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Coming to Terms With a Sony-Less Shuhei Yoshida
51 Plays7 months ago
In this episode of Unqualified Game Chat, hosts Azario Lopez and Spencer Legacy dive into gaming nostalgia, personal anecdotes, and industry news. Key highlights include reflections on gaming executive Shuhei Yoshida's impactful career as he departs from Sony, a discussion of industry icons and formative gaming experiences, and Azario's personal encounter with Yoshida. They also explore the cultural significance of long-running series and share insights on recent games like Metaphor, Stalker 2, and Shanghai Summer. The episode balances humor, heartfelt stories, and deep appreciation for gaming history, making it a delightful listen for fans.
Timestamps of Significant Topics:
- 00:01 – Introduction and recap: Azario and Spencer discuss returning after a missed week.
- 01:27 – Thanksgiving plans and Patreon updates.
- 03:15 – Shuhei Yoshida’s legacy and emotional reflections on his career.
- 06:00 – Impact of gaming icons leaving the industry (e.g., Sean Layton, Mark Cerny).
- 11:20 – Nostalgia: E3 memories and legendary gaming moments.
- 17:25 – What Spencer is playing: Metaphor and its standout features.
- 19:41 – Game reviews and development transparency, with examples like Stalker 2.
- 21:10 – Azario’s December project: Revisiting Sandland, Bandai Namco’s best anime game.
- 27:51 – Insightful interview with Kento Jobana, writer of Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero.
- 30:49 – Shanghai Summer: Underrated storytelling and the value of niche games.
- 37:41 – Closing thoughts: Gratitude for fans, Patreon plugs, and farewell.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Absence Regrets
00:00:21
Speaker
Hello and welcome to episode 104 of Unqualified Game Chat. I'm hoping it's 104. I think it is. It's probably close to that. I'm Azar Lopez and with me today is my brother in a yellow shirt, Spencer. Not like a C. We missed last week. I was sick. I was sick. Sorry I had the sniffles.
00:00:47
Speaker
I'm still kind of sick. I'm still coughing. It's a long, it's a long second ago. It's not COVID. It's not COVID. I checked. It's probably just life. Just like saying, you know what? You don't have it hard enough. Let's make, let's turn it up. Let's give you some trials. Everyone wants a good trial. Let's really test you. Let's really put your convictions to the test. The plastic life gambit.
00:01:14
Speaker
Mucinex that's the that's the key to stop green guys running around inside you from the commercial that's what I think about every time I take it I imagine them ah coming out every time I cough yeah oh I guess I'm moving in I guess I'm hanging up his hat yeah yeah No, don't take the musin next! Fuck that, fuck that booger.
Episode Release Details
00:01:49
Speaker
um So this but this episode also is going to come out on YouTube and on Patreon simultaneously. Sorry. um But I wanted to do like a Thanksgiving type episode and I didn't want to like repeat the one oh three on the YouTube. So I'm totally skipping episode one oh three. So that is Patreon exclusive. Wow. And this one bonus.
00:02:12
Speaker
104 is going to be a ah kind of a reminder that if you do want these episodes a week early and to like interact and comment, which no one does and you should on the Patreon, ah give us some questions or let us know what's up. I do think I do think I do ah respect and appreciate the people that are on Patreon because I do believe that many of them are just there to support us. And that is that's great.
00:02:42
Speaker
Uh, yeah, you guys, you all supported, uh, Spencer getting a new mic. So yes. Oh yeah. that He's going to, he's going to get a new mic and we are. Our audio quality is only going to improve. It's going to get so good. we're It's going to be noisy pixel ASMR and you're going to get uncomfortable and stop listening. You're going to be like, this is weird. yeah Or they're going to get a little more comfortable. Ooh, it's time for my weekly noisy pixel tingles.
Shuhei Yoshida's Legacy and Personal Stories
00:03:11
Speaker
i need I need the tales. I need the noisy pixel tales. They're stories. i Yeah. Then I go, ooh. It has been a busy week. um A lot has happened, but I do think that I we and just want to reflect on a man, a producer, a legend, an executive named Shuye Yoshida. A legend. I really i really can't begin.
00:03:42
Speaker
it's a Sorry if I get emotional right now, but it's it's rare for for someone in your gaming life to be completely present from the first time you you play your one of your favorite RPGs, like for me it was a Legend of Dragoon, to actually being in the same room, actually saying hi, actually shaking hands with that person.
00:04:08
Speaker
and i think it's I think it's insane to think that like, wow, this guy has been in my life forever for my gaming career. yeah And I've probably been in his life for like an hour and a half or two hours. And yeah I am so thankful for that. Yeah. And he's an incredibly nice guy. We both met yeah and he's ah always very happy to talk and take photos and tell stories. And yeah that's what you hope for when you, you know, you idolize these people for years and then
00:04:39
Speaker
When they meet that expectation, you're like, wow, this is this is great. This is exactly what I hoped for. It is. It is cool because you look online and and the people that um so, yeah, so she is leaving Sony, I guess, is the is the headline. um I think he's still going to be working in indie development in some capacity.
Nostalgia and Industry Veterans
00:05:00
Speaker
I think he's maybe just bringing ah awareness to indie games. He'll he'll announce it. let Let him speak for himself on there. But for his his legacy at Sony is one that I think, man, they're goingnna they're they just lost a they just lost a winner. They're going to miss him. They'll notice he's gone. Yeah. I don't know who can replace who can replace that voice.
00:05:24
Speaker
kind of that i I do think he was the reason why Last Guardian was even um so released. yeah i think he had a I think he was a huge player in all things japanese Japan Studio and and the Vita and the indie space um for PlayStation and where Sony kind of wrote these indies off and you know that from the early years of Xbox where their Xbox Live was just dominating in terms of digital sales for for indie games. Shuyushita rose up and like and like what did did he he moved over in like 2019 2018 to like an indie
00:06:09
Speaker
Um, plays in the eyes just like kind of sucks for Sony. Yeah. He's a big, like, like you said within these, like he's a, he's a pillar of Sony. Like, I don't know how they replace that. Like, I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who would be a natural fit for that specifically, because it's also just like, like as as more, as time goes on, more people that we knew from the industry for years or go like,
00:06:39
Speaker
Sean Layden left a while ago. One day, Mark Cerny will retire. And it's all these people who were part of the... That commercial guy? What's that commercial guy? Kevin Butler. kevin Kevin Butler. I loved Kevin Butler. Rest in peace. He rocked. He was so cool. um he just He just needed a piece of that Nintendo pie like the rest of us. He did. That's such a goofy thing. Anyone who's like a Zoomer and doesn't like watch the Kevin Butler commercials for PlayStation. They're so funny. They're like peak PS3 era Sony. um But yeah, all these people from from these formative years that we remember are eventually going to be ah be departing from
00:07:21
Speaker
the company like this so it's it's a grim reminder that that's that's coming but you know what a legacy and testament to ah his talent him leaving like I've seen everyone talking about it yeah and they all have similar stories you know they all have a similar experience and for someone to just leave everybody with like this this sense of joy. I've heard stories him going to like BitSummit and just hanging out with like Suda51 and stuff like that. And like, fuck, I wish I was in those rooms, man. God, that would be so cool to hear him and Suda51 talking about it. Just talking. ah Just talking.
00:08:00
Speaker
um Yeah, if you if you need to if you need to follow someone's legacy or or look through someone's Wikipedia page, I suggest re-induciation. He has an incredible a sense of um understanding of the the game development from someone who was never who never planned to be in games development. He never he never wanted that. He didn't even believe in what a PlayStation console was when he first joined Sony. And you can kind of see that in, he's doing a couple interviews with Dengeki, but he did that PlayStation blog um podcast. So I should just listening to that. um Man, what a...
00:08:42
Speaker
What a blow. What a blow. It's big. That's a, that's, that's going to leave ripples. You know, he's a big figure that, uh, big shoes to fill for whoever comes next, because he's done so much in over so much time. it's What if he goes, what if he goes to Nintendo? That would be fucking wild. That would be insane. What if he goes to Microsoft? He's there for the launch of the switch too. Yeah.
00:09:09
Speaker
oh Man no, but like and if he is gonna retire then it's well earned But um I hope he does something because just having him around it's like how like, you know Like I even liked this the the Simpsons season since like 9 or 10. Yeah the fact that it's still going. I'm like Simpsons still exists. It's still It was the same with like, I fell off Naruto Shippuden when it was towards the end, but I was like, ah, Naruto has been going since I was like five. So I'm glad that it's still going. Yeah. Yeah. Nice to have those constants.
00:09:43
Speaker
it's a It's kind of nostalgia, but it also gives you an even stepping ground with people of all ages to kind of reenter the space and be like, I i watched this too, or I was into this too. It it gives you a ah fighting chance in some of these nerdy circles too.
00:10:03
Speaker
to keep up and and tell your story you know because they're they're experiencing it now, but you experienced it years ago and in a time where it wasn't as easy to to watch or you had to like schedule out an entire Saturday to watch your cartoons in the morning. and yeah It's, I don't know, it's like long, these long series are just, they just, even Common Rider, I've noticed like Common Rider and like Power Rangers and all those, like if you just watched one season of any of those shows, you are automatically in the conversation because you could just be like, oh yeah, I watched this season of Common Rider and they'd be like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And then you're in an automatic, it's like,
00:10:43
Speaker
It's cool. It is cool. And like it's it's an easy, especially things like Power Rangers, where it's like such a cultural, massive thing, that even if you only watched like the first season, everyone would be like, oh, which ranger is your favorite? but like it's There's so much to talk about. And it's the same with people like Shuhei Yoshida in one hour, where it's just like, oh, which Shuhei gamer? which What's your favorite like memory of his? it's it's One of the things that was really sad about losing E3 is there's so many E3s.
00:11:13
Speaker
So many E3 moments that you could people talk to people online about like Ridge Racer and yeah Coffee Guy. oh One million troops. Yeah. and And attack the weak point for massive damage. Like there was so many moments over the years that were so iconic that like if someone knew one of those moments, you're like, oh, they're an intense gamer because they know like E3 moments of of like goofy shit and like the guy going peggle too and like jumping.
00:11:40
Speaker
um or the the reveal of like the the first controller for the PlayStation 3 and the boomerang. The hoop? Yeah, yeah it was like a weird arc. yeah There's so many moments like that. like Everything Reggie said ever.
00:11:53
Speaker
like where it's just like it it really is It's sad to see those kind of moments go and it's a similar feeling with someone like Shuhei leaving where it's just like, oh, another big part of of of that time period has departed. so to Yeah, with um my, I think it was my second E3. I got invited to the PlayStation E3 showcase. And so it's my first one. I think it was 2016. But I walk in and ah I sit down and I look to the left and it's fucking Shuye Yoshida, man. Nobody recognizes him. I don't say anything. And
00:12:36
Speaker
everyone's still taking their seats, and our row is full, so things are like calmed down in our row at least. And I say, um I say, Yoshida-san, and I shake his hand. And the only thing I can think to but to talk about is Legend of Dragoon. yeah And I honestly can't remember what he was talking about, but he kept talking he was telling me some stuff about his time on that and what he how he um kind of approach that game. And, and I was just in awe of like everything he was doing. And I was like, can I just give you my business card? And he's like, sure. And, and he gives me his. And so, and so I have, she, is she, ah she issued his business card. And so I come home and I put his business card in my copy of Legend of Dragoon. So I have it in there. that's all It's, it's stuff like that, uh, that I, I feel like,
00:13:31
Speaker
nobody can take those moments away from me as a gamer, as a person, as a as a fan of this medium. you know It's like... It's defining. It's it's a huge... Yeah.
00:13:44
Speaker
I don't, and i and let me let me say, I don't take any of that for granted. um How I even got there, I i didn't have a car back, i so I took a train, you know, like like I paid my way into these events. but I was volunteering at a small, small website.
00:14:01
Speaker
who can only get like one or two people into E3. I think some sometimes they they never actually approved three people. It was always just two people for us. yeah and um And I think years later, we kind of game the system where we bought tickets, I think, for a couple of people. Yeah, once you could do the, once everyone could go in General Mintz, we would do that too, where we'd get additional tickets to... Yeah, they did then they and they started being a little more weird about the press passes when that thing yeah opened up to the public. They got more stingy.
00:14:31
Speaker
Yeah, but um yeah, that's that was one of the the that was one of the times where I'm like, I did it, you know? There's been a few moments like that. And you met him at but the long lost PlayStation Experience. Yeah, I think the last one. Judging from the photo that I think we're using, um yes the lighting looks like PSX or maybe one of the E3 PlayStation areas. but It's like very purple blue lighting. No, that was good. I saw him and what was like, Oh, whoa. And I was like, Oh, wow. Yeah, that there's you. I went up and I was like, Oh, you should have saw a big fan. He was like, Yeah, absolutely. And like, took a photo. We talked a little bit. It was, it was really nice. It was a cool moment. It was just like, wow. So like I said, so personable and so like chill. And yeah, we were talking about this.
00:15:24
Speaker
Gio Corsi was walking around that show handing out Vita games back then that's how like that's how cool this like a whole event was it was I I do me I do kind of it was kind of it was it was cringy but with but when they started pairing it with the Capcom Cup I thought that was cool because it gave me something to do after you played all the games you just go watch the the fucking finals of the Capcom cup, you know, that last one was good because you, you, they had these cards that you could collect by trying every game. So it's like, I think they had photo opportunities with like days gone and Spiderman areas. They had the Marvellous Capcom infinite.
00:16:05
Speaker
ah tournament they had an uncharted panel with all the voice actors it was like all this stuff i was like wow this is huge and awesome and then they're like well that's the last one so it's like oh you guys found like such a good format to do with this with and they they once they see the the budget I think yeah that's fair if they if they can't if I think if these companies can't monetize something they check out pretty quickly it's a shame because I mean I can see why cost a lot because I remember there was like a huge like shadow of the Colossus head with like steam coming out of it on the show floor. Yeah. And like all the Gran Turismo stations and like dead bodies hanging for like days gone. Even like Gung Ho's booth. Even Gung Ho. Yeah, it was like this huge like fences everywhere and like this like this like a medical like weird thing going on. That was creepy. Yeah.
00:16:56
Speaker
E3 was kind of like that too. You or you had like walking dead boots and Ubisoft had this huge... When they went the extra mile at E3, like you go into the diner from Wolfenstein, or like the ah when when you did the Final Fantasy 7 remake demo, the security people in line were dressed like Turks and they were like really strict. It was like, wow, this is so cool. Yeah.
00:17:19
Speaker
Alice used to have like ah the Yakuza alley kind of thing on her booth. The amazing alley. I remember that. God, that was every single show they went to that was there. And every time I was so excited because I was like, man, I mean, all the demos are along the street. Yeah, that was awesome. Oh, miss events. Miss you. shoot Miss you. Miss you. Yes. Yes, son. Thanks for thanks for giving us the memes. You know,
00:17:46
Speaker
So what have you been playing Spencer? What have you been up to? I'm almost done metaphor.
Game Progress and Plans
00:17:50
Speaker
I'm on the last second last dungeon, but like they're connected. I think they're like quick after each other. The last two, um, it's called, can you give us a metaphor for metaphor? Um, it's like metaphor is a hurricane in my heart, calming down as you enter the eye of it. And it's a beautiful Island that you can relax on.
00:18:16
Speaker
bes fun beautiful it's Beautiful. It's a cartoon desert island with one palm tree. And ah I'm laying there with sunglasses on and swim trunks. And I'm like, wow. um Are you playing it like the rest of these nerds where they're like, don't say it's persona. Don't say it's persona. I mean, it's very clearly like Atlas, like percent, like there's social links and essentially the press turn system, like a similar and whatnot. But I think it differentiates itself enough in terms of the character archetypes and the plot and the um the theming, how it's more medieval in the Bosch inspired art.
00:18:55
Speaker
I've been really enjoying that. um This last dungeon, I'm trying to get all the ah last classes for each character. And then after that, I'm probably going to play Star Wars outlaws because they just patched it up. Yeah. his coffee And I was like, yes, I can play it.
00:19:15
Speaker
And i I sent me it a while ago, but I was like, I want to play metaphor first. And then with all these patches, I think it'll be a much smoother experience. You're playing on a PS5. Yeah. And I figured this is the time to play because I had never played it before. So I didn't get any of the, I'll be playing it in its most polished form, which I mean, I'm already like, you can see behind, like I'm a sucker for Star Wars already. yeah So I'm sure I'll enjoy it. But.
00:19:40
Speaker
Yeah, so that's, um, and then drank. Well, I've been hearing a lot about Stalker 2 lately and on reviews of Stalker 2. Um, there's been some debates going on and people should have reviewed, hold held off on their reviews. Yeah. Cause it's like a rough build before the patches and stuff, right? Like they're working on it right now. Yeah, yeah, I we did. um We held off on it because they the developers were very transparent. They were. I think I got an email like every three days saying like this is what we fixed. This is what's left. Let us know if you see anything. We're we're down to add it to the list like.
00:20:19
Speaker
yeah A lot of, I don't know, double not a lot of developers do that. yeah Sometimes they just like say, well, if you don't see it, you don't see it. you know If you do, you do.
Content Creation and Sponsorship Realities
00:20:29
Speaker
yeah But but they when they play the odds.
00:20:32
Speaker
Yeah. They're like, hopefully this is a, it's always nice when they're, when they're very transparent. I had a similar experience with retro realms when I reviewed that where I was like, Oh, the game keeps crashing at this one part. I'm this character doing this in this part. And they were like, Oh, that's amazing. We just found the thing. Thank you. Like we'll fix that right now. yeah I was like, wow, what a cool like process. This is like,
00:20:54
Speaker
I definitely, that's what, I do tend to to do that more. it's It's harder when it's like the embargo's on like a Tuesday and you hit the you hit the bug on a Friday night and you're like, fuck, well no one's gonna answer my email. Exactly. And then Monday's a holiday. Yeah, the Monday's a holiday. It's like, oh, okay. Yeah. Guess guess so I'll figure it out. Yeah, 100%.
00:21:20
Speaker
Yeah, there's there's definitely moments, definitely moments like that. um Yeah. Well, yeah, those are all ah and then I have Dragon Quest III. I want to play that after Star Wars, but I want to break between big RPGs. So yeah, yeah I've returned recently to Sandland. I want to play that. Yeah, I'm doing I'm doing like a I want to do like a December video essay on it. um ah it just The game just gets bigger and bigger. And I and i and i will say it right now, it is Bandai Namco's best anime game. That's exciting. I'm hoping it goes out for a game of the year code soon, because I want to play it really bad. and Yeah, it is. it's ah Yeah, so i look out look out for that. I'm taking a little bit of inspiration from some of Ace Bonanza's videos in terms of personality and approach. but
00:22:15
Speaker
That Spiderman video is doing really well. I don't know if if you nerds are the ones watching it, but it's almost at a thousand and that's very exciting. So thank you all. Yeah. How many subscribers are you at now? I'm at 529, 530. We got to get it up. Got to get it. Got to get it up there. Yeah. He might point daddy needs a new Corvette. Oh, if I could get YouTube money.
00:22:39
Speaker
You can at least, you can at least buy Taco Bell or something. Yeah, at least buy Taco Bell. That would have been. Who reads Taco Bell? For free basically? Yeah. Yeah, the money off of YouTube is it as, I don't think it's as ah significant as it was.
00:22:55
Speaker
You got to supplement that with ah with sponsors and patreon if you want it Yeah, that's the bummer thing about watching like avgn nowadays. It's like i've done a fast forward through this there No, no, uh gpm sponsored by norvpn and then you're like Okay, the first six minutes are going to be here's why blue apron's got the best meals You can get my favorite mobile game is battle battle backs. Uh Also, are you making a website because Ain't nobody want to make a website on Squarespace. And you know what? That's not mocking anyone. Get that bag. Yeah, get it back. It's a good e-commerce site. If you're selling your stuff, make a Squarespace for sure. Are you getting sponsorships?
00:23:41
Speaker
get that bag. Yeah. Yeah. Do a, do a, do a get sell, sell your cell, sell your cells and, uh, speak your speaks. You can make money for being like, I love Squarespace. It's my favorite website to make websites and do it. Cause then you're, yeah. Yeah. I think, I think that there is a acceptable sponsorships. Yeah. example questionable ones but Definitely questionable ones, making videos about video games and you're like, Oh, get this food package. Who cares? Like, yeah, whatever. yeah um I have a couple things that I want to touch on. I got to interview um Kento Jobana. ah He's the scenario writer on Phantom Brave, The Lost Hero.
Interview Insights with Kento Jobana
00:24:26
Speaker
um But
00:24:29
Speaker
I think i what I want to talk about is, ah so my interview hasn't gone up, but I did post um like a a story from within the interview that yeah I kind of wanted to highlight. um Like the significance of ah translating during these interviews, you can, sometimes it's really bad. And I think you can talk, you can attest to this, like sometimes the trend the the the person translating
00:24:55
Speaker
doesn't translate what the person says. And that happens. Like, yeah, everybody has days like that. So I can, yeah but it is, there are times where it's like, it can be a bit confusing. Yeah. Like the person will talk for like a couple minutes and then the translator will be like,
00:25:10
Speaker
five words or something yeah i always respect the ones who like take notes i'm like hell yeah get every detail in there that rocks that's not the case for nis america who has um a uh producer on staff alan kosta who um who's been there for a while he's uh he's the one who went back and fixed east eight after it launched um which was not his job but it was launched it launched with some localization issues and then he stepped into um to take on that. And he also ran a blog during it. So he put a lot of time into it. But this interview was so good, so insightful that like, it felt like I was actually talking to Javanasan and we were having a conversation, you know, and we were talking about
00:26:01
Speaker
um ah themes in writing and how he approaches character growths. And I just want something that may seem like, I don't know, so simple after it's read. He he said it so eloquently that I hope it, i jump so the the ah quote is, um I asked about ah um a recurrent theme in Jobanisan's work was his ability to balance ah complex fanatical ideas, fantastical ideas and narratives that remain ah grounded.
00:26:34
Speaker
and accessible to players. and And he was talking about how ah his quote is, ah many of our games feature demons, demi-humans, and other fantastical creatures with unique values and perspectives. And writing these characters requires imagining how they would view the world differently from humans. And then he continues, he says, this character acts as a this character is supposed to be a bridge, allowing players to understand. Oh, yes. so he he In this case of Phantom Brave, he he made a girl. it is the the the The girl is the main character. and and he's And he puts a lot of himself in this girl while he's writing it. And so he explains like his approach. He's like, this character acts as a bridge, allowing players to understand and connect with the story without feeling alienated by unfamiliar ah perspectives. By offering this lens, players can observe, reflect. and like But just the way that, like, like
00:27:24
Speaker
We were talking about his approach to character development and reading the article. I don't want i don't want to like go too much. And then the for the full interview just is so long that I needed to split it up because it we just talked. you know we he He worked on Penny Punching Princess, and like he he he talked about how like he didn't want to work on it. And the the president's like, no. like Because he he usually does he he started his career in light novels, like in college, writing fantasy and light novels. And and then he got it to NIS. And then he's like, well, I write fan dark fantasy. And Nakawa-san, the president of NIS, is like, no, ah you're going to work on Penny Punching Princess now, which is nothing like that. yeah
00:28:12
Speaker
And and he in he was upset. He talks about how how he was upset at first. Like he didn't want to do it. And and then he and then he goes into ah talking about how it was like the best thing that could have happened to him in his skill set. And usually like usually ah writers and and developers go through a lot of media training. So when you do interview them, they they never answer the question like that. yeah They're never that candid. They're just like... raise the question Yeah, yeah, it's it's like you can tell that you're not you're not getting the full story. And and just to his transparency and his honesty, man, it made for such a good interview. and i And I can only hope that I can break it down into several smaller articles for people to ingest it easier. But then the long interview will be for those who um who kind of want
00:29:04
Speaker
Yeah, want all the explanations and and and everything in there because honestly, interviews kind of go and die pretty quickly. um It kind of sucks because I think they're I think interviews are the best thing about um working in this industry um in terms of understanding creators and and getting to know them. And and it's always been like a, it's like collecting Pokemon for me, you know? Like yeah like I've talked to 151 creators. Yeah, it's like, it's like ah but it feels good because I can... kind of condense all of their information and and and then use that for me because I'm always trying to grow. And and these developers are also trying to grow. it's it's um I don't know. It makes them feel more real in a sense. why you done they're They're not just a name on a credit scroll. It's pretty incredible. So I do encourage everybody to just read read an interview.
00:30:07
Speaker
Yeah. that's your um One interview a week. One interview a week for you. Yeah, because they do go out and then they die. Yeah. A lot of people read like the Square Enix interviews and stuff like that, but those guys talk to everybody. Just Google like name interview. I used to look up Masahiro Sakurai interviews just to be like, oh, I want to hear his perspective on it. And they made his YouTube channel that made it way easier to hear all yeah yeah that. Yeah, that YouTube channel is amazing, too. It's cool. And it doesn't have as many views as it should.
00:30:37
Speaker
I'll be anytime I go and like eat sushi at a restaurant by myself. I'll like have it muted and like, cause there's subtitles anyway, I'll just watch his things and like gain his wisdom while I eat. I'm like, wow, this rocks. Um, since I'm not reviewing a lot of games, I've been like tackling a lot of like smaller features that I've kind of been in my pocket.
Overlooked Indie Games Discussion
00:30:58
Speaker
Um, one of them was this from this game that I played back in February called a Shanghai summer and, uh,
00:31:06
Speaker
just a five-hour adventure game from um publisher Astro Labby Games. there They've been working on a lot of like China Hero Project stuff. and that And if anyone knows me, I love Chinese developed games, mainly because like I do think that they're often overlooked in main media, um yeah unless something come big comes up like Sword and Fairy or some some some significant Chinese game comes up. um But i die I think that a lot of great games come out of China and ah China Hero Project over there is probably one of the best incubators that they have. And and I think Astro Labby Games is a part of that now um in terms of working with them. So Shanghai Summer, I just had to tell a story. you know I think and think all too often
00:31:58
Speaker
Media has a way of convincing gamers that there's only one or two significant adventure visual novel games released a year. And um and that's not the case, guys. no this time There is so many. um I think a big name that's being passed around a lot what is 1000x resist.
00:32:20
Speaker
and um And yeah, you've heard of this game, I'm sure. like And and yeah that's not a genre that you kind of follow, and yet Spencer knows that name. And yeah that's what it's like and it's it's a part of the game awards and all this stuff. and But the problem with that game is that it's not that good. it's like a it's it is ah It is a great story. It is a great story, but I don't think that it when I played it,
00:32:47
Speaker
I feel like i've I've played a lot of, i the the story beats that it was hitting on were so personal to the developer that I didn't feel like it. it had the same issue as a lot of other indie games where it becomes too personal. yeah And you don't even know, um sort to oh, is this supposed, am I supposed to relate to this? Or am I supposed to feel for this character? Am I supposed to like, like where it where do I fit in in this narrative? And there's so many other visual novels that do that better, and but maybe they get gameplay worse, you know? ah Maybe they don't know how to tell a story, but they don't know how to do gameplay. So the Shanghai Summer,
00:33:24
Speaker
Gameplay is is mid kind of it's kind of slow. you know It's just hanging out. um But you know what? like The kid, the guy in it, um he he lives in ah in a world of what-ifs. And the timeline of the story kind of reflects that.
00:33:44
Speaker
in terms of um what, ah and and I think every night when I go to bed, I think maybe like 20, 15 minutes, I'm, oh, well, what if I did that 15 years ago or whatever, like, you know, in yeah, it's, but it doesn't stop there because in that five minutes, you can kind of follow that what if scenario until,
00:34:06
Speaker
way too long. Way too long. Way too long. You can spend it. Wait, no, that's not how it happened. None of that's real. I'm still laying in bed with what I've got. And that's how it is with this game. And there's a reason for that, and that's what you get out of at the end of the five-hour game.
00:34:29
Speaker
he He lives through these what-if scenarios, these these decisions that you're making, and you hit so many bad ends, and you get in a timeline and you go back. um But that that that just reflects a lot of like my life, and and how he came to terms with it was still messy, but such such is life, you know? like there's no There's no like, you kind of wish that you do, you're going to end up on this true route, you know? And you're like, Oh, I'm going to get the good ending. Yeah. And in this case, in this case, I don't know, you know, in this case, it's in like the the the beholder of the game to where
00:35:13
Speaker
did did you did you did Did we follow the right path? you know After all of these bad ends, is this is this it? and Such a good story. and i think I think games like this heavily overlooked. It's $7 on Steam, guys. It's like it's it's five hours. you know and yeah The localization is kind of bad. It's kind of stilted in some sense, ah but I understood the story. and um But i'm glad i got I'm glad for this time of year because I get to write these kinds of things. I'm not like super weighed down with reviews and a bunch of... yeah No one's emailing me because PR doesn't really send around these times because everyone's taking vacations. and vacations
00:35:57
Speaker
So yeah, please please check that out. um Read that review if you want or read that a little feature from me if you want to... um hear about something. Sorry, my dogs are, I don't know if you hear them, but they're wrestling. Dogs are barking. The dogs are dogging. Um, but, uh, yeah, that's, that's kind of, kind of the
Thanksgiving and Cultural Differences
00:36:18
Speaker
week. I reviewed, uh, princess prison, ah was our prison princess. Sorry. Um, it's not a good game. It's a sexy game. Give it six out of 10 for the laws.
00:36:32
Speaker
for the lulz for that. We used to, we used to do the points when used to give every age game a 6.9 for the Epic one. Yeah. Yeah. Can't do that anymore. Uh, you don't have Thanksgiving in Canada. I'm sorry. We had it in October. Well, we already did ours. You got to be first for everything, huh? Wait, you, wait, you pillaged the pilgrims too.
00:36:56
Speaker
No. are i are you you ah You came and stole land from everyone too? I mean, we did do that. That wasn't great. um But I don't think that that's connected to Thanksgiving flowers. I don't know the Canadian Thanksgiving rules. um But I'll probably have like a, like my dad likes to make like a little dinner for like American Thanksgiving. So yeah. Take it. Take what you can get.
00:37:21
Speaker
I always liked the story of um when America tried to free um Canada from the French and the the French fought back. They're like, no. That's the French.
00:37:34
Speaker
yeah say we the last but yeah It's like, no, we're fine. America does that a lot. They did that to the Philippines too. The Philippines didn't really take philip didn't really take Kylie to that either.
00:37:47
Speaker
They're like, Hey, man, I think that's our episode.
Closing Remarks and Excitement for Gladiator 2
00:37:59
Speaker
We did pretty good.
00:38:02
Speaker
This is a free episode for the YouTubers. Yeah. And the podcast listeners. But, uh, Patreon, we have, um, there's links below, but support us or don't. It's a busy time of the year. You can wait till next year. It's an expensive time. Yeah. Yeah. Well, we'll be here next year. You can, uh, you can throw us a fiver if you want. Throw us a freaking bone. Oh, have you watched Gladiator 2? No, I haven't yet. I only saw the first time last week.
00:38:31
Speaker
Oh my God. Have you seen the the the the trailers? Yeah. Oh, there's sharks in it. Did you know that? Yeah, I saw that in the trailer. That's exciting. So when I saw the sharks, I was like, freak freaking laser beams.
00:38:48
Speaker
And I couldn't stop laughing in the movie theater. what i fight I was a little drunk. but's got me a drug for percent little truck Freaking laser beams. Laser beams on their edge. Well, thank you everyone for for listening. Have a great week. Have a great Thanksgiving. If that's your, if that's your deal. Um, and we appreciate you, all of you, even you, DC fat cat, low Z.
00:39:21
Speaker
Appreciate you. Thankful for Lozy. Thankful for Brian. cabinn firere Yeah. Thank you guys. and And we'll see you next week. Bye everyone.
00:39:44
Speaker
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