:57):
is like is the is the base off the journey to the
West right?
I don't really yeah, it uses based on Chinese mythology.
Yeah, I don't know if we're kind of a God or spirit
or whatever, but it is based on Chinese mythology
and you find like Chinese gods and stuff like that.
So I can say it looks fun.
I'm gonna give it a shot.

(43:18):
I just don't know when another weird one and it's
it's on sale right now, which I might try to check
it out.
Another craps treasure.
Did y'all see this game?
And let's keep playing our game bro.
Why you ain't playing it?
You only you ain't gave it a shot.
Treasure.
Yeah, another treasure.
Yeah, I was I said it was like a Dark Souls type

(43:40):
game, but I wasn't I was in my head.
Yeah.
Yeah, I wasn't on play.
He said he liked it though.
So that's cool.
Well, he said he just said this stuff.
Yeah.
Well this game coming out came out in April 25th.
So it's another one of those games that it came on

(44:01):
my radar through the I don't know if I was watching
someone I was watching more Mortis Moles gaming
channel.
He had like he's talking about his favorite games
of the year.
So that came on my radar as well.
Another craps treasure is it's basically a souls
like but your crab and you're trying to get your
shell back.

(44:23):
And that's it.
But it seems as if for some reason this one has
captivated a lot of people's time and people are
enjoying it.
So I wanted to give it a shot.
I'd be souls.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, Kravie souls.
What else?
What else?
What else?
What else?

(44:48):
I don't know if I really want to give my time to
the Dead Rising deluxe remaster, but it did come
out and I did love that game before the job like
that rising or did y'all play it?
Nope.
Oh my God.
What about you?
Jalen?
Did you play it there?
I saw.
I played a game and she said that my I played

(45:10):
a game.
I said something.
Oh my God.
I feel like running zombies over with a lot more
stuff like this.
No my goodness.
Yeah.
Well, it was a rkv just like zombie killer and it
was actually pretty fun guys.
Yes, like you guys don't have ain't that game
somewhere talk of just cause.

(45:30):
Technically, no.
It's like you're talking about open world.
It's an open map type situation where you're in
a mall and you're you're just running around trying
to survive and help people get out.
So and it's like clock.
It's like time-based.
So you only have a certain amount of time to do
certain things.
So it's always had that like arcadey style on top

(45:53):
of zombie killing.
So I just felt like it was one of those games.
Like you said, it's arcadey just doing crazy stuff
and killing zombies and all these different fashions
and they I haven't seen just cause but that's why
I was asking because just cause it seemed like you
know, you do a lot.
It ain't arcadey but it's like you just like doing
stuff like just cause.

(46:13):
Dead Rising is arcadey but it's also a escort quest
where you got to keep NPCs alive or they die permanently
and stuff like that.
So in the first game at least has like a clock to
write or time element.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So it's a lot going on.
I think as those mechanics I like individually but

(46:39):
together I just thought I didn't want to do it all
at once and I know that the series has been going
through a bunch of changes and they keep removing
stuff like the time and the escort quest stuff like
that.
But I think I would like Dead Rising 1.
I saw the remaster personally.
I didn't want to get the remaster because I didn't
like the art style.

(47:01):
The look of it now.
Yeah, I think some people say like you get used to
it and it's not that bad.
But you know when I looked at the old like what's
the name Frank West and like see him also in like
Marvel vs.
Capcom versus like the new one.
He looks very different.
Yeah, it doesn't look bad.
I guess but I was just a little turned off by it.

(47:22):
Okay, for me, I think it's still on one of those
lists that I'm going to definitely buy it on Steam
and add it to the add it to my catalog.
I think I have the original one but just to play
through it again with the remaster seeing with the
new I think it had a new navigation system.
I think it had autosave.

(47:42):
I think it added in a few NPCs.
I think I think that's what kind of occurred with
it.
So it's just a few things like that that I feel like
I would want to give it another shot on at least
try it out.
So it's going to be probably deep deep sale for me
on that one.

(48:02):
Josh when you go finally get Diablo because they
have Vessel Hatred come out this year and still
ain't played it.
I played I beat Diablo fall, which was fun.
I'm surprised I beat that this year, but it was
it was pretty fun after I got around to playing it.
Any any any chance of you hopping on Diablo anytime

(48:23):
soon?
I don't know because since I've been playing Wayfinder
I've been thinking about more about action RPGs or
like looter loot games like that and it's it's on
my list.
I don't know if I'm gonna get there first or from
get the path to exile first.

(48:44):
I don't know.
But yeah, Diablo is one of those series that I enjoy
and I want to spend more time with it just many
factors where it's like I mean it's on game pass
but or goodbye it as well.
And then also it's a live service game with season

(49:05):
pass and stuff to think about to stay up to date
and stuff like that.
So I just put it in the back of my mind just because
like I had so many other games ahead of it.
But I think I still want to play it.
It was fun when we played in the beta.
So I actually want to you know do the full experience.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think that's why I'm a little bit more.

(49:27):
I think path of exile also has it.
Maybe they don't I don't have season passes.
I think right.
Does the path of exile have it but it's because it
really hasn't yet.
It might eventually.
Yeah, I think it with the early access portion of it.
I feel like I can play it have my fun and get off

(49:48):
of it because honestly those are time commitment
that I just I just don't have it.
So I would literally be waiting for deep discounts
for me to play these games because literally I'm
only going to be playing it for my enjoyment of the
story or the right what I have to do until I get to
that port and I maybe play a little bit of in game
but I would not be playing it to the point where

(50:10):
this is where it makes sense to own it.
You know what I'm saying?
So it's kind of one of those things where I find
deep deep sales and good thing for Diablo is that
they keep putting out like I don't know how strong
the character I know the character was strong.
I don't know how good the story expansion was.
So I think they have to hit that mark for both and

(50:31):
I think vessel of hatred kind of fell off because
I heard that the story wasn't as great and that's
where it became one of those things where I was
going to wait on it because I heard that the
character was good, but the story was not I'm
like I'm not interested in playing another character
or that I'm looking for the expand on that story
that I liked so much in the first one.
So that's where it became one of those I wait for

(50:54):
it and I know paths of exile.
Yeah, everybody doesn't like the stories there or
whatever.
I was reading something about story is okay.
Not the greatest but I want to give those games a
shot as well.
So I might end up purchasing that with the early
access of the 30 so and I know those games usually
are free right Josh path of exile games are free

(51:16):
normally.
Yeah, the first one was free just maybe like season
pass and microtransactions.
Yeah, the second game is in early access now, but
I think it's going to also launch free, but I don't
know how long this can be as far as yeah, I agree on
both those games and I just yeah, live service games

(51:38):
took a hit for me this year because there are
actually a lot I want to play like one.
I know we played it at the beginning of the year
and it was really fun but hell divers to oh, yeah,
yeah wish that I had more time on the game,
especially since they announced like the update
recently at the Game Awards.
Yep, I haven't had time to play it and it's

(51:59):
realistically just like well, it's a multiplayer
game.
So I want to play with my friends and I can play
by myself, but you know, you got to deal with
randos.
But another thing is that if you want to play
optimally and like do the hardest content like
those matches are long like 40 minutes of like

(52:20):
non-stop play like you don't get a break.
You can't pause we can't oh, you know, protect me.
I'm a run to the bathroom.
Like you got to keep playing 40 minutes straight
undivided attention and I wish I had I guess that
type of gaming time still but unfortunately,
I don't know when unless I just got like a vacation

(52:42):
out by myself.
Yeah, I don't know if I'm really be able to play
a game like that anymore, but it was really fun
and I like that that game and the gameplay and
like how real I guess not pointlessly realistic
the physics were but the physics were so, you know,
realistic that it made it always felt dynamic.

(53:08):
I wasn't getting bored of fighting the bugs because
they just knocked me over and I rolled down a mountain
and now I'm in a whole bunch of trouble.
Yeah.
So yeah, that was a very fun game.
I wish I had more time on earlier in the year.
I would have said overwatch, but I don't know if
we even still care about watch like Jaylen.

(53:29):
It acts play it in a minute and I've been playing
Marvel rivals and that's been pretty fun for me.
But yeah, just I guess that multiplayer space for
me has been mostly missing in 2024 and I'll say I
do want a little bit more.
So instead of next year where it's like no multiplayer

(53:51):
game that I play maybe just one that I can just hop
on weekly or so like that.
I don't need a whole bunch of them like we used to do.
No.
Yeah, I feel like there had to be we were waiting.
I was waiting for something to rise to the top and
honestly, I think that there is just a lack of interest

(54:14):
in those types of games from us in general.
Now, like there is times where I miss like the the
ability to play something that we all can be semi
good at and have some coordination in but it just
feels like in most of the time a lot of our choices

(54:38):
or what we're trying to play doesn't really fit into
what we are excited to play on the daily anyway.
So it is tough.
I ain't gonna lie.
It's tough to kind of find a balance there that will
allow for everybody to have an enjoyment within it
and not feel like we're just wasting time and that's

(55:00):
the I don't know.
Maybe that's just how I think now.
I'm not saying that I'm wasting the time.
I just feel like there is like just more of an
interest in something else.
That's not a waste.
You know, it's not a waste to me.
It's just more of I might have more interest in doing
something else or playing something else with that
time because I don't have that much time in the thing

(55:23):
that we're playing may not and nothing else will come
from me running that match.
You know what I'm saying?
So I think that that maybe is something that's causing
a little bit of a nonchalant approach to those types
of games and I think that Hale divers to deal the
decent amount to kind of mitigate that with the feeling

(55:44):
of, you know, kind of getting unlockables and as you
play through it, you're still all on your own journey,
but you're progressing together, you know, I think
that's a good way to think about it too.
So definitely was held divers was probably should
have been the one that we gravitated to the most and
would probably have been easiest to continuously
jump on.

(56:05):
So I don't know why we fell off that one to be honest,
but that was definitely my favorite multiplayer game
I played this year still.
I mean, I mean realistically that game is like you
just said the matches take a lot of time and then how
long it take for you to level up and just get certain
things you're looking for.
I mean, it's not the it's not the kind of you got to

(56:26):
play high difficulty matches which are intense and
take a long time.
Yeah, and then a level-up system after doing that.
Are you are what did I get out of this?
Yeah, I got to do this again.
Yeah, I got one.
I got I got to win me.

(56:48):
Yeah, that's true.
Yeah, so it's striking a balance.
I guess there and I think when I play in those ones
where there's no unlockables, there's nothing progressing
me.
I think that's why Call of Duty kind of stay on top
because they have some progression for you regardless
of what you're doing to kind of keep going prestige

(57:09):
wise you unlock your weapons you unlock in new tactical
you can switch up your stuff where you playing like
overwatch or something you kind of just getting you
just perfecting your abilities on that game and it's
nothing else that's super dynamic that's making it
super interesting but outside of literally the gameplay.
So I think that that is a striking balance there.

(57:31):
I think the gameplay still wins and hell divers to that's
probably why people most people play it.
It's not because they're unlocking stuff saying thing
and it goes for overwatch or I'm sorry say thing goes
for Call of Duty that the gameplay is what's really
selling them.
They unlockables are a good add-on to keep changing up
your dynamic of what the game is but the gameplay is
what's winning today.

(57:52):
So yeah, I think it has some good stuff there.
But I want to talk to you about Dragon's Dogma 2.
Is it now the time to buy is it at the price that it's
at I think is I have $35 right now.
Do you think it's worth it?
Or do you think that this is still just a clunky?

(58:13):
Game that needs a little bit more time.
It's I think the price is good.
Like I think the game is a very fun game.
It's just it's hard to explain because it's like kind
of those Elden Ring games like it.

(58:34):
Let's get the Elden Ring to somebody who's never played
it and they play for 10 hours.
They might not like those first 10 hours.
Like why because you don't die a bunch is going to be
confusing.
There's no helpful map or NPCs or any tutorials and
stuff like that to help.
So it that experience can be frustrating and it just

(58:55):
depending on the type of person you are you might get
over that quickly.
It was like, oh it was very fun like being in the dark
and now I actually fully understand it so I can really
put myself into it.
Dragon's Dogma is very fun.
The first again those first 10 hours or so confusing.
But once you get into it, it'll be a lot more fun.

(59:17):
I say for me the big issues start to come in in the
second half of the game.
Or like you've learned all the mechanics you unlock
so many abilities and then it feels like there are
some things that are not.
Fully clumped or or or missing.
Okay, like I think for example, the character classes

(59:38):
are very fun.
Like there's a basically there's a Jedi class that you
can get you can teleport you can pull people towards
you.
You can do bunch of whole bunch of double make cry
moves and that class was very fun and it took a lot
of time to level it up.
And once it's fully leveled up a little bit late breaks
everything in the game.
There's nothing I can keep up with you.

(59:59):
But most of the classes are like that like at the
beginning they're super weak and it take a long time to
kill enemies, but then you level them up.
Nothing can keep up with you.
But you have to fight them because there's no fast
travel when you want to go all the story quest or
side quests are going to literally make you walk to

(01:00:20):
the other side of the world like multiple times and
back to to do anything like, you know, the main quest
is like, okay, you helped us out here.
We need you to go 20 miles to the north to the next
town.
All right, and you go there and you do the stuff that

(01:00:41):
you need to do and multiple things was like, okay, all
the good shops are back in other town.
I got some side quests.
I need to turn in because I finished them along the
way.
There's no fast travel.
So I got to walk all the way back.
The enemies are going to pop up.
They got a lot of health.
They're not going to kill me, but they got a lot of

(01:01:01):
health, but they're going to be annoying because I
can't outrun them.
There's no horse or anything.
I can try to pay for like a caravan, which you know,
the NPC would drive you around and that maybe you
can skip a lot of the fights, but that's also kind
of random because like you can say go to sleep while

(01:01:21):
you own the caravan.
And if you don't run into any battles, you'll you'll
pop up into the next town kind of like a fast
travel.
But the problem is that if you actually do run into
any enemies in front of the caravan, it will kick
you out the caravan.
You have to fight them and they can destroy the
caravan.
So like your fast travel option is now destroyed.
So you got to walk the rest of the way.
So I think all those things on their own are okay.

(01:01:46):
And they made a intense experience.
I'll say by the end of the day, they didn't justify
themselves.
Like I think no fast travel for the first half.
Good idea.
Once I'm 90 hours into the game and I literally got
to teleport all over the world, that becomes the
issue, especially I guess I'm going to kind of

(01:02:06):
spoil it is depending on the the ending path that
you do.
There is a post game to where the world gets messed
up. You're basically a whole bunch of stuff in the
world gets reset.
You got to do like a Breath of the Wild Zelda thing
where you got to go to the four areas on the map
and fight like a giant boss kind of like I forgot

(01:02:29):
what they're calling in Breath of the Wild, but
like that should be a cool idea.
It's like, okay, the world is messed up.
Now I got to go around fight these giant bosses and
like fix the world except it's all the same issues.
You can't fast travel.
All the enemies are now twice as strong.
So maybe they can kill you now, but now they're
more annoying because you can't skip them.

(01:02:51):
So yeah, all the same issues, but it should be like
this should be not like a victory lap, which should
be easy, but this should be the most fun part of the
climax of the game.
But instead, all I can think about all these are
annoying things.
So at the end of the day, I had a lot of fun with
it and I think you will have a lot of fun with it.

(01:03:13):
But I think there will be a point in the game where
it's like, okay, well, do I want to keep continuing
or am I happy to stop here?
And I think that's just going to depend on the
individual for me.
I want to finish it and it was okay by the end of
the day, but I just like the first game more because

(01:03:35):
I felt like it had that good justification waiting
for me at the end and made the struggle worthwhile.
Whereas I don't think Dragon Stagma 2 had that.
So anyways, I know I just dogged on the game a bunch,
but if it was on sale, play it, fill the classes.
It's very cool upgrade system.
You can bring some abilities from one class to another

(01:03:57):
so you can do some cool combinations.
So it's a very fun game.
It's a Capcom game.
So it's hard to say that you will actually go wrong
with the Capcom game.
I just think that yeah, it has a lot of issues for
a hundred-hour game that it is.
Gotcha.
Okay.
What about I was going to ask about this, but I might

(01:04:24):
save it because I don't even know if you played it.
I mean we had a bunch of different games come out
a few HD collection stuff, but I'm trying to find
the one that I mean, because we're talking Persona 3.

(01:04:48):
We talking Prince of Persia.
We're talking Hellblade 2 came out.
Shin Megami Tensei.
And then there is other stuff that may not been as
as great, but I didn't hear too much about it.
Like the Final Fantasy of the world Final Fantasy 14

(01:05:10):
new on Dawn Trail.
Did you did you get a chance to check any of this
stuff out for Dawn Trail?
No, because Final Fantasy 14 is is a also unique
experience because you got to pay for it monthly.
So yeah, I'm going to pay for one month when I want
to play it and play through as much content as I
can and I think Dawn Trail it was I might actually

(01:05:34):
bought it.
I don't remember but it wasn't the time for me to
play it as far as like I got downtime.
So that's why I didn't play it.
It also had some I don't know if it was balance
issues or something like that.
But when it came out people had a lot of stuff to
complain about and developers working to fix it.
So I was just going to wait and see for it to come

(01:05:54):
out.
But yeah, Dawn Trails because they usually do like
a year or two of like updates.
It's almost over.
The next expansion is probably going to be coming
in the next year or so.
So I got to catch up on it.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, obviously I talked a little bit about Prince

(01:06:15):
of Persia Lost Crown that one came out in January
really solid game to 3D Sky Scroller with some
really really cool storyline to it and some really
nice actions.
I feel like that that was one of those really cool
Metrovanias that came out this year.
We already talked about persona 3 that also came

(01:06:35):
out this year, which is another one of those solid
another solid game.
And then we also had Hellblade.
I did like this one came and went but it was this
came out in May.
Hellblade 2 to me still is probably one of the

(01:06:56):
better best-looking games that I've played so far
on the Xbox as well as even I would say even on PC.
I don't think I've played a game that I felt like
looked more real than Suanna yet, but it does take
a knock because it really was just a walking simulator

(01:07:18):
with a little bit of gameplay.
I felt like the gameplay was solid enough to to be
passable, but it a lot of people did not get for it
not being a full-fledged game.
Where's that sit now for you as you look back on
that Josh?
Yeah, I mean, I don't I never had an issue with it

(01:07:40):
not being a walking simulator because I thought
because I don't know how long they worked on the
game a couple years as so people had expectations
that it was going to be very different, but they
announced it ahead of time that hey, it's not going
to be very different.
Basically the same thing just better graphics.
So I enjoyed it a lot is like you said, very beautiful

(01:08:02):
game. Well, no, it's very horrible and ugly game,
but the graphics are very beautiful.
And so the world felt fully realized as a horrible
place like you live in hell that I would never want
to visit, but I really enjoyed the experience and
seeing the what the developers built in that world

(01:08:25):
and there I think if they put it I didn't like this
story as much as the first one, but I feel like it
brought enough to the table that I felt satisfied
by the end of it.
And I think that if the developer does I hope they
do something else either in this world or with this

(01:08:49):
technology because I would love to just see a maybe
just a straight up survival horror game like maybe
I guess it's about the same length as Senua but like
you know build a survival horror game with the tools
that you have because you already create a whole
bunch of creepy experiences like the I like the

(01:09:10):
best scene.
One of the best scenes in that game for me is like
that the fire village where and then you go into
the cave where it's like you can't really see but
there's fire lighting up and then there's like, you
know, they're doing a bunch of creative stuff with
lighting that makes it feel creepy and makes the
vibe feel intense and like take that and put it into

(01:09:31):
a traditional game.
I would say where you could give players a lot of
time and experience to fully explore what you built.
I think that will personally be what I want from
them next.
But what they made with Hellblade 2 super memorable
super well made and yeah, it was it was a great

(01:09:54):
experience.
Oh good good good.
Definitely the same for me.
I felt like I had a great experience on it.
There's other games that you know that have come
out that like Space Marine 2.
I am definitely going to pick that up.
I'm trying that out here soon.
And then for some reason I've been wanting to play

(01:10:15):
it a wrestling game and I heard WWE has been pretty
good over the last couple of years.
So I might I think it's really cheap right now to
be honest.
I might play it might play a little bit of it just
to try it out because I don't remember.
I don't know.
Have y'all played any of the old WWE games or ever

(01:10:39):
ever played them?
Oh, yeah, I play some on when I got like SmackDown
versus roster.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Hey, I know I know that Netflix just bought raw
so they don't have that every like I forget what
they they got a partnership now where they can stream

(01:10:59):
raw like every I forget what night it come out
which is kind of a big deal for for the wrestling
entertainment company a community anyway.
But yeah, I mean I've never played one.
I haven't played one in a very long time.
But I know that wrestling had a little bit of a

(01:11:20):
surge when the Rock went back and it just had me
interested in trying out one of their games for a
very very cheap price $10 or less, but it's a way
for me to kind of get back into the spirit of my
old youth of playing these games.
I remember playing the SmackDown ones for sure.

(01:11:41):
I remember just being a blue box.
I remember playing with the Rock most of the time,
but they have said that these have gotten better
over the last three years consistently just surprising
because it's coming from 2k.
But yeah WWE is on the radar as well.

(01:12:04):
Zayn Lezon's here at zero.
Josh got us to play it.
Talk to me Jaylen.
Would you play it again?
I mean, I don't know.
I just feel like it wasn't that much depth to the
game.
But I guess if they make some good expansions and

(01:12:25):
improvements not saying that they haven't already
did.
I just remember playing a game a little bit is kind
of corny and I just didn't really catch my interest
that much.
I didn't even get to the pan to do so.
Very very repetitive.
Okay, but I mean I can say if they do something to

(01:12:46):
it, maybe I go ahead and try it.
You just gave rule.
I don't know if it's leave or otaku type vibes with
the anime characters like like when they always make
the dude goofy because I fight the game and just
focused on anime girls anyway, so I just like that.
All right, GG.
I understand.
Yeah, so it was I say it wasn't our cup of tea.

(01:13:07):
I mean, I thought it was fine for what it was meant
to be a mobile game.
I didn't think it was meant to be on my PC.
So I just deleted it.
So I think a mobile game experience probably be
fine.
Yeah, mobile game wise.
I mean, it's as cool.
We order as far as you know.
Okay, so I say is a solid win for the mobile experience.

(01:13:30):
I wouldn't I wouldn't say that again.
I probably wouldn't play it outside of that and I
think that I played it enough.
I play enough to judge it to be honest.
I played it.
All I can say is that is not for me.
That's what I'll say.
But yeah, another game that came out just came on

(01:13:52):
July 4th.
They came out in this year to make quite a bit of
waves, especially when it came to that community.
People really liked it.
Give us some of the positives about this one, Josh.
So I guess I'm lucky iPhone doesn't track game time.

(01:14:14):
That's probably the game I played the most out of this
year.
Probably by like four or five times as much as the
next game because it is a mobile game and like the
time that it takes up like while I'm on the train or
waiting at Starbucks or stuff like that that accumulates
over time, but it's not tracked.
So that's how to get around it.

(01:14:36):
It's enjoyable.
So like Jaylen said, it felt very shallow at the
beginning and I agree, but it's two things going on
where it is a mobile game.
And so the gameplay like the literal character moves
and combos and stuff that you can do and you got your
team you can switch in and out.
It's probably the best.

(01:14:57):
Like combat system built that you can get on like a
mobile game unless it's like a port of like Devil
May Cry 3 or something like that.
It's probably the best mobile combat you can get.
The issue is it's a mobile game.
You can't do long Devil May Cry boss fights on your
phone and also be a live service game where you got

(01:15:18):
to do this every day.
So the game is very small in scale and it's very
repetitive where you can go in you know fight a couple
enemies and fight a stronger enemy and then get out
because you got to get in and out of a level in like
five minutes because this is a mobile game, right?
So I say I enjoyed it a lot.

(01:15:41):
I like the character like abilities and the new
characters that they add always make the combat more
fun and dynamic and the character abilities that
they have are very cool.
But also it's a mobile game.
So I'm fighting the same enemies have been fighting
for last couple months.
They're not very strong or interesting.
They just got a lot of health and I got to beat it

(01:16:02):
in a certain time.
They've done updates to the game and they've changed
a lot of stuff where it's like I think the first part
of the story was kind of I didn't like like the TV
mode and moving around like in the puzzle space.
They removed that and then they made it more of a
traditional action game and then people complained
about that.
So they brought the TV mode back as a separate mold

(01:16:23):
and they added a battle tower where you can fight
infinite number of enemies and stuff like that.
So it's been growing and getting better over time
and I'll say like it's a fun game.
I am a very fun mobile game.
It is a gotcha.
So you going to be trying to get the newest characters
before they run out of time and there's foam on
stuff like that.
So overall I would say it's okay.

(01:16:45):
I'll put it.
I say it's pretty fun and I enjoyed it.
I'm a little bit lukewarm on it right now.
It's just because I didn't like the newest story expansion
and it's not even about the characters because I also
I don't care about the characters but like their last
game as a star rail the first year story.

(01:17:06):
It was okay.
And but the end of it.
I think it had a really strong ending.
I was like, okay, that's cool.
I want to see what happens next and then the second
year story like the 2.0.
I actually enjoyed it.
It was actually very very good and I'm not even that
into anime characters and anime character tropes and
stuff like that.
So anyway, Star Rail did a good job on their second

(01:17:28):
year story.
So that was good for Zenith Zone Zero.
They just wrapped up or they wrapping up their 1.0
story and I thought it was kind of nothing like didn't
really go anywhere and didn't really tie up a whole
bunch of plot lines that have been going on.
I didn't think the enemies or the conflict or that

(01:17:49):
interesting.
It was just more standard like anime stuff.
I watch any first season of any, you know, high
school anime whatever and I feel like you can get
the same experience.
So that I'm a little disappointed on where I like
the gameplay don't really like the story the characters
or whatever like Jalen says, I think literally in

(01:18:10):
the whole six months.
They only got two new male characters and one of them
he was okay gameplay the second one.
He kind of just didn't matter.
So yeah, that it's another thing where the character
variety is probably super limited.
But anyways, it was it's a fun game.
A lot of people play a lot of people spend money on

(01:18:31):
it and it's going to be here to stay for the next
couple years.
I'm hoping that they can improve it make the story
better continue to make the gameplay better.
So best part I'll say about it is that the game is
very different than what y'all play in the beginning.
But is it enough yet?
Probably not.
Okay.

(01:18:52):
Okay.
Well, I appreciate the update.
Like I said, those types of games where they make a
splash, you know, you want to give it a look at the
attention that it deserves.
I think that that a lot of the animation and like
the character designs were pretty good and what they
tried to do with it with the presentation was with

(01:19:13):
solid.
I think that what we started to peel back layers, I
think we should probably again give it more time to
kind of make that judgment then what it was when it
first came out.
I'm going to go down this list because I want to
move on to what we can expect from the New Year,
but we got games that came out.

(01:19:34):
This is a list from IGN of games that they review
well animal well astro by a lot row Call of Duty
Black Ops 6 Destiny 2 Final Shape might want to like
I'm definitely going to go back and play the final
chapter of the Destiny Saga as we are the House of
Wolves podcast Dragon Age Final 7 Final Fantasy 7

(01:19:58):
Rebirth Hades 2 Early Access Helldivers 2 Legend
of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom Life is Strange Double
Exposure like a Dragon Infinite Wealth.
We have metaphor we got Paper Mario Thousand Year
Door Persona 3 Satisfactory Sonic X Shadow

(01:20:18):
Generations popping out of that nine Sons of Forest
Super Mario Party John Buree Tekken 8 Unicorn
Overlord V Rising which it came out of its early
access and got the full game on May 8th World of
Warcraft the War Within and then we have the 110

(01:20:39):
on their list which is Elden Ring Shadow of the
Urge tree with all of that being said, what would
y'all give 2024 rating 8 1 up?
Sorry, just go to 1 of 10.
I give it like a 8.75.

(01:21:06):
I give it a 9.
I give it a 9.
I give it a 9.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
What about you?
What about you?
I want to give it a 9, but I think I'm gonna have
to give it a 8.5.

(01:21:27):
8.5.
Okay.
I'm feeling a little generous.
I guess it was dang near perfect.
I didn't feel like I had a time where I didn't have
game come out.
So I say 9.5.
I don't like the whole aspect of how many people got
laid off this year.
But video game wise of games coming out that we were

(01:21:48):
anticipating.
I feel like in like surprises and things like that.
It was dang near perfect, man.
There's plenty of games on this list that I'm genuinely
interested in playing that I haven't gotten around to.
I even want to play.
Shoot VR even has some hits.

(01:22:09):
They had the Asgard's Wrath and then they also have
Batman Arkham Shadow like both of those games.
I want to play too.
I'm not saying I'm gonna get around to them anytime soon.
But for me to go down this list and pop out like at least
12 to 15 of them that I want to play.
That's pretty pretty big.

(01:22:29):
There's only a few that I even skipped on here that I
thought was and we're talking about like even Frostpunk
2 is something that people I don't understand how Grand
Blue Snuck on here Grand Blue Fantasy.
I don't understand people like that game.
I don't like that game.
So I'm going to keep I'm going to keep crapping on every
time I can because I don't really like it, but people

(01:22:50):
liked it.
So cool like Grand Blue.
I can't get my money back, but it's on this list as well.
I even tried it out, but I think that there was plenty
of games that at least came out like even Path of the
Goddess.
I even talked about that one.
That was one of those games that I tried out because it
came on game pass, of course.
And I thought that it was going to be good.

(01:23:13):
The last I can't say this word.
Why can't I say the word?
Epi.
Pseudonymi.
No last Epoch or Epoch.
Oh, Epoch is the action RPG.
But another game that I had some interest in but the
list goes on basically what I'm trying to say and I

(01:23:34):
feel like that was significant enough for me to be like
cool this year for gaming.
And obviously Indiana Jones.
I didn't even talk about that.
But this year for gaming everybody has some solid hits
that I felt like was substantial to the point where

(01:23:56):
I would go back and play them.
So I say 9.5.
Any reason on why you would why you knocked it to the
8.5 or even any reason and y'all want to give in regards
to your score?
Yeah, I'll go real quick because I think that one for

(01:24:18):
me, I guess I was waiting for hoping for one or two
more games that I really really love.
There are a lot of good games with nothing like purse
super super personal for me.
Like, I don't know.
I guess Elden Ring is like the closest thing but like
another big game like that and I feel like also I

(01:24:38):
knocked it a little bit because of the other games
that I did play that I feel like were disappointing
and that kind of brought it down like Final Fantasy 7
and Dragon's Dogma which Final Fantasy kind of, you
know, one of the biggest games of this year left me
disappointed.
So I would say that there's still a mark on the year.

(01:25:00):
Yeah, that nothing I guess surpassed it and generally
any finish it right?
Yeah, yeah, we were talking about that game for
probably years.
I mean while we were waiting for it, but yeah, that
was my reason to mind it was so good year overall.
Yeah, no, no.

(01:25:23):
So I gave it a nine because despite me not actually
like, you know playing a lot of the games I did I
did cop a couple games this year though.
So I mean like I think last year I probably didn't
spend that much on games.
So I guess it's like some sense of like relatively
relativity that's being applied but I mean between

(01:25:47):
like, you know, Helldivers, the Final Fantasy coming
out metaphor or something, you know, a couple of the
games and there were some games that I did want to
play. I'm not gonna lie to you.
I'm just trying to beat all the persona.
I did want to play Indiana Jones.
I'm not gonna lie.
X-Box fanboys in here.
I mean, you know, I did want to play Indiana Jones.
So maybe I reactivate when the game pass or whatever,

(01:26:11):
but I think overall compared to like a lot of the
previous years.
It was like a strong lineup of games that was coming
out and they were coming out at kind of like it.
It came out at a rate where if you was going through
like really trying to play them and stuff like that
you can get through them.
Like if we have more time we could probably got through
a lot of them, but it wasn't any like man, it ain't

(01:26:32):
no games.
I don't it don't feel like a joke.
You know, they had the Elden Ring DLC like metaphor
came like it was just persona 3.
I think it was a good time for a lot of people to
find games that they enjoy and it was like different
genres and stuff on top of that too.
So I gave it a 9.
I mean like Josh said some of the games probably
could have been like a little bit better.

(01:26:53):
I know people talk about the Final Fantasy.
I don't I don't have any quarrel with the Final
Fantasy for I think the biggest thing is just the
amount of time that you play 7 then 7 remake come
out, but that came on in 2020.
Now it's 2024 and then you got to recap and you know
stuff like that.
So I'm kind of messed up the consistency of where

(01:27:14):
you understand everything that's going on with the
game because they change so much from 7.
Anywho, but just overall, I mean I gave it a 9.
I mean things could have been a little bit better
if we'd have heard more news about like Nintendo
and they like Switch 2 and stuff like that.
Fight that and made things slightly more better.
Maybe if they came out a strong Pokemon title, but
you know, it's cool.

(01:27:36):
Yeah, I think that I think for every genre there
was a solid game that came out that kind of rose
to the top regardless of what it was.
Side scrolls for me was Prince of Persia.
Horror was Silent Hill, you know, action games,
action adventures.
There were multiple, but the one that piqued my

(01:27:57):
interest probably the most and I still ain't played
it was Space Marine 2, which I'm definitely going
to write that right that wrong here shortly, but
there's multiple games like that that I really
is a shooter, but it's kind of still action adventure
technically and then there's like Indiana Jones

(01:28:19):
and then there was obviously games that were
multiplayer based like Hale divers and even
multiverse.
Sorry, not multiverse is coming back this year.
Didn't it come back this year or am I tripping?
Did it come back last year?
No, I came back this year.
I don't know when that mode came off.
I flagged it to me back this year.
Maybe not.
Maybe maybe not.

(01:28:40):
It was last year.
I think Josh was hating that game for a while.
I don't think it's been just a year.
I think it was like my I think it was going on
like a year and a half now, but they came out on
May 28 of this year.
Okay.
Okay.
So yeah, it was this year as well.
And then we had games that come out the end of
the year like rivals making a big splash as well.

(01:29:05):
I'm almost tripping to say Power World came out
this year too.
So it was just like a big moments that kept occurring
throughout the gaming industry that showcase that
at least we had some momentum going in the right
direction because I think Hale Divers 2 and you
know, Power Worlds came out around the same time.

(01:29:27):
So yeah, it was just a bunch of stuff, man.
It was like a lot of stuff in every genre and
there's plenty of games that I'm still trying to
find time to play and I got new games coming out
soon next year.
And that's where I want to talk about now as we
transition into what to expect from 2025 and again,

(01:29:47):
unfortunately, I didn't have a lot of time to kind
of do all this stuff.
I would watch the few people's videos, but I'm
going to just check out this 2025 list that IGN
put up because they get paid to do it.
So I'm assuming they have at least looked at a
good expectation of what to do in 2025.
So if it sounds samey, it's probably because I'm

(01:30:08):
just really legitimately just looking at what
they're talking about here.
Anyhoos, let's get into some of the things that we
can expect from the year of 2025 and the big one
for me for Xbox right now is South of Midnight,

(01:30:29):
which in Fable, that's pretty much it.
But there's other things that obviously I'm
probably going to I'm leaving off because those
are the two things that I'm super interested in
next year is Fable and South of Midnight.
But then there is games like I know I know Doom.
I don't know when it's coming out, but I'm pretty

(01:30:50):
sure it was coming out next year.
Doom was coming out.
And what else would us what else there was one more?
It was Doom.

(01:31:14):
Why can't I think of another game?
From Xbox?
Yeah, it was from Xbox about shoot.
I'm true.
Everybody is saying about is really good now,
which I'm like when y'all change your mind because
everybody was hating on it not too long ago.
Now everybody's saying this the same thing over

(01:31:36):
and over again.
It's it's a concise and very to-the-point experience
of a of a RPG and the writing has very much so
that that that nice obsidian twist to it.

(01:31:56):
So like how y'all go from hating on the game talking
about it look ugly and I understand that they write
the ship on trying to make it better graphically
with like adding in I think they added in like Ray
tracing or global illumination into the game for
better lighting and things like that, but I don't
think they change much else.
But yeah, now it's one of those highly anticipated

(01:32:21):
games from a lot of people which I didn't expect
that so about between about Doom South of Midnight
and fable.
I got plenty of play on the Xbox.
I ain't gonna hold right now.

(01:32:41):
They put out Indiana Jones and I actually liked it.
I'm like looking forward to what these they cooking
up now.
I'm not I ain't gonna hate on it like I used to but
there's the guy what three and oh, look at that.
It got avowed and no, they don't they don't own
obsidian.
Sorry.
They have just doom and then we have South of Midnight

(01:33:08):
which I'm from I'm forgetting who making that game
now compulsion. Yeah compulsion is making that game
and then fable obviously from playground that I just
I don't I don't know what to expect from fable.
That's probably the most you know, it looks like they
have the budget of the gods because they look like

(01:33:29):
they could just spend whatever they want.
It looks like to me they like I feel like they started
making that fable game when God of War 2018 came out
because they said what can we recreate like they did
a God of War and just throw the budget at I honestly
feel like that's the game that they decided to make
after they saw God of War 2018.

(01:33:51):
So I think that they just got the budget.
You know, I mean, I don't know if it's going to be
good, but I feel like they got the budget to make
whatever they want to make and graphically.
It looks pretty cool.
So that's what I'm expecting to be the high no hitters
for them next year.
It very much so aligns with what they were saying on

(01:34:14):
here because I think they talk about it's half a
midnight to talk about and talk about.
Yeah, they pretty much talk about all these outside
of Elder Scrolls, Hall Out and Call of Duty, which
those are are bound to be heavy hitters at some point

(01:34:34):
for them anyway.
Anything on the 2024 2025 list from Xbox that y'all
looking forward to outside of what I just talked about
anything that I'm missing or what are your thoughts
on those four games in general anyway?
Yeah, I think that for me, I want to see fable.

(01:34:58):
That's one of most excited about fables who was great
and if they can bring a world that big just graphically
looks better has a better story and you know, very
fun gameplay.
I'll be very happy with it.
And I think that Xbox the they're trying to reach
like a quality control of like, I guess Indiana Jones

(01:35:23):
if they can reach that with their other series, that
would be amazing, but we got wait and see I just mainly
I want to see more fable because like we've seen it
but not enough and then about I'm personally I'm already
into it.
I'm trying to I guess stay away from having too much
expectations of it because it's not ups because it is

(01:35:47):
obsidian, but it's not a Bethesda game.
It's not like other stuff.
I want it to be its own thing.
So waiting to see and it's been delayed.
So I want them to reintroduce it.
Let it come out.
Let me experience it.
I think I would enjoy it.
I like obsidian, but you know, I'm just not looking into
that game too much.
But other than that, I'm not expecting anything any

(01:36:10):
other surprises from Xbox yet.
I think they've revealed a lot or just waiting for those
games that come out, you know, I don't know if doom
is actually going to come out next year, but I'm
I might I might give it a try a light doing 2016 a lot
do maternal and in like as much the Dark Ages, maybe

(01:36:33):
it might enjoy it.
But I mean, it'll be a good game, but I will see how
much stroke.
I want to put myself through.
Yeah, not for sure.
And um, what about you Jayley anything that there?
I got nothing to ask for.

(01:36:54):
Okay.
Well, my thought was around.
Now I wanted to talk about a little hardware a little
bit because I know that the Xbox is now the not the
most powerful council on the market is the PS5 Pro.
It did change the way I want it to because I'm always

(01:37:14):
looking to go back to my console experience.
The only reason I stopped one to go to the console
experience because the games weren't running well.
So the PS5 Pro has given me confidence to look at a
game that's old and say does this look better than it
did before and is it 60 FPS?

(01:37:37):
So for games that I've been looking to go back and
played for this year, like Space Marine to like other
games, I am defaulting to the PlayStation 5 Pro simply
due to the more power.
I don't want to build a library there.
So I'm only buying physical and then I'm going to sell
them because I don't want to buy it.
I don't want to build my library there.

(01:37:58):
I don't even want to save to be there, but I do know
that some games like Space Marine to I might be better
outbound on a PC simply due to the fact that I might
play the multiplayer later down the line and I don't
want those games to be stuck on the PlayStation.
But games that I'm not going to care about the save
after literally I'm going to play on the PlayStation

(01:38:20):
because of the more horsepower.
Do you feel like Xbox needs to answer that or do you
think it doesn't matter?
For power?
I would say I'll speak for me.
I'll say personally no because I think that Xbox's
already has an advantage that I will personally look

(01:38:43):
more into which is like the built-in cross-save
cross-platform nature of the Xbox ecosystem.
Yeah, that if I wanted to pick something up on Xbox
physically, I can play it and then I don't have to
worry about what happens with that version in the
future because if I can play it on PC later and I

(01:39:05):
keep literally everything just like I bought Halo
Master Chief collection the other day.
It was on sale super cheap.
Got all my saves all my progress from the Xbox and
I can just continue to play it on PC and I feel like
that's you know, it's not not as much of a rarity

(01:39:25):
nowadays a lot more companies are doing that but
like Xbox as a platform has taken that approach for
a bunch of their games and I think that is so if
you're playing on Game Pass, that's just an expected
aspect of it.
So for me, I don't I'm not even if I didn't have
like a decent PC like just not having to worry about

(01:39:46):
that is what is I'm more attracted to versus just
like a graphically better version of a PlayStation
game.
Okay.
No, because I think the idea for me is that they're
going to have to compete now with Xbox is going to
have to compete now with Steam OS and put in a box
under my TV for Steam OS.

(01:40:09):
So if I'm more comfortable because they don't take
much for them to gain to just to gain the advantage
at this point.
All I have to do is create a box or create a operating
system that works well sitting on it with controller
and they have already essentially created that it's

(01:40:32):
now creating the the boxes that that sits on that
or at least the platform or the hardware that that
platform sits on that connects everything.
So I agree with what you're saying and I think that
the the Xbox not only has the power issue, but it

(01:40:59):
now it also to me, I feel like Steam is going to
come take the cookies with that too, because it's
going to be more so a seamless approach to both.
And I think that yes PlayStation is going to have
to deal with that advantage on both ends.

(01:41:19):
But if I'm a betting man, I say that okay, I don't
know why I'm getting so many messages, but let me
go ahead and turn down that info right quick.
But if I'm a betting man, I'm going to bet on
Steam to continue on with the additional value

(01:41:42):
there or at least the additional of you know,
having cross-save and all that stuff because
Steam OS is more so I can hook in Epic.
I can hook in EA play.
I can hook in these other services.
Xbox will not allow me to do it still closed off
in that wall situation.

(01:42:03):
So I just feel like if I'm thinking of like longevity,
I feel like I'm going to who's going to win that
fight is Steam and who's winning the power fight
that's that's PlayStation.
So I just feel like there has to be something that
Xbox can call their own right now and I don't

(01:42:25):
think I think we're a most powerful counsel was
the thing for them for a while.
So it's a branding problem to me.
They don't have a one-up on anybody right now.
I think Steam might be out two three years, maybe
a year and a half from putting their box under
the TV, but it's not going to be that long.

(01:42:48):
I think the handheld to differentiate themselves.
I think the handheld and utilizing the power of
the PC to their advantage is what's going to set
them apart.
Game Pass is cool.
Game Pass going to win, but it does change my
mindset about Xbox and I don't want to buy any
games on there anymore.

(01:43:11):
Not often anyway, and I feel like everything now
they have tricked me into believing stuff is free.
I like it's not it's nothing's free.
So I don't know what they've done, but it's such
a Brad branding on there and now that it feels
like it feels like they have no escape in regards

(01:43:32):
to what they've created what the consumers are
expecting and the the ability that steam has had
to catch up with them over the last two to three
years.
I just feel like it's going to be some scary
business.
If they got a handheld out here, they also have
PC and they also have a home council sitting in
your living room.

(01:43:53):
Like what can they already beat you?
It's like it's tough.
So that's where I'm getting a little worried
about Xbox not even caring about the council
anymore and just being a platform for and not
even being a platform anymore, but just being
a software company like I think they're I think
they're way more comfortable with that idea.

(01:44:15):
Which is kind of nerve-racking for me, but it
is what it is.
I think they're going to be very much more
comfortable making accessories and software.
So I think I think that the branding has to
something has to change here.
They have to take something back and that would
make me feel like they're a little bit more

(01:44:35):
committed to the council space because I right
now I don't feel like they have anything they're
committed to.
And now that the PlayStation 5 Pro is out there
and he's like, you know, Phil is also not
so long.
Yeah, let him have it.
It just it just it tells me we're not in the
business of competing with that space.

(01:44:58):
But you ain't you ain't even looking that big
homie over in the back.
Not only where everybody plays their games on
your PC, but I maybe they don't care and then
but they also are still in the method of
thinking we're going to give you the cheapest
offer for the digital library that you want to
build and we're going to make sure it's available

(01:45:19):
to you wherever you go.
You like how can you beat that?
And yeah, I know you got game pass, but all
you've done is tell me that I need to I'll never
need to buy your games again.
So what is your messaging now?
So that's where I'm concerned about them a
little bit.
I'm not saying that they don't have a plan.

(01:45:41):
I'm not saying that they're not super smart
over there, but it is signaling the wrong
things today.
Like you barely can find a physical copy of
anything on Xbox anymore.
And if I don't have the ability to play that
market game and you know, have the strongest
counsel like what really is the point of the

(01:46:02):
of this exercise.
So I really need to see the vision soon.
That's all that's how I say I need to see the
vision.
I think the vision is a little convoluted.
I know what they want to be.
They don't want they want to be in the gaming
media business or interactive media to be
exist under the umbrella of Xbox.

(01:46:23):
But I think that there is fundamentals to this
that needs to be clear in order for people to
attach to that brand.
So we'll see.
But that wasn't the tangent I was trying to go
on, but that's where Xbox should be.
And we are very much so running up against time.

(01:46:44):
But good thing Sony doesn't have much going on.
Sony has Ghost of Tsushima, Yotai and Ghost of
Yotai and third-party stuff.
Is there anything that we want to discuss that
the PlayStation has announced?
The job like I don't think I like Intergalactic.

(01:47:06):
I thought it was okay, but it's nothing that
really showcase that made me excited and it's
definitely not coming out next year.
So I'm really looking forward to seeing more
Ghost of Yotai and that's about it.
Is there anything I'm missing from the
PlayStation camp?
I would say I don't know where they are as far

(01:47:27):
as sequels or stuff like that, but we know that
we're going to get more Marvel games from them.
Spider-Man, we're going to get more maybe not
God of War.
I don't know.
It might be too soon, but probably something from
Santa Monica if they want to do something smaller.
So for me, I would say I'm not excited because
I'm not excited about the game.

(01:47:49):
I'm excited about the game.
I'm excited about the game.
For me, I would say I'm not excited because I'm
expecting more of the same just more sequels or
more of the same gameplay just in a different
space kind of like Wolverine.
I know it's not fair, but unfortunately, that's
what Sony has shown me.

(01:48:09):
As far as Intergalactic, I think it looks cool.
I think it's also riding off the name of Naughty
Dog.
I want to see something new and different not just
Naughty Dog, like they're not my favorite developer.
So I'm not that excited, but it looks okay.
I'm excited for a new experience from them.

(01:48:29):
I would say Ghost of Yote is probably the strongest
output from them that I'm looking forward to.
I definitely will play it once it comes out and
I actually don't even need to see that much of it.
I think your mic cut out.
For some reason, Josh.

(01:48:53):
But what I'll say about PlayStation is that they
have the most potential to wow us because they
haven't shown us anything yet.
Maybe that's a good and bad thing, but they haven't
shown anything to provide me with any expectations.
And maybe at the top of the year, they come out
with some bangers to showcase what's coming out.

(01:49:16):
And I'm trying to figure out if there was like, I
say PlayStation, let's say PlayStation 2025, like
even on their upcoming new and upcoming games.
They have Death Stranding 2.
Oh, I forgot about that.
Forever Skies, Pirates of Yakuza in Hawaii, Monster

(01:49:37):
Hunter Wilds, Assassin's Creed Shadows, Little
Nightmares 3.
Like they have a bunch of games that are coming to
both consoles.
They talk about Doom Dark Ages, of course, but the
Death Stranding 2 and Where the Winds Meet and I
believe the other one is Ghost of Yotai.
Those are the three games that are coming out

(01:49:58):
mentioned for them.
And that might be good for some, but I think that
that it's a little short of a list today.
It's in today's age.
So it sound okay now.
Sounds good.
Okay.
Yeah, I don't have much else to add.
Yeah, I'm expecting more from the more of the same

(01:50:22):
from the first party studios.
But I think overall PlayStation has been pretty
quiet this year with big titles, so they could have
some surprises, but just got to wait and see.
Yeah.
I guess regardless of what I think about PlayStation
this year, they definitely still had a decent year.

(01:50:44):
It wasn't like it was a bad year for games for them.
There's a pretty decent amount of games that came
out that are critically acclaimed that either was
exclusive to them third-party wise or exclusive to
them from their first parties.
Astro Bot obviously winning game of the year.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, regardless of how we feel

(01:51:04):
about it.
We all still copped it.
So there's games that they did have come out that
we all in are either enjoyed or had interest in.
So except for Concord.
Yeah, Concord was a pretty bad showing.
They had a miss.
They had a flop.
Basically that was their redfall.
But yeah, I wasn't even there redfall because I

(01:51:29):
never seen a game go offline like so quickly and
they just refund everybody.
But that for sure, all their good and their bad came
in this year as well.
Nintendo.
I'm just looking for the Nintendo Switch.
The new one.
I don't really have anything else that I need from

(01:51:50):
Nintendo.
There's not even a game that I want to play from
Nintendo on the Nintendo Switch 2.
I just need to see that they are capable of making
a successor.
It doesn't fail.
I think that they should be able to do this with
the Nintendo Switch 2.
Most of the time it's a flop, but I'm really hoping
that it doesn't happen this time.

(01:52:11):
They find success and they lose that success.
That's going from Nintendo 64 to GameCube.
Where then we go from the Wii to the Wii U.
Now we're going to the Switch.
I really want to see if they can do it.
That's the only thing I care about.
Like can you do it?
And if they can, great.

(01:52:31):
But it's always been ebb and flows with them.
And I think that this is going to be the down half
of their... they already gave us two Zeldas in that
same generation.
You know, I don't know.
I think that they will have a good one.
I think the Switch 2 will be good.
Personally, I say it should be because it should be

(01:52:56):
an easy layup.
Just more but better.
Yeah, it's not like motion controls where people
literally got tired of it.
So, yeah, but again, it's Nintendo.
They could do something crazy.
Yeah.
Okay.
But that's pretty much it.

(01:53:17):
I don't really have anything else.
Apologies for trying to wrap it up a little bit quicker.
I did want to talk a little bit more about Nintendo
and PlayStation, but we kind of ran out of time here.
But I want to thank you guys for listening.
As always, we do appreciate you tuning in and listening
to the conversations.
This year has been a good one for the pod as well as

(01:53:38):
just us in general.
So I want to thank you for rocking with us as always.
And we will as Josh is in the new year, we will be
bringing in that new year here shortly.
And thank you again for checking us out, taking a
listen.
Follow us up wherever you want to follow us.
We are on YouTube where we're all your podcast

(01:54:00):
platforms.
Give us a rating if you can.
And we'll see you in the next year.
But as always, see you in a week.
Peace.

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