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We Predict the Game Awards - Add to Party 11.15.2022
6 Plays2 years ago
This week we go through the nominees for the game awards and pick our winners.
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Transcript
James Introduces Podcast and Talks About Jack
00:00:16
Speaker
Welcome to Add to Party, a friendship simulator masquerading as a new show. I'm your host, James Hartwell, and that's my dog, Jack, if you hear him. And I'm joined by
00:00:30
Speaker
Charles, you're my I'm going by Jack today. James, tell us about Jack. I want to be very clear with you. He has been silent like from eight o'clock to nine o'clock. I was sitting on the couch with him. He was laying against my lap while I was playing God of War. And then I put him in his pen to come do this and immediately started barking.
00:00:56
Speaker
Yeah, we have it all as we were talking leading up to this. Oh, he wants to be part of the podcast. Well, what kind of hot takes you have, buddy?
Challenges of Raising a Puppy
00:01:09
Speaker
I'm old and I forgot that puppies are a lot of effort. How many blocks does he go on that day?
00:01:18
Speaker
Right, so we only started doing walks this week. I'm only doing one right now because I'm still getting him used to it, but What should we call it? We have good kick the ball sessions in the backyard to tire him out the rest of the day. Okay He sprints like how do you burn that puppy energy? I mean, you know you train him a lot I gave him one of the street dispensing balls today. He had a lot of fun with that and
00:01:47
Speaker
Aww. Is it the kind where it's like a puzzle? Or do you have the puzzle ones? I have the puzzle ones. This is the one where they have to roll the ball around and then that dispenses the treat.
CBD and Anxiety Treatments for Dogs
00:02:02
Speaker
Do dogs have treats that get them high, like cats? They do a lot of places sell CBD dog treats now. Oh, but isn't CBD the coward's weed?
00:02:16
Speaker
Yeah it is. We're talking hard stuff. What kind of hard stuff can a dog do? I don't, I mean, people, they prescribe Trasadone to dogs. What is that?
00:02:34
Speaker
It's it's like a pretty strong like anti anxiety. Like it just sedates the shit out of you like dogs that have like severe like like thunder. Oh, OK. Thunderstorm or like fireworks things. My my my dog growing up, Tyler used to get trazodone during like Thunderstorm store for July because he just freaked out about him.
00:03:01
Speaker
Okay, well I guess that can send them on a trip.
Do Dogs Have a Catnip Equivalent?
00:03:05
Speaker
I was just kind of curious, like, what's dognip, right? Like, what's the equivalent one there? Human love, Andy. They're genetically bred to be our friends. Is that what it is? Aww. That's what gets them to... Actually, I don't think I've actually ever seen a cat on catnip. But love is a drug, too.
00:03:27
Speaker
I mean, Andy, there's a plethora of YouTube videos that could show you what a cat on cat man looks like. I mean, maybe I've seen it. I don't know. Maybe I don't pay attention. I just know it gets them high. But then I never thought about dogs until now. Maybe one day Jack will go on a trip or he already is because he's in love with you guys.
00:03:51
Speaker
Yeah, he is getting to that point. I mean, this is separation anxiety to a certain extent, because he was perfectly happy sitting in my lap and know that he's in his puppy prison. He's very unhappy about it. Andy, Andy and Charles banter for a second. I'm going to quiet. Charles. Have you ever had a puppy Charles?
Childhood Fish Tales
00:04:09
Speaker
No, no, no, I was strictly a aquarium kid. Oh, okay. That's when I learned about carnivorous fish. Wait, did you have a carnivorous fish? Yeah, yeah. So this fish. Okay. Okay. It wasn't car is not carnivorous in the sense that it ate humans.
00:04:30
Speaker
Thank God. It was a fish that ate other fish. And so, you know, there was a really big fish in my aquarium with a bunch of smaller ones. Did I remember the types of fish? No, because I'm a child. Yeah.
00:04:46
Speaker
And like I had like little shrimps and like some of the bottom feeder fish and all this stuff like that. And then suddenly I started noticing that fish were disappearing. Oh, my God. Because one fish. That's it. I think we call them Sparky. OK. I noticed that all the fish around Sparky were were disappearing.
00:05:14
Speaker
And then finally, I got really mad and separated him away from the other fish. OK. And then it probably died. And then I was so bitter about all that entire experience. I was like, no more pets. You know, I get it. Did you name the fish that were being eaten to? No, because they were too small. And I was like, I'm going to wait till they get bigger.
00:05:41
Speaker
Oh, so they have to reach a certain age until they earn a name. Yeah. Well, you know, it made sense to me. And then. Yeah, they never made it. They did not make it. And I was like, well, there goes that. It's too bad. I was all about it, too. I was like, I'm going to learn how to keep the right pH levels. Oh, sure. You get more fish and we're going to add the stuff to the aquarium and then. Nope.
00:06:10
Speaker
That feels slightly more humane than my fish story, which is that we killed somewhere in the neighborhood of four to five beta fish because we would just forget to feed them for weeks on end. That's cruel. Charles was at least the product of nature, the natural. Yeah. Yeah. No, I just let that fish starve to death. It's full. Then it died and we're like, I guess we'll get another one. Did you name yours that you killed?
00:06:35
Speaker
I don't remember at this point, honestly. This is an important question. It's either then you're neglectful or a monster. I mean, to be fair, it was me and my father. So, you know, it's not just, you know, we kept the dog alive to be fair. But, yeah, I don't know. It just I just always forgot. That's wild.
Andy on Not Owning Pets
00:07:04
Speaker
Well, dogs, dogs can't let you forget, though, because the bark and pee everywhere. That's true. I guess the fish just pee and bark into the water. I just get over the smell of aquariums, you guys. I just I can't. Charles, did you get far enough? No, Charles, did you get far enough in that you had to clean your aquarium? Oh, yeah, yeah.
00:07:31
Speaker
How did you, did you, did you do the, uh, um, the dangerous suck where you tried to get the vacuum going with your, with your mouth to get all the water out? Um, I did that once. Oh, really?
00:07:47
Speaker
How did it go? I got water in my mouth. That's the dangerous game. It's got to be a long enough tube that you can... Oh, I'm getting sick thinking about this. I will never own fish. I don't think I'll ever own a pet.
00:08:08
Speaker
I was at work yesterday and then they were like, Andy, do you want a puppy? And I said, absolutely not. Andy, you could take on that responsibility. I see this. I see this as your friend. You're not a dog guy. I mean, I love the idea of a dog. Yeah, no, but.
00:08:28
Speaker
Listen to have, you know, what a wonderful thing to have, you know, to have someone that cares so deeply about you. I think a cat would fit your lifestyle pretty well, Andy. I'm also very allergic to cats. Get one of them hairless boys. Yeah, those look gross. Yeah. I'm sorry to people that love them. I don't know how you find them cute, but I think it's wonderful that you do.
00:08:55
Speaker
Granted, I think long furbies are cute. So, I don't know. We each have our own preferences. Maybe I'll just get a long Furby. No, I'm not getting a puppy though. They even offered me alcohol and I was like, no, not at all. Alcohol isn't enough. Exactly. To take on the enormous response. And then this was wild. And then one guy was like, I don't want a puppy.
Monkey as a Pet Story
00:09:23
Speaker
I had a monkey.
00:09:25
Speaker
And I was like, how did you have a monkey? And he was like, yeah, for 10 years they had this like specific breed of monkey that just hung out in their house all the time. But not the kind that rips your face off. Cause I asked.
00:09:40
Speaker
Did it rip your face off? And he said no. But it bit his wife and so they got rid of the monkey and now he lives in like some habitat and has like multiple wives and is basically living his best life. But why would you have a monkey for a pet?
00:09:56
Speaker
Ray from Mojo. Who's Mojo? This is Simpsons reference. Homer. Homer got a helper monkey. Oh, really? I don't. I don't know. I guess there are. That just doesn't seem right. Having a monkey. Now, you're right, Andy, they should be working the coconut fields. He's like, I've got to get my coconut smoothie or whatever the hell they got from it.
00:10:23
Speaker
Yeah, I guess Thailand. I didn't know that, but Thailand has a big problem with monkey coconut farms. And it sounds like it's just a general big problem, at least in the cursory reading I was doing. I mean, it it's no more cruel than anything else we do to other animals, but it's it's still not great.
Industrial Farming and Ethical Consumption
00:10:45
Speaker
I.
00:10:47
Speaker
I'm going to tell you when the closest I ever came to being a vegetarian was maybe about six months ago was I was on Reddit and it was like 1 AM. And they're like, they showed this video of a commercial farm and it was a cow in a stall. And I was like, that's not great.
00:11:04
Speaker
But you know, I'm like, I understand scale. And then it zoomed out and it zoomed out and it was like thousands of cows in those stalls. And I went, Oh, fuck me.
00:11:20
Speaker
That was the day I started buying only pasture-raised eggs, because I'm like, I can't do this anymore. I deliberately don't seek out that information because I enjoy meat. There is a very specific term for that type of ignorance, too. I wish I remembered it, but we're part of the problem.
00:11:46
Speaker
Well, no, I mean, I'm fine with killing a cow to get its meat. Oh, yeah. Fine. I'm not fine with a cow living a hellscape life before it's slaughtered. Yeah. If you look around, if you look around there, you usually are local butcher co-ops or things like that, where you can buy a share of a cow that's raised a little more humanely. I've kind of switched that for the most part. Oh, yeah.
00:12:13
Speaker
I get it every month or two. I get a delivery. I don't eat that much meat these days anyway. Well, that's pretty cool. I was thinking about finding like a local butcher to like make me feel like I'm doing something good or responsible. But now I do. I've just been doing Hello Fresh, which hopefully that meat is raised humanely. Bet you it isn't.
00:12:39
Speaker
Hey, I know they use monkeys, but to be fair, okay, I just want to call out quick. Not that I'm going to simp for HelloFresh, but I guess it was PETA that called out that a supplier that HelloFresh was using was using coconuts, you know, harvested by monkeys.
00:12:57
Speaker
And so PETA puts out this huge press release and then doesn't tell HelloFresh that they're, you know, goofing up until this big press release telling them that they're monsters. And I was thinking about it. I was like, shouldn't you tell HelloFresh? Well, no, PETA has no obligation to do it. Well, PETA is also kind of a terrorist organization. Yeah, they're they're a bit eccentric. But I mean, like I maybe I should reframe it as
00:13:27
Speaker
Would HelloFresh have even known that? Like, let them know so they can stop. But like, what do they know? Because HelloFresh was like, we had in writing that they didn't use monkeys. But, you know, what good does that do? I don't know. But it got me thinking about it. Like, is HelloFresh the bad guy? Or are they the bad guy if they know and then they don't stop? Well, they're definitely a bad guy if they know and they don't stop.
00:13:54
Speaker
Any capitalism is the bad guy. That's true. That's true. I got to have a fun conversation with my mom about capitalism and basically what happened with Twitter and Eli Lilly and just how everything's messed up. Everything's messed up.
00:14:15
Speaker
how the drive for profit can exploit something life-saving, and it's terrible. Capitalism is terrible, you guys. And who knows, maybe next week, Twitter will be gone too.
00:14:28
Speaker
Did you see one more thing and then we're in transition to news? This is kind of like deep things if you're not following world politics news, but Liz Truss was the former prime minister of the UK and she had incredibly negative approval ratings.
00:14:53
Speaker
yeah yeah and then some person did who will who will last longer liz truss or this head of lettuce and the head of lettuce one um as in and she had to like she resigned from being prime minister and the before the head of love is deteriorated someone is now doing head of lettuce versus twitter which will live longer oh i like that why did everybody hate her i never found out
00:15:21
Speaker
And we're not getting it. She she has she has problematic views. Let's leave it at that. All right. Although I don't think the UK is the most progressive. I know they hate trans people.
Game Awards Nominees Discussion
00:15:34
Speaker
But you know who has problematic views? Everybody who votes for the Game Awards. Oh, wait, what? Absolutely.
00:15:45
Speaker
That's it. Oh, Andy. Yeah. What's that, Charles? You'll see. Oh, OK. Let's dig in then. So the nominees for the Game Awards came out and now it is time for us to see if we can pick who are who's going to win the categories. Hmm. I don't know why they organize this in the annoying way, where they put the most important nominee in front.
00:16:10
Speaker
Yeah, we did this last year and we were very mad about it. There are, let's see, how many is this? Four by one. There's 32 or 33. That sounds great. So there's 31. Let's just hit the, let's hit the good ones. I think we could knock out all the esports ones, right? Yeah, I don't care about esports.
00:16:35
Speaker
Let's definitely do best family game because apparently it takes two won last year. I'd love to see what adult focused games they have in this year's. Yeah, we need to also clarify this too for our listeners. The Game Awards recognizes that the traditional categories don't necessarily fit games very well. And they do try to have an explanation on why certain games appear in other categories.
00:17:05
Speaker
It's still, it's still not perfect. It is weird. It takes two being in family game. Didn't make sense. Yeah. But that game where you make the, make the daughter cry, struggle through a divorce. All right. Well, I, I'm saying let's start at most anticipated game and then work our way, work our way up from there. Yep. So most anticipated game recognizing announced game that has demonstrated illustrative potential to push the gaming media forward.
00:17:35
Speaker
God damn it, Jack. Your votes are Final Fantasy 16, Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Starfield, and Legend of Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom, which is Breath of the Wild 2. Oh, that. I don't even think this is a discussion. It's just going to be Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom.
00:17:55
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. That's it. You have to think about who has the bigger audience. And I don't know. I don't think it's Hogwarts legacy. I don't think it's Resident Evil 4. And I don't think it's Final Fantasy 16, sadly. But I don't know.
00:18:11
Speaker
Some people like the star field. I think Final Fantasy 16 has an outside shot. I mean, yeah, it is non-zero the Final Fantasy 16, as long as the old ways are still true.
00:18:28
Speaker
And all the games, yes, all the gamers recognize the importance of Final Fantasy. Oh, but you know what? The new generation's Final Fantasy. All of the Zoomers that voted. Thank you, by the way, Zoomers. Here is your Final Fantasy. I mean, yeah, because that's the thing. It is true, but.
00:18:51
Speaker
You know, there's a there's a non zero audience of people that love Starfield. And we know a lot of people like. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. And we know a lot of people like Legend of Zelda. You know, two, two of them are in this podcast. So I think only one, Charles. I was kind of non plus about it. Oh, really? I'm saying I wouldn't know it and how strongly you tried to defend it the last time.
00:19:26
Speaker
What? It's OK. It's OK. I'll just be here with I'll just be here supporting the greatest gaming franchise of all time. It's what? But also, but also I'm going to say, finally, see for most. Oh, I'm going for legends. Although what about you, Charles? I know what my heart wants. Are we going to do any like points to see who have predicted the most again? Yeah. Yeah. One point per prediction. OK. Um.
00:19:57
Speaker
Legend of Zelda. Disgusting for saying it. And it just looks like more of the same. Nothing wrong with that, Andy. So it's going to get God of War award. Best adaptation.
00:20:13
Speaker
Uh, I, I, I have a very strong opinion on this one. Actually. Okay. So here we go. Best adaptation, re recognizing outstanding creative work that faithfully and authentically adopts a video game to another entertainment medium. Your nominees are arcane league of legends, cyberpunk, edge runners, the cuphead show, Sonic the Hedgehog two and uncharted starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. I loved Sonic the Hedgehog too.
00:20:44
Speaker
But I think it's going to be arcane. I think arcane's already been like nominated for like Emmys, I think. Yeah. So it's probably going to be arcane. I'm going recency bias, baby. Edge runners. There is a recency bias on edge runners. And there are people.
00:21:07
Speaker
even though they're wrong, saying that this helped them perform the redemption arc just like No Man's Sky, and they're wrong. But I've watched Arcane, I've watched Cyberpunk. Arcane has just done much better. Like, let's say they took, they did a true adaptation. Those are all characters from the game. Cyberpunk edge runners had to come up with new characters. That's true. Really? Yeah.
00:21:37
Speaker
These like and then the game updated to add their stuff into the game because they weren't there originally. Interesting. And not to say that Cuphead Show is bad. I watched a couple of episodes with my family. It was good. And Sonic Hedgehog 2 is a good movie.
00:21:52
Speaker
I liked it. I've not watched Uncharted because I don't want to see my child this way. But my baby boy, what have you done with them? But Arkane, I think it's both both of you for Arkane. Yeah. All right.
00:22:12
Speaker
What are you doing next? Oh, I'm doing edge runners, baby. Recency bias. That's right. Let's see. Previous interview, Andy. What do we got? Yeah, we do debut, Andy.
Debating Indie Game Debuts
00:22:23
Speaker
Best debut, Andy, for the best debut game created by a new independent studio. Your options are neon white Norco, which I'm just hearing for the first time ever today. Stray, tunic and vampire survivors. This is challenging. Yeah, this one's hard.
00:22:42
Speaker
People have talked about Neon White, Stray, Tunic, and Vampire Survivors a lot. Here's the thing. It should be Tunic or Vampire Survivors. I think it's going... Yes, those are fantastic games. Fantastic game. Stray is a game where you play a cat. I think Stray will win. Really? Yes. See, I was going to say Neon White.
00:23:12
Speaker
It's a great game, but I think it's too niche in its appeal. It's basically a speed running game. Got me down for neon white. I want it to be tunic. I think it's going to be neon white. Andy says neon white. Charles, where are you? I believe in the cat people.
00:23:31
Speaker
Yeah. All right. Charles is going to go straight. Yeah, I'm going to straight. Found its way in the game of the year category. Yeah, we'll get there, which is shocking. Oh, my God, that's right. In my heart, I would say vampire survivors should win, but I'm going to vote for tunic because I think more people have played tunic at this point. Hmm.
00:24:00
Speaker
Um, all right. Next we have content creator of the year. Do you guys care? I don't care. This one's going to be interesting. Let's well, who's in it. Let's all. Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, so content creator of the year for a streamer content creator who has made an important and positive impact on the community in 2022. Your nominees are Carl Jacobs, Ludwig, the rebellion, no brew and
00:24:31
Speaker
QTE Cinderella. Yep. QTE Cinderella. QTE Cinderella. Andy, here's the thing you may not know, which is Nibelion was basically a person who took game news and condensed it down to tweets like instantly. The second news came out. He condensed it down to blow points and tweeted it. But he he recently retired from doing that because a Twitter is a fucking garbage pile, but also
00:24:59
Speaker
because he just wasn't making money. It wasn't worth the time and effort for him because it wasn't his full-time job. So I wonder, I don't know. Here's the thing. There is a chance he gets it, but that is a, but that also is a very niche thing. I want him to get it because he has a mob psycho. Charles and I instantly are like, oh, Nabelian should get it. But how is it not going to be Carl Jacobs or Ludwig?
00:25:34
Speaker
Yeah, it's Ludwig. But yeah, I mean, but you're right. But yeah, the interesting part, right, is Carl Jacobs is one of the most popular Minecraft streamers. Yep. Ludwig is a very popular Twitch streamer that became a YouTube streamer and and organizes events for other streamers. Same thing for Cutie Cinderella, who is his girlfriend, who also does various stuff and is really good at it. Like they both she made the streamer awards for streamers.
00:25:53
Speaker
Yeah, that's it.
00:26:03
Speaker
Oh, and yeah. So and I don't know who Nobu is. I'm assuming he's a non-American streamer. And yeah, I'm sure they do very well because there's a there's an entire world outside of North America. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I'm not I'm not hit to the kids, you know. Yeah. But yeah, honestly,
00:26:27
Speaker
But Nibelion, you want Nibelion to win. Yeah. It's just, it's a, it's a mountain, right? Oh yeah. I had to put it to Carl Jacobs. Sadly, I'm going to go Carl Jacobs too. All right. Yeah. I mean, like this voting is only 25%. I'm sure like it's a small percentage of the, from the judges votes.
00:26:57
Speaker
Andy there's a good chance you get this one in Charles and I will be happy that you do best multiplayer
00:27:08
Speaker
Oh wow, it's not loading. There it goes. Uh, best multiplayer for outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform. Your nominees are call of duty, modern warfare two, multi-versus, overwatch two, splatoon three, teenage mutant Ninja turtles, shredders, revenge.
00:27:35
Speaker
So, uh, we, we discussed this as friends, but I, I do have a shameful, shameful admission to make alive on this podcast, which is despite my constant thing of not giving Activision money. I did buy calls.
00:27:51
Speaker
Well, I heard people were very thirsty for the ghost man. Did you fall for the thirst trap, James? Who? No, I just watched. I just watched a lot of it and I'm like, this looks really fun. And I haven't won. And getting back into Rainbow Six Siege is just such a fucking monumental mountain to climb because it's all map awareness for Rainbow Six. And it's like if you're not constantly keeping up with everything, it's just you're out.
00:28:18
Speaker
This I would say Modern Warfare 2 is basically faster. This version of it is faster Rainbow Succeedge and it's really fun. No, but it's just like the gun feel and the time to kill is a little it's it feels like
00:28:39
Speaker
In previous Call of Duty's, things were weird. This feels very physics based and right when you put it. It feels less of like an arcade shooter, if that makes any kind of sense.
00:28:53
Speaker
Um, and I'm sure people was like, who's never an arcade shooter. Fuck you. Call of duty was always an arcade shooter. Um, but anyway, uh, yeah, I don't know. I say multiverses. I say Splatoon three. Ooh.
00:29:13
Speaker
I have a special point in my heart for that one night we finished Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's a good time. Yeah. But oh, these these established franchises, um, people were all over Splatoon three. Yeah, I agree. I think people do still play it. They just don't talk about it anymore. Splatoon three. All right. I think this was such a darling, though, this year. So Splatoon three. That's fair.
00:29:44
Speaker
Next, we have Best Sports Racing. Probably skipped that. I don't care. Best Sim Strategy Game. What do we got here? I don't know anything about it. Oh, no you do. I mean, maybe.
00:30:01
Speaker
Do you guys have any opinions on these games we could skip this one not I just like Mario and rapids Okay, we'll skip this one That's family. This will be a funny way James you could click previous category next category here
00:30:17
Speaker
I know, but I want to look at all the categories because it's fast ahead of time. Got it. Yeah. Makes sense. Yep. Um, best family for the best game. Her family, we don't have family play irrespective of genre or platform. Your nominees are curvy forgotten land. We'll hear a star words. Skywalker saga, Mario and rabbits sparks of hope. Nintendo switch sports and Splatoon three. Kirby. Andy says Kirby. What do you mean? Charles?
00:30:47
Speaker
Lego Star Wars. Charles. Yeah, I was thinking that, too. What? Yeah. I'm going to go with Splatoon again. That's fair. Lego Star Wars. Isn't this where we fought where I don't they're not allowed to make childhood memories from this game? Yeah. Yeah. Yes, it was. Yeah.
00:31:11
Speaker
Yeah. And so Andy, if they can't make childhood memories, how can you how can you expect it to become best family game? Well, if they play it locally, that's fine. But it's Kirby. Kirby, correct. This is this is an interesting category. I want to bring this up just for the conversation. They stretched it, man. Yeah. Best fighting game. I know why, too, because it's not fucking game of the year.
00:31:37
Speaker
best fighting which is wait does it say fighting game in the view categories no it's just best fighting
00:31:46
Speaker
Yeah. Fuck is wrong with you Keely for the best game designed primarily around head to head combat. It shouldn't be there. Your nominees are DNF, dual Jojo's bizarre adventure. All star battle are the King of the King of fighters, 15 multi-versus. And for some reason, Sifu. Yeah. Um,
00:32:11
Speaker
Listeners, this is what we talked about. They really stretch these to fit games as best they can. Fighting games, listeners, one person plays a fighter, the other person plays another fighter, they fight and their health bar goes down. Sifu, you play one person and you run around the world and map fighting people. Sifu is an action adventure game based around martial arts.
00:32:39
Speaker
Yeah, it is not a fighter. Why not just have four nominees, then, instead of five? Because Kaylee wants it to be. Oh, that's true, fair. Well, and I think I have and I have a feeling this might be the only place we see Sifu, which is incredibly sad. Let me down for multiverses. Andy, for multiverses, what about you, Charles? JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle Hour. You think? Did you play it?
00:33:07
Speaker
No, I did. It's it's fun and it's weird, but it's I don't know. I I never quite got the hang of it. I'm going to say seafood just as kind of like the everyone goes, well, it should get one award. Yeah.
00:33:26
Speaker
best role playing game for the best game design with rich player character customization progression, including massively multiplayer experiences.
Role-Playing Game Predictions
00:33:39
Speaker
Your nominees are Elden ring, live a live
00:33:43
Speaker
Pokemon Legends Arceus Triangle Strategy, Xenoblade Conicles 3. It's Elden Ring baby. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden Ring. It's Elden
00:34:05
Speaker
It's just every game is a role. Yeah. Yeah. And that's the rough part, right? Like I was like, guys, we need we have to dissolve role playing game. It's just consumed by everyone else now. Yeah.
00:34:20
Speaker
Well, I don't know. I think it's extended. Even that stuff is the extended narrative game, but that's doesn't work either. Oh, well, another discussion for another day. Best action adventure game. Your nominees are Plague Tale Requiem, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West getting snubbed again, stray and tunic. My heart again wants it to be tunic.
00:34:53
Speaker
It's probably going to be God of War. Yeah, I agree. God of War. There's no way it can't be. I'm giving it to Tunic just as the outside. Sometimes you got to vote with your heart. You two are saying God of War. I haven't even played it, but I know it's good.
00:35:15
Speaker
There you go. How bad for horizon, right? Every time they release a fucking game, it's like, but here's a better version of your game.
00:35:27
Speaker
So sad. Next, we have best VR AR game. Oh, and you're you're nominees are after the fall. Among Us VR own lab moss book to and red matter. I've played none of them. Have any of you played any? I only watched some people play Among Us VR, and I think it's going to be Among Us VR.
00:35:54
Speaker
I think it's going to be among us. We are to just for name sake, but let's not vote on this one because it's stupid for us. Yeah, I have no idea. Innovation and accessibility. Oh, you're this is for recognizing software and hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audiences. Elden Ring isn't here. Am I right? Oh.
00:36:21
Speaker
Um, your nominees are as dusk falls, God of War Ragnarok return to monkey Island. Last of us part one and the quarry. Um, it should be last of us. I agree. Last of us. I don't know. So I'm just going to follow you guys's opinion. Yeah. Yeah. I know listeners for some background. The last of us part, the last of us part two.
00:36:46
Speaker
was incredibly groundbreaking for accessibility for a lot of disabled people so that they can play the game very well. And then when they redid Last of Us Part I, they took all of that that they did for Last of Us Part II and just put it into Part I.
00:37:05
Speaker
And I don't think any other game has come close to giving the same level, like the breadth of options that part one and two have.
00:37:15
Speaker
Like God of War has a lot. God of War has a lot, but not last of us level. Yeah. What was what was it that impressed you guys or you thought was you have to like look at it, Andy? But there's like you you can go crazy with the options where it's like you can change the entire color scheme of the fucking game just to make it easier to play if you have, you know, like if you're site challenged or hearing challenge, like you can go crazy with the settings to make it almost like a completely different game.
00:37:46
Speaker
And there was stories, I think, if I recall correctly, where a blind player could play the entire game by themselves for less of us. Wow, that's cool. Mm-hmm. Holy cow.
00:38:02
Speaker
Uh, best community support, recognizing a game for outstanding community support, transparency, and responsive inclusive of social media activity and game updates and patches. We have your nominees of apex legends, destiny to final fantasy 14. I had to think about it for a second Fortnite and no man's sky. Uh, we've talked about it so many times that I, I'm going to have to stick. Here's the thing.
00:38:30
Speaker
Fortnite's going to win. I'm going to say no. Mm hmm. So go ahead, Andy. I don't know. Maybe Fortnite was Fortnite exceptional this year. Maybe a lot of schools. They they they they they added no build mode this year, which is something people asked a lot. Oh, it's going to be Fortnite.
00:38:53
Speaker
What about you, Charles? Uh, this probably isn't surprising. Look, there's a very important line to this category, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game upstays patches.
00:39:10
Speaker
They have producer live letters where Yoshi P and the group talk about everything going on in the next content update for eight hours. It is an eight hour long podcast. Yoshi P once spent 30 minutes diverting from the presentation because he saw somebody in the chat ask why there was a fee for teleporting to the moon. And he spent 30 minutes talking about it and going, listen, we got to do all this other stuff. And he talked for 30 minutes is incredible.
00:39:38
Speaker
The best mobile game for best game playable on a mobile device you have apex legends mobile Diablo immortal Genshin impact Marvel snap tower fantasy Genshin impact says James. I'm gonna say Marvel snap You know for the recency bites. I like it
00:40:02
Speaker
by you, Charles. I'm torn between Genshin Impact and Marvel Snap just because Genshin Impact is pretty accessible across multiple platforms. So I'm not sure people will see it as purely a mobile game, even though I do. And Marvel Snap is recent. And I think it can be played on PC as well. Yeah, it can. But it's very clearly like a mobile interface.
00:40:29
Speaker
Genshin impact because I respect the amount of money put into it All right, next category is I think we can just go forward at this point We're going the other way. Yeah. Yeah, I know. There we go
00:40:47
Speaker
best indie for outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside of the traditional publisher system in another life this could be game of the year these could be yeah i mean really uh your nominees are cult of the lamb neon which i don't think we ever talked about but it was is a really fun fucking game um it's real fun um neon white seafood stray and tunic uh hero tunic i'm gonna go seafood on this one
00:41:17
Speaker
See as much as as much as I love to. I feel like Tunic did something new. It did. Sifu also did something amazing. Yeah, but I haven't played Sifu. I can't judge Charles. Where are you going? I'm going Sifu. OK, like, yeah, there was best fighting game. I think everyone would have gave this part as their gimme like, yeah, see if we should win something here. Yeah. Uh.
00:41:49
Speaker
Best ongoing game, why is this different? More to do a game for outstanding development for ongoing content that involves the player experience. Over time, your options are Apex Legends, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, Fortnite, and Genshin Impact. This one, I will say Fortnite. Probably Fortnite. I think Final Fantasy XIV won this last year.
00:42:17
Speaker
Um, it did. Yeah. And I think it's also around the time and Walker was releasing. Oh, okay. Um, so I think it might actually be Genshin this time because their new patch is coming out soon and they've been having a strong push for that. Right.
00:42:37
Speaker
Next, we have games for impact for a thought provoking game with a pro social meaning or message. Oh, here they have for nominee. No, they have they have six. Oh, whoops.
00:42:49
Speaker
Your options are a memoir blue as dust falls citizen sleeper, which is a game I've heard a lot about but haven't played endling extinction is forever hindsight and I was a teenage Exo colonist of all of these games. The only one I know anything about is as dust Yeah, I feel like I saw a trailer for as dust falls and that's the only thing I know I
00:43:14
Speaker
And I bet that's all the people that are voting now. So throw me down for as dusk falls for you, Charles. Well, I owe it to the developers because I told them I wasn't there for them. I was there for you. Hey, you, Sheeda. I was a teenage XO columnist because I told him I would look it up. And she always looks like he liked it. This game for impact game for impact.
00:43:41
Speaker
Wow, if there's six, then they just couldn't make up their mind. Yeah. Maybe these are all the nominees. They're like, I don't know. Just get them all in there.
00:43:58
Speaker
All right. Uh, next we have, we have seven more to go running out. Best performance board for an individual for voiceover, acting motion and our performance capture. You have a horizon, forbidden West, Ashley birch as a lily, the plate, tell Requiem Charlotte McBurney as the character. I don't remember her name. God of war Ragnarok, Christopher judge as Kratos immortality. Menon gauge as.
00:44:27
Speaker
the main character of immortality. And God of War, Ronak, Sonny Soljic, who I think is atreus. Yeah, that's atreus. Yeah. This is tough. It should go to the immortality lady.
00:44:51
Speaker
Um, because that is literally an acted like they, they shot a movie and she did a fantastic job in the every moment of it. But. Sign me up for that one. Really, Andy? Well, I haven't played any of these, but like if we're talking about really, really performance, then immortality seems like it takes that.
00:45:17
Speaker
If here's the thing, I don't know if there's a category for mortality to win. This is the one, right? Yeah, I don't know if enough people played it. Yeah, it was on Game Pass. Yeah, I played it. But it was a very different type of game. It's it's I would I would hesitate to even call it a game. Right. Like I don't know if enough people played it enough to really appreciate it.
00:45:45
Speaker
Yeah. I think it might be between Plague Tale, Requiem and God of War. And I think God of War is the more popular two. Yeah. And then there's two people in the fucking God of War. I'd say Christopher Judge. OK.
00:46:03
Speaker
I mean, I, I do owe him, I Christopher judge, um, as teal can stargate SG one. Always. I always want to support him for that, but in this, in this one, in this one instance, I have to give it to someone else. Uh, best. Gold circle on his fucking exactly.
00:46:22
Speaker
Best audio design, recognizing best in-game audio and sound design. Your options are Call of Duty 10442, Elden Ring, God of War, Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Forbidden West. Here's one I don't think Elden Ring will win. I mean, modern warfare has good sound.
00:46:54
Speaker
I'll, I'll take your leap. Yeah. Yeah. That's my, that's where I'll take my leap. I saw those documentaries on the making of Gran Turismo games. Yeah. And it sticks with me to this day, knowing that they're so fucking like detailed and how much they want to get the right sounds for all the cars and everything. I can't, I can only believe that carried over to Gran Turismo seven and not, not that any of these other ones were bad. Yeah. I played most of them, but.
00:47:24
Speaker
I don't, I can't imagine that fucking obsessive detail not applied to all the world's cars. I Andy, are you going for entries in those? Well, yeah, I'm going to go forbidden West reason. Oh, go for it. Maybe this will be the throwaway one, the West motherfuckers.
00:47:45
Speaker
Yeah. Best score and music for outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song, and or a licensed soundtrack. Your options are a play tell Requiem. I don't know how that game sounds. Um, uh, Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, Metal Hellsinger, and Xenoblade Chronicles. Well, there's only one game where music is entirely the point. That's going to say, I feel like it should be Metal Hellsinger.
00:48:16
Speaker
Well, I'm if you don't know what Metal Hellsinger is, it's a rhythm game FPS shooter. I think we talked about it a little bit where the better you do, they add metal vocals like they they add the level of the metal song that's playing as you get your combo level higher. It's really cool. And and the song is really good because they got a lot of well-known metal bands to do the songs. How is the music in Xenoblade, Sammy?
00:48:44
Speaker
I love Yasenari Matsuda. I actually was thinking, I wonder if he is my favorite composer, even over Uematsu. But I don't think Casino Blade Chronicles 3 is his strongest. It's good, but it's not iconic. But I will still vote for that one because I have. OK. Charles and I are going metal. Andy is going to see no blade. I can't abandon him. I understand.
00:49:14
Speaker
I want him to work forever. That's art direction. Your nominees are Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Scorn, and Stray.
Narrative Category Critique
00:49:31
Speaker
Between Scorn and Elden Ring for me, with Stray as an outside.
00:49:39
Speaker
Similar, I think scorn. And stray. And then eldering is the outside. Interesting. I don't know what scorn is. That was that super creepy FPS game that was like all visceral like meat. Andy, do you remember that? And it's like all inspired by the art of dagger. Yeah. You're going for a scorn, Charles. Yeah.
00:50:09
Speaker
OK. Um. It's creepy. Think of Hellraiser style character designs. Is this someone that needed to be censored? Like it was going to be adult or something? Sort of, yeah. So you two are going to scorn. I'm going to go stray.
00:50:42
Speaker
Uh, best narrative. We have a playtale Requiem, Elvin ring. No, God of War, Ragnarok, Horizon, Forbidden West and Immortality. So this is, this is a run. I feel so bad for forbidden fucking Horizon every time. It's a good story, but it's just good. That's the problem with it.
00:50:55
Speaker
Not because, again, this is just the gambler in me going for the outside choices.
00:51:10
Speaker
Ah, Plague Tale has a great story. That's what everyone says about Plague Tale. That's the entire fucking reason to play. Yeah, that's what I got of war and immortality. Immortality should win. But I don't I think Plague Tale will get this one. I was thinking Plague Tale because I know about it. Yeah, I am. So.
00:51:40
Speaker
Let me take this mic for a second. Here's my problem. Narrative is an awful category. They should not have done this. They should have split it up into two things. One for world building.
00:52:01
Speaker
And then another for like story, like the actual main story of the game, right? Being interesting. Because I have to say that the world of Elden Ring is incredible. It is so interesting. And all the stuff that you find and see and like kind of like piece together is so cool. Like my entire thing that I get caught up on is the Song of the Harpies that you hear.
00:52:29
Speaker
And just listen to it and you're going, where the fuck is this? And then you're just like, oh, it's from a monster. How crazy. Why is it so beautiful? And I'm killing it really easily. Maybe I'll just let it respond to finish its song. And finding some of the beautiful areas in the game and you're just wondering what happened.
00:52:52
Speaker
Like the world is so cool. It is so great. And I'm going to have to give it to LD Wing for that. But narrative is such a shitty fucking category to just be like, yeah, because it's not separated. And I'm sure like when everyone says narrative, they naturally and probably rightly should just be like the story of the game.
00:53:11
Speaker
Yes, and I agree 100% with you, Charles. Eldering has an incredibly deep world that is there if you want to look for it, but is in no way a narrative. Yeah. So, you know, that's the thing that's affected me most. I'm going to vote for it, knowing it's not going to win. I just need it to know I believe in it. Hey, you never know. You never know. Sec year one game of the year.
00:53:41
Speaker
That's right. Yeah. I always say that's he can never guess what's going on. This is also a weird one. This is our second to last category. Best game direction. This is always the one where it's like fucking why is best director and best picture a different category at the Oscars? Obviously, if the best director directed the best movie. But anyway, best game.
00:54:05
Speaker
Best game direction or for us in creative vision, innovation, game, direction, and design. Your awards are your nominees are Elvin ring, God of war, forbidden West immortality and stray. Again, it probably should be immortality. I think it's going to go to God of war because that had a lot of traditional direction that had to go with. And because I feel like this is kind of a companion to narrative a little bit. You know what I mean?
00:54:34
Speaker
Hmm, I would say Elden Ring in this in terms of like directing and building that world. Where you fall, Charles. I'll go with Elden Ring. I'm going to go God of War. I think this is the one they give to God of War, right? OK. I get that, I get that.
00:55:06
Speaker
Oh, he was so quiet for so long. And now as we get to Game of the Year, your nominees are.
Game of the Year Anticipation
00:55:17
Speaker
A Plague Tale Requiem, Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, That Poor Child, Stray and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. It's gonna be Elden Ring. Oh, there's no way it couldn't.
00:55:36
Speaker
I know Jack agreed. Let's say that's four votes for Elden Ring. There we go. Four votes. Yeah, that's true. Out of the pod. Yeah, he is. He was so good for so long and now he's whining. Can you imagine Elden Ring not winning? That would be wild. I can. Here's the thing. If it loses to God of War or Plague Tale, I won't be upset. I understand the logic. I disagree with it, but I understand it.
00:56:07
Speaker
My life is even played Chronicles 3. I don't think that's a game of the year kind of game. Yeah. I didn't see Bayonetta on any of this. Oh, unfortunately, Andy, that was in one of the categories we skipped. Oh, was it? Yeah, that's fine. Which one was it? I forget. I saw it, though. Destructor would give it a perfect score. Was it? I think it's action game, actually. Oh, we did action game?
00:56:36
Speaker
It's not there. Oh, we did skip action game. Never mind. Interesting. Yeah, let's do action game real quick. Best action game. Best game in the action genre focused primarily in combat. Your options are Bayonetta 3, Call of Duty 1 Warfare, Neon White, Sifu and TMNT. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Sifu gets to be in fighting and action. Yeah.
00:56:57
Speaker
Yeah, I agree with you. That's super weird. And also, also, Elden Ring is not in this category. Oh, my God. Come on, you guys. Like, yeah, I see. It's like old game awards. You're lucky you get to hide behind your industry judges panel. So that puts them into these categories. Sign making weird house. All right. And he's going Bayonetta. What about you, Charles?
00:57:27
Speaker
So technically of these games, I only played two of them. I did hear that Bayonetta is a really good game. I got to go with Sifu. Yeah. There's a DLC for Sifu coming out soon. I can't fucking wait. All right. Do we skip any other ones? Best action. Do we need best action adventure?
00:57:52
Speaker
That one, I think we did. That's yeah, that's it. So that was that's what happened. So there's best action and best. God damn it, Jeff. All right, so we have our list. When is the game awards again? Some early December. Yes, December 8th, I think. Oh, 23 days or 28 days, it says.
00:58:21
Speaker
Yeah. December 8th. Um, so what's, what day of the week is that? I think that's a Monday, actually. That's a Thursday. Oh, it's a Thursday. Okay. So the week after we'll come back and we'll, um,
00:58:35
Speaker
Well, we've been going at this for already the full hour. Yeah. Well, 58 minutes. I have a couple new stories just to run down. We're going to. Hey.
00:58:51
Speaker
look into the issues that are going on in ID software between their composer, Mike McGordon and Marty Stratton and how they're all everyone's a fucking asshole. Yeah, that's what it sounds like. Yeah.
00:59:06
Speaker
I mean, actually, I mean, Mick Gordon sounds like he's coming out clean. Marty Stratton kind of threw him under the bus about the OST. Look into it. It's an interesting story. It's a long read. We don't need to talk about it, but just that Marty Stratton through composer Mick Gordon under the bus and Mick Gordon this week posted a very long reply to basically be like, fuck you. I'm tired of this. And they offered him a hundred thousand to not speak. Well, six figures, he said.
00:59:35
Speaker
So he threw down six figures to post that medium post. Yeah. So there's some real beef there. Yep. Also God of War and Sonic Reviews. Sonic, the most seven out of seven out of 10 game ever to exist. Seven out of 10 is pretty good still.
00:59:53
Speaker
Was it the people, the people who love it hate it, but also love it and the people who hate it just hate it. I'll play it one day. Also, it has terrible, terrible. Yeah, it's already on sale, actually. This is a Black Friday game.
01:00:12
Speaker
Um, yeah, it has terrible tech issues and pop in when the game where you're going 10,000 miles an hour is not ideal. Um, also Ragnarok's real good nines and maybe some tens across the board. Play it. I'm not done with it yet. Charles isn't either, I think. Nope. Yep.
01:00:31
Speaker
And then finally, PSVR2 actually went up for preorder today, but they released the price last week at a smooth $550. And it's not backwards compatible either.
01:00:52
Speaker
You know, just a very quick rant. I am so sick of so this happened with the PS five for me and some other stuff to where you like you sign up on the where they like you go to their website and they're like, sign up for notifications. You'll be the first to know, you know, like the latest news and when preorders go live and all that stuff. I did that for PS VR, too. I never got the email.
01:01:15
Speaker
that it went live. I didn't get an email about anything, and I signed up months ago. I don't even know why they do that. They never tell you anything. Not even that I want the PSVR too, but I just kind of want to be on the list. Because maybe I'll want it. I don't know. $550 for not supporting my old games and nothing really that remarkable.
01:01:37
Speaker
Andy, I think at that price point, you will not have trouble finding them. You think so? Oh, yeah. I'm still saving up money for it, but I don't think I'm going to want it. I'm waiting for like a like a press release where like we took the top 20 games from PSVR and ported them up to PSVR to and Space Channel five. If they bought if they port Space Channel five, they've got 550 bucks.
01:02:05
Speaker
They just say for Andy in the credits. Yeah. Yeah. Just do that. But no, they've got that money. No questions asked if you port that over. Well, we'll see what developers want Andy's money on another episode of add to party a friendship simulator masquerading as a new show. I've been your host James, the occasional puppy whisperer Hartwell, and I've been joined by.
01:02:30
Speaker
Charles, Elden Ring, Stan, Yamat, and I've been doing that. Andy, um, hmm, I won't, I don't want a puppy.
01:02:48
Speaker
We really didn't dig into that I really wanted to but we did not have time for you getting offered a puppy, but maybe we'll talk about that Just as friends later Have a good night everyone. Yeah. Have a good night. Good night nerds