Transcript
neocharge: What's up everybody and welcome to Shapes of Gaming, the weekly conversational podcast all about video games that's unedited, unfiltered, and unhinged.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm
neocharge: I'm one of your hosts, Matt Stinson, NeoCharge on PSN, and joining me for episode number 14, as always, is the Retro Gaming Encyclopedia, Bob Harriman, Leon Lionheart, Leon, and Leon Hartley on PSN.
neocharge: Also joining us, our special guest, all the way from Ohio, Caleb Schiff. Admiral Merps on PSN. What's up, man? Good to have you on the cast again.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Hello, hello. I can't believe I was invited back.
neocharge: ah Yeah, dude.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but but
neocharge: We love you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah No, I appreciate it. This is awesome. Glad to be here. How are you guys doing?
neocharge: Awesome.
Leon Lionheartly: Not too bad.
neocharge: We're good.
Leon Lionheartly: ah hey Doing pretty good. Matt, I got an order for you, you know a package to be delivered. um If you can't tell, that's where my mind's been for the last week or so.
neocharge: I know.
Leon Lionheartly: but we'll We'll talk all about that later. But outside that, just living the life, living the dream, ah getting ready to start another chapter in my life. ah well When you guys hear this on the day of record ah day of winning the live, it'll be yeah the very following day.
Leon Lionheartly: But Friday, I'll start another chapter in my life, go go do some cool stuff, a new opportunity, and just looking forward to it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's great, man.
neocharge: Awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Glad to hear it. I brought something special for you, Bob. Are you ready?
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, who
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I don't know if you notice I've been sitting low so you can't see my shirt.
neocharge: Ooh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i ah guy I wore this shirt specifically for you.
neocharge: Oh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Are you ready to see it?
Leon Lionheartly: You have my attention, sir. Oh, that is gorgeous, my friend.
neocharge: Can I take a guess at what it is?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Just for you.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes, please.
neocharge: Xenoblade Chronicles?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh my god, how dare you, sir?
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah but Although, to be fair...
neocharge: what Oh, no, no. It's Final Fantasy. Okay, hold on. It's Final Fantasy VIII. Sorry.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, there you go.
neocharge: Jesus.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's Squall, and that's...
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: I needed to study it a little bit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, it is. I mean, it's a little bit more abstract than...
neocharge: It looked a little like Shulk, though. But, of course, no.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Eh, sure.
neocharge: That's Final Fantasy VIII. you gotta You gotta describe it for the viewers now.
Leon Lionheartly: Actually...
neocharge: You gotta you gotta describe it in detail.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, here, Bob, go ahead.
neocharge: Go.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): just yeah I mean, it's easy...
Leon Lionheartly: ah Give me 20 minutes of exposition on this. ah No. So it's ah it's one of those like ah pictures where you've got shadows layered to make it give it a three-dimensional look in Pierre.
Leon Lionheartly: um But the main outline is Squall himself holding the gun blade, might I say, over the shoulder in a very badass method. um Much more badass than Cloud ever could. um But you know what you know what it kind of reminds me of, that art style?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): How dare
Leon Lionheartly: is take Deacon St. John away from the image in Days Gone, and you have that picture of perch shirt right there.
neocharge: I can see that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Hmm. Okay. Yeah, I really love the cipher, the negative space cipher in in Squall's shoulder.
Leon Lionheartly: to
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's just, it's a cool thing for a Final Fantasy VIII fan. And I thought of you when I saw it in my drawer like five days ago, and I was like, I'm saving this for the cast.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I got to wear it for him.
Leon Lionheartly: but There is so much in that shirt if you've played the game and love it like we do.
neocharge: That's amazing.
Leon Lionheartly: There is so much in that shirt with the small details. So wherever you got that, I need the link so I can order like 10 of them so I have it apply for the rest of my life.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah I will see if I can find it for you.
neocharge: You got to take a picture of it. and We got to put it on Discord too. So people have reference.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure. I'll wear only this and no pants.
neocharge: We're not on video yet. Yes, exactly.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, no, i'll say I'll, I'll, I'll load it up there.
Leon Lionheartly: but yeah
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure.
neocharge: Excellent. Yeah, we're not on video yet. We're getting close. we're ah We're figuring things out. We figured some stuff out on the back end, which we're going to talk about. um Before that, though, we're both drinking some beers, about to talk some video games.
neocharge: What are we drinking, fellas?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Go ahead, Bob.
Leon Lionheartly: All right. Well, um, as soon as Matt saw me crack this can, he immediately knew where I was going. Um, this is from horse and dragon brewing up there in the great Fort Collins, Colorado area. Um, this one is a honey brown ale called whistle blast.
Leon Lionheartly: Um, It's got that nice little bit of a light brown ah ale, but then you can taste the the thing about this one is you continue to taste that like after the hint of honey, even 30 seconds after you have that first drink. It just sits there, not overpowering, but it just sits there in the back end kind of like um you know When you get honey for your sore throat, it kind of sits there like that.
neocharge: Very cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That sounds good. That sounds really good.
neocharge: Yeah, it does. Yeah, Horse and Dragon's one of my favorite breweries, honestly, up in Fort Collins.
Leon Lionheartly: I am the one who is alive.
neocharge: And yeah, I'm actually drinking something up there from up there too.
Leon Lionheartly: He weak.
neocharge: Greeley, Colorado.
Leon Lionheartly: He is weak.
neocharge: Greeley, Colorado, of course, is home to
Leon Lionheartly: He is weak.
neocharge: one of the best breweries, Weldworks, but they also have Wiley Roots Brewing Company.
Leon Lionheartly: He is weak. He is weak.
neocharge: And I am drinking, it's called the Friendly Robot.
Leon Lionheartly: He
neocharge: It's a West Coast style IPA. I'm not usually an IPA drinker, but sometimes I i do like my IPAs.
Leon Lionheartly: is weak. He is weak.
neocharge: And this one's a West Coast, so it's a little smoother. It's a little fruitier. And it's ah with it says with Amarillo, Citra, and Eldorado hops.
neocharge: And it's ah quite delicious.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, um if you were to compare it, the hoppiness is always my problem with IPA if it's too hoppy.
neocharge: Yeah, it's really good.
Leon Lionheartly: Okay.
neocharge: Yeah. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I really like Elvis juice, which is technically an IPA.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i
neocharge: Okay.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was actually drinking that on the 8-Bit episode when I was a guest. But i for the one you're talking about now, is the hops sort of tame?
neocharge: Nice.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Is it tamer?
neocharge: Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: So are you familiar with IBU?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah. I'd say it's 25 to 30. So not too crazy, not too hoppy, but it is on the hoppier side of what I usually drink.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: ah If you don't like the hoppier ones, look for Juicies or West Coast. And those are like the juicy IPAs. Those are less IBU.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: ah The ones you want to stay away from are Imperial or Double or Triples.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): okay
neocharge: Those are fucking crazy with like 80 IBU that will just take rust off of a car engine. It's crazy.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i I learned that the hard way. The first time I was trying some, i because I like, ah typically when I'm having, you know, like a Guinness or something, I i like the doubles and the triple, like triple ale.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I love triple ale. So I did the same for an IPA and I'm pretty sure I almost threw up on the bartender. at that I was like, this is just, this is like drinking Alka-Seltzer. I can't do it. Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah. Yeah. So, ah and then bourbon barrel aged. ah Those can get a little bitter, but those are still pretty good. So, but yeah, what are you drinking, Caleb?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I did my research and my homework this time. No, I didn't really have to do that much homework because I do know this brewery. um Are you guys familiar with Urban Artifact?
neocharge: No.
Leon Lionheartly: I've heard the name.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay, so Cincinnati-based. We have friends that live down there. They quite literally live like two blocks away from the brewery. So we'll go and taste new stuff with them sometimes. Or when they come and visit us, they'll bring like, oh, there's this new blackberry sour that they did. And it's, but so what I'm drinking is an Urban Artifact Skipjack is what it's called.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah It's a prickly pear, which is real good if you guys like prickly pear.
neocharge: Oh.
neocharge: Ooh, oh yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): If you don't like prickly pear, grow up.
neocharge: Oh, I love it. Love it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, it's great. um But it's ah it's a Midwest fruit tart. So i I thought it was a sour the first time I had it.
neocharge: Okay.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I never really knew the difference between a sour and a fruit tart because I am not the connoisseur that you are.
neocharge: Okay.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So maybe you know, and I don't know, but it is awesome. It is 10% alcohol, which I did not realize.
neocharge: Ooh, that's high.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But
Leon Lionheartly: Ooh, that's to get you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So if i if I start slurring in about 20 minutes, I apologize to you two. I don't apologize to to your viewers, though. You're listening, though.
neocharge: Nah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, they...
Leon Lionheartly: They know what they're signed up for.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, they're here for this.
neocharge: Yeah. Unhinged. Unhinged, everyone.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's true. and
neocharge: That's why we say it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Fucking prickly hinged. There you go.
neocharge: Exactly. It looks really good too. So i've I've had a prickly pear from another one up North. Funkworks, another one of my favorites from up North.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Hmm.
neocharge: Fort Collins has some of the best ah breweries up there, but they have a prickly pear sour. I don't think it's a fruited tart, but yeah, I don't even know the percentage on mine. I think it's pretty high at for an IPA though, probably up in the eight or nines.
neocharge: So we'll see how this goes. um Anyway, welcome everyone to episode 14. i Thanks for being here. And ah thanks you, Caleb, for being here.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. i Thanks for the invite.
neocharge: we yeah We love you as a guest. Yeah. ah How's life been? Life life treating you good?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): For me, it has been pretty decent. I a lot of strange interruptions. And I say this, I don't say I want to sound mean because it's not i don't mean it that way. But like my mother in law visited ah few times and it's fine. we We have a great time. We have a great relationship. But like in the middle of when I wanted to play some Death Stranding 2. And I'm like, ah, shit, like I got to be an adult, you know, which is fine. It's cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But I was able to go to a few movies with my parents. I went to see F1, which I highly recommend. I think it's, I actually think it should be nominated for something the Academy Awards this year.
neocharge: I loved it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm glad you got to see it.
neocharge: and ah Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Bob, have you gotten a chance to see it?
Leon Lionheartly: No, I can't say I have.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, it's it's actually pretty good.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm sorry.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, it it might not be for everybody because, ah, a racing movie, but man, it's a really, really good one. Then Superman and then also Fantastic Four.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah So I've gotten back to the theater ah more often recently, which makes me happy since I... hadn't had as much time. And then of course, watching some great TV shows, uh, playing through death stranding as I can, got a couple trips planned coming up, but yeah, I mean, I can't complain about too much except normal life stuff.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's the only thing I can really complain about.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: it's funny It's funny, Caleb. You say these distractions for keeping you from Death Stranding 2. i'm I'm on that same boat because i text Matt earlier this week. The Final Fantasy Magic the Gathering set unfortunately awoken a sleeping beast of the last 25 years because I used to be really into magic.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Dude.
Leon Lionheartly: And for frame of reference for the listeners, I quit during the Apocalypse Era, which released in 2003. it's been... so it's been
neocharge: Wow.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah It's been a long time, and that Final Fantasy set got me just on hook, and the new set dropped this week, and I've been playing, and I've been deck building, and I've been strategizing. it's like Between that, thinking about that, and delivering packages at the end of the night, i can i can't it's a split decision right now..........
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah First world problems because i have a couple of my Final Fantasy commander decks to sleeve still. I was waiting to get some sleeves. they They were sold out everywhere here and they arrived like last weekend.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I remember being really mad because I was like, well, if I do this, I can't play Death Stranding and I can't expand the chiral network. Like what kind of an asshole complains about that? Like I had too much good stuff in front of me.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And of course my wife is just rolling her eyes like, what's wrong with you? And I was like, well, Norman Reedus and I have a date. So I'm going to go do that.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: Ah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but like Yeah, so I feel you, man. i I didn't get into the Edge of Eternity set because Final Fantasy is basically it for me.
Leon Lionheartly: it
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, I did download Magic the Gathering Arena, you know, build a, they've got a starter deck on there from the Magic, or from the Final Fantasy packs and have been trying to play and I've been doing all right, just trying to relearn the game, you know?
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, that's that's really cool.
neocharge: Very cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah. There's a lot of changes. I did dive into the Edge of Eternities myself, ah bought a box, and um ah I'm just like um hooked.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's how it starts. Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: There's no nice way to put it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: i can't I can't do it. I got out of Pokemon TCG recently. I i can't get back in. I've been having so many distractions for Death Stranding 2.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Smart man.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: lot of life changes. Just getting used to a new normal, honestly. Let's just put it that way. And yeah, I haven't really played a lot of Death Stranding 2. And there's no fucking way I'm getting back into Magic.
neocharge: I have watched F1.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: I have watched... ah Fantastic Four First Steps. Bob, we got to start you get we gotta start doing some movies together. We got to we gotta to go watch some movies. ah And i don't know, Tuesdays, it's really cheap. I live almost but really close to movie theater. Let's just say that.
neocharge: And Fantastic Four First Steps was a really... It was a great movie. Very comic accurate and a great ah ah great kick kickoff to phase six, I think.
Leon Lionheartly: so
neocharge: What did you think of it, Caleb?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i I do have to ask you first, just out of curiosity, who's your favorite character in the movie?
neocharge: Yeah. Ooh,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Do you have one?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): From the movie, not necessarily comic book, you know, like, cause they could be different.
neocharge: let's see.
neocharge: From the movie. Yeah, I really like Galactus.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. but I think they did. I mean, you know, it's
neocharge: Bob, Galactus is voiced. Do you know who Galactus is voiced by?
Leon Lionheartly: No, I do not. You know what? Hold on. I'm going to take a guess. It's Ben Starr, isn't it?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): good.
neocharge: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): guess, but no.
neocharge: Same video game. Same video game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Same video game. Yep.
neocharge: It is from Final Fantasy 16. Yes, indeed.
Leon Lionheartly: No.
neocharge: It is Ralph Ennison.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Bring the thunder!
neocharge: Yes. Yes. Uh-huh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, it's Sid.
Leon Lionheartly: oh You hit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Damn it. Now I got to go see this.
neocharge: Uh-huh. You want to go see it? um I'll go see it again.
Leon Lionheartly: Dude, is his voice is just the perfect mix of smooth and gravel at the same time. um
neocharge: Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: For anybody that's out there that's married to a book person like I am, um that is the voice of the main character in a lot of women's books, if you know what I mean.
neocharge: Ooh, now I want to read these books or or listen to them on audio.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Wait, he does... He does audiobooks?
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: and and No, no, no, no. You got to go read them. But if you you know how books and you imagine things, that's that's exactly that's exactly it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): right
neocharge: Oh.
Leon Lionheartly: um Trust me. If you know, you know. If not, it's going right over your head. And that's okay because you don't need to know.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, man. But dude, like for real, though, he does a great job as Galactus.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You know, I I'm a huge ah Marvel and DC lore comic fan.
Leon Lionheartly: ah
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Huge.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So every time there's like a new I mean, big bad is is such a strange way to describe Galactus on the scale of cosmic power and shit.
Leon Lionheartly: just
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But anyway, when there's a new big bad, I'm always nervous. And then they cast Galactus. good old Ralph. And I was like, oh fuck, it's going to be great no matter what.
neocharge: Yep.
neocharge: Nailed it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And and he he really, they did a good job overall. there were
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, I have like little niggling issues just from a movie goer's perspective, but that that's so stupidly minor.
neocharge: Sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I thought Invisible Woman
neocharge: Who's your favorite?
neocharge: Okay.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): By far. she's always been my
neocharge: I like Johnny Storm, too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): She's always been my favorite of the Fantastic Four.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): um Again, I mean, earlier in our spoiler cast in the 8-bit, I talked, I love strong women.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): invisible Invisible Woman, sue Storm, when done properly, is a very, very strong woman.
Leon Lionheartly: dream
neocharge: ah Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And in this...
neocharge: that let's Let's just say the space scene.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah yeah
neocharge: um She did that while doing that. Yeah. go So you guys should go see it. ah Speaking of space scenes, they're on the level of Interstellar.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, it's good.
neocharge: Honestly. like they are They were incredible. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, they they did a surprising amount of... stuff in space.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I wasn't sure what to expect, especially because it's not an origin story for the Fantastic Four.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I thought, how are we going to do this? And I really, really, really liked it. My only real concern, and then I promise I'll shut up about this because I could talk about it forever, is it was it was Pedro Pascal's Reed Richards.
neocharge: Yep.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was really nervous about him. I love him.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I love him as an actor. I think he's great.
Leon Lionheartly: you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): As Reed Richards, I was not sold before the movie. While watching the movie, I actually thought that he towed that line of of being pretty good read. You know, Reed's always, i mean, he's and hyper intelligent and they even have a scene in the movie where they discuss it very briefly where he
neocharge: They conveyed his intelligence very well.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, but they talk about how he is capable of thinking of some horrible shit.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that's because he he has to, to defend it.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that's i that scene alone was the one where I was like, thank you for at least addressing that. Because otherwise, I feel like they're playing it a little too safe with Reed Richards.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But I came out of the movie being very happy overall. And i you know I'm here for Pedro again. like I want to see what else he can do.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Because if they go where they should go with Reed, he's going to have some range that he has to show. And that super exciting um but you're right i really i like johnny storm quite a bit too and i i i like the uh actor uh joseph quinn i believe is his name who yeah my
Leon Lionheartly: Thank
neocharge: They're setting up.
neocharge: ah He was Eddie. He was Eddie in Stranger Things. I did not connect that until I looked. i was just looking stuff up and I was like, shit. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): my favorite character from season four within two seconds of him walking on screen. I didn't know who he was to me. He was a nobody and I'm not saying that to be mean, but I remember going upstairs and telling my wife, this dude who plays this guy named Eddie is my favorite part of the show.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And he remained my favorite part of the show.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So when he was cast as Johnny storm, I was like, Oh, bring that shit on.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And he did a really good job. So, but yeah, I was happy.
neocharge: He did. He did.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So Bob, yes, you need to see it.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I will shut up about it now. so I been able to really talk to anybody else about it.
neocharge: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So yeah,
Leon Lionheartly: Tell you what, i' I'll watch it with you, Matt, but you got to sit down and watch the Mortal Kombat 2 movie with me because that is on my list for this year.
neocharge: Oh, of course. Yeah, we'll go see that in theaters, too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I can't wait.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, yeah.
neocharge: 100%.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I can't wait for that.
neocharge: Yeah, I'll get tickets for that. And Tron. Tron Ares. Ooh. Nine Inch Nails. Oh, I saw that new trailer. Yeah, I'm a big...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The soundtrack. Oh, yes.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. Nine Inch Nails. Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: I'm a big movie theater goer. Love it. So I'll let you know when I get tickets. I just get them all the time. I see probably two movies a month, sometimes three. um But yeah, if you haven't seen Fantastic Four First Steps, it's the kickoff of phase six of the MCU.
neocharge: Go see it. It's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Even if you hate Marvel right now, even if you hate Marvel right now, like, trust me, it's it's actually does right.
neocharge: Lastly... Yes. Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Thunderbolts and that have been very good.
neocharge: Great.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So, right, now, now I will shut up
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Yes. ah Lastly, i haven't been really collecting cards, but I have been chasing ah the Final Fantasy VII Polygon figures, and I got i got Volume 2. I know, Caleb, you got them.
neocharge: You haven't cracked them yet, have you?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but No, I haven't um because I am a sadist and I, well, I don't know.
neocharge: Oh, my God. i You got to crack them.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm
neocharge: Yeah, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's like once they're open, it's, is it Schrodinger's Tifa?
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Like I just need to, I need to know that I got her and I got Cloud and I know that I'm going to get neither of them.
neocharge: Right. Well, so I think volume one, but so ah if if ah people don't know what I'm talking about, they're little polygon figures that are basically the character models from the game.
neocharge: And they're very accurate on the character models ah that you play as. Very blocky, very polygonal. ah And they're awesome. They look awesome. ah Volume one, I believe, if you have the box, you get them all.
neocharge: It's not random.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, OK.
neocharge: Yes. So because I got the box at Games Ahoy up north in Fort Collins, another shout out Fort Collins.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Ah.
neocharge: And i they said, no, it's it's not random. You get them all. But volume two, they randomized it. And I got to say, i pulled every single one except the secret one, which is Zach, unfortunately.
neocharge: Am I thinking about getting another box so I can pull Zach? Maybe. Maybe.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So you are you are doing, you're cracking packs just in a different way.
neocharge: But probably not. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh.
neocharge: Yeah, I'm cracking figures, but I did get. So all I want is the main nine, right? The main nine, ah the main party. And Vincent isn't out yet.
neocharge: I don't know where he is. Maybe volume three, but I have every single one.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): oh
neocharge: I i opened them. I got every single one. of the main nine and I have eight of the nine. So I'm just waiting on Vincent. So I don't know what I'm going to do with them. Maybe I'll do a, like a little display case that hangs on the wall. I don't know. They're so cool looking. They look they like they were ripped out of the fucking CRT game, you know, like the just ripped off there.
neocharge: So,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You know what you should do? You should take your Sephiroth from Reaper and and, you know, like that big fucking a statue and just to put him in parties around him, like the final battle, spoilers for a you know, 20 some year old game, but you should put him around him and like the final battle, even though it's not safer Sephiroth and it's not, but like, fuck that.
neocharge: Oh yeah. 19 inch statue.
neocharge: oh
neocharge: Right. and Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He's gigantic and it would look really cool.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think, I think it would look great.
neocharge: ah yeah I'm going to have that in my background when we go on video, which should be soonish. We're working on stuff. We really are for you guys.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Cool.
neocharge: So, yeah. But, yeah, you got to crack those at some point. You got to display them figure like When I figure out how to display them, I'll let you know.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I do
neocharge: And, yeah, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i do.
neocharge: It's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I You're right.
neocharge: So, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I should.
neocharge: ah So, yeah, no packs, but those those figures, I'll show them when you come over, Bob. They're ah they're awesome. this Look like they're ripped right out of the game. So,
Leon Lionheartly: That's awesome.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah. But yeah, other than that, life's ah um it's been good and everything's, you know, a lot of changes and everything's gravy. Let's just say that. ah Yeah, I haven't played a lot of Death Stranding 2. I plan to, though.
neocharge: and we we'll get there when we can. so i Let's see. So, Bob, i you're not going to say it this time, but I'm going to say it that where can people find us?
neocharge: Wait a second. Hold on. Is it Linktree? No. We finally fucking figured this out. We got it. Guess what? You go to shapesofgaming.com.
Leon Lionheartly: you.
neocharge: Whoa.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's really complicated.
neocharge: And it... Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't know if I can remember that.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Can you say it again?
neocharge: Yeah, I'm not goingnna um not going to spell it out.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): to Just for me.
neocharge: It's shapesofgaming.com or https s forward slash colon forward slash forward slash shapesofgaming.com. That's going to take you right to our link tree.
neocharge: And that's going to give you the Discord link. That's going to give you the YouTube. That's going to give you the podcast. Everything. You go to shapesofgaming.com. If you want to join our Discord, bunch of people on the Discord, we have a bunch of cool conversations.
neocharge: ah People ask questions.
Leon Lionheartly: And.
neocharge: We read them on the cast. we We have a blast over there. Bob and I are pretty frequent on there. Admiral Murps here is on there as well. And we have fun over there. So um it's no longer the linkt tree link tree, link.tre. I'm not even going to say it. It's shapesofgaming.com.
neocharge: So... We finally got that figured out. It was some back-end wizardry bullshit with the DNS and the A record and forwarding. And fuck. I mean, if only we were in IT.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): 13 episodes later. me that feedback loop. right
Leon Lionheartly: yeah It only took 14 episodes, folks.
neocharge: Right? If only you were a fucking network admin.
Leon Lionheartly: I don't know. Hey, hey, hey. As a network guy, it's never DNS is never a network problem.
neocharge: Right. Right.
Leon Lionheartly: That's what I always say. If you know if you're an IT guy, you know what I'm saying.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): give me that feedback loop
neocharge: Oh, yeah. Yes. So we got that figured out, finally. If you want to join our Discord, if you... And we're we're going to strengthen our social media presence.
neocharge: ah Thanks to Altier123, I think, on Discord. A good friend of mine, good ah great listener of the show. He's been here since day one.
neocharge: And he's going to help us out with the social media stuff. We're going to Altier... Two, three, all to your 23. So shout out to you. Thank you for helping helping us out with the social media stuff.
neocharge: We're going to bolster our social media presence and ah get you some clips up there.
Leon Lionheartly: I don't know.
neocharge: ah Maybe get some more posts, stuff like that.
Leon Lionheartly: I think you're a good one.
neocharge: Bob and I don't do social media personally. ah We're not really into social media. So we're getting the community involved. we're We're shaping this as we go. And yeah, it's kind of like a ah community...
Leon Lionheartly: you're a good one. I don't know.
neocharge: ah
Leon Lionheartly: got it.
neocharge: I don't know, effort.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah. So, it's all right.
neocharge: So that's what we love.
Leon Lionheartly: No. No.
neocharge: So if you want to help with stuff where I think we're looking for like, ah I don't know, in-person video production, ah in person, unfortunately, eventually in the future, we have a lot of fun ideas.
Leon Lionheartly: No
neocharge: So this is only phase one of Shapes of Gaming. We're shaping it as we go. And ah where we appreciate everyone in the community going along on this journey. And we have guests like Caleb here.
neocharge: um We're going to more guests. So we can do it. You're anywhere in the world. We can do it. And we love it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): There can only be one.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
neocharge: So, yeah. um Let's see. It is the last episode of the month. So we do have to do the state of the draft. And guess what? Admiral Murphs here is on our draft.
neocharge: So we have three of the six people on our draft.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): many
neocharge: ah Bob, you are do you want to about it a little bit? Or do you want me to just keep going with the draft stuff? I can i can keep going. It's up to you.
Leon Lionheartly: I don't want to talk about it, man. I don't want to talk about it at all.
neocharge: um've been I've been talking a lot. I'll talk more. ah Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): air flash
Leon Lionheartly: No, seriously.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: As a joking, a couple of games came through for myself and you.
neocharge: No, I know.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: um
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: And I'm not saying I bet on the wrong horse, but but I definitely think there's somebody in a substantial lead because both Shadow Labyrinth and Wu Chang Fallen Feathers came out.
Leon Lionheartly: Shadow Labyrinth got me a single point. ah
neocharge: wow
Leon Lionheartly: And...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was so bummed for you, man.
Leon Lionheartly: um
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I really was. Because, like, i I mean, I wanted to play the game anyway, and now I don't.
neocharge: I didn't think that was. Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but Which sucks. Like, I don't. i It just doesn't.
neocharge: Oh, shit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: So i look I haven't played it yet, so keep in mind, I will put that as a full disclosure. I will probably get to it. um I'm going to try to fit it in somewhere because it doesn't look like that long. But did you read any of the reviews that came out on this, Caleb?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Like some of the in-depth reviews?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i've I've only read like two or three smaller ones that basically said it just, there wasn't enough to keep it interesting for the course of the game.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I feel like that's spoiler free. You know, they they didn't go into much, ah but I didn't, I was just so disappointed when I saw that number for you.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was just like, man, I mean, cause I am going to play it just not right now. When the fuck am I going time to do that with death stranding and everything else in my life?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: When?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Ninja guide and rage bound. We'll get to that. But like, you know, I, I'm really excited for that.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I haven't even touched Donkey Kong Bonanza, which I was going to, and then I just haven't. So as far as Labyrinth is concerned, i was just like, you're going be on the back burner.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You'll probably be a really fun seven out of 10 for me. But, you know, if you were like an 83 or above, it would be a let's do this now kind of thing.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
neocharge: going be a little picky now, right? Because of like the time.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: and yeah What I read, I've read a couple. People are saying it's too hard.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, really? Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, that's what got me.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm like, it's a Metroidvania, it's a platformer, like a 2D platformer, Metroidvania, whatever chip way you want to put it. And ah I heard, well, there are there is too hard there are parts of it that are too hard in the late game.
Leon Lionheartly: like Then why the... No offense, and I don't mean this in any disrespect, but then why the fuck are you playing the game? i mean
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: like
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: that's ah so that's ah That's a Madden guy going to review Elden Ring going, man, this game sucks. It's too hard. Well, no shit.
neocharge: even
Leon Lionheartly: You don't understand. so um I'm just putting it out there. i don't mean I'm not naming anybody in particular, but to write that made me... I lost a little bit of faith in the review community and the critic community that were...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So can I ask, were they saying that it was too hard ah for them or mechanically like the game wasn't working?
neocharge: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Because there are times in ah in in a game that's supposed to be that tight where you, the player, if you make a mistake, you know, it's like, ah, fuck, I suck at this.
neocharge: It's good point.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and And like, it's really hard, but you're not necessarily, I mean, you're mad because everybody gets a little mad when they fail, but like, you know, you're not like mad at the game, but you know, if if it's like, no, I fucking did that.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And this jump isn't working. You know, it's like like the pixels are too far or whatever in this case.
neocharge: Right. It was a little hit or miss. It was a little bit of both, but yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay. Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: Yep. ye
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's a bummer.
neocharge: Yeah. Uh, yeah, we got, we got some low scoring, uh, games, unfortunately.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank
neocharge: I'll just go down the list. Uh, Mecca break. Um, that was the underdog gaming solo.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): the
neocharge: Uh, that was another 71. He got one point.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Poor guy.
neocharge: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Poor guy.
neocharge: yeah ah Yeah, he he is going to get last, unfortunately, because he's he's all out of bid money. Fake money, by the way, everyone. And he's he's going to get dead last, unfortunately.
neocharge: I think every single one of his games, except Borderlands 4, that's going to hit, fortunately for you, Bob, and Mafia, the maa the old country.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. right
neocharge: ah So he's probably going to land around 80, 85, eighty eighty five Uh, Tony Hawk pro skater three and four released. I got a solid 13 points from that. I'm happy with that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Not bad. Not bad.
neocharge: Uh, Donkey Kong bonanza came out of fucking nowhere. And even with the, uh, performance issues, it got a 91. It is in game of the year territory.
neocharge: Uh, it's probably going to get nominated and I got 23 points from that. Jesus. Uh, and then yeah, shadow labyrinth. We just talked about that. Wu Chang fallen feathers.
neocharge: Unfortunately. I mean, ah so, fortunately 75 is pretty solid and it's like considered a good game i think it landed at 76 so you got six points from that single digits are a little hard to swallow unfortunately that was yeah and that was you leon lionheart and let's see uh ninja guy and rage mount
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: ah That one hit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): oh We knew it was going to be good.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Come on. It worked great at the trailer.
neocharge: I knew that. that was that was Dude, that wasn't ah even a pickup. That was one of my drafts games when we did the draft. It was my fifth pick.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I know because you picked it right before I got to and i was it was my next game and I was like, you motherfucker.
neocharge: And I got an eight.
neocharge: Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: same here same here so don't worry we're all on that same page
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): All right.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I would have lost it twice then because it was him and then you were in the middle of the of the pack.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So yeah.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah That was a good get though.
neocharge: So...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was a really good get.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: Yeah, yeah. 87. So i'm I'm picking up 17 points from that. I think that's going to crack three figures for me. ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Nice.
neocharge: And I still have sort of the C1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 games coming out.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank
neocharge: We'll see if one of them comes out. We haven't heard anything from it, which is concerning.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, dude. It's almost August.
neocharge: I know.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Like what the fuck?
Leon Lionheartly: you.
neocharge: I know.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Anyway.
neocharge: It's got to hit holiday, right? If it hits holiday, we're we're like four months out from holiday.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, what were we saying months ago? Like November? we were thinking maybe November 7th through the 15th, something like that.
neocharge: Yeah. I mean, there's there's no way it's not going to hit before holiday. There's there's no way they're going to release a Metroid Prime in December, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, although in the past, Nintendo has done that like air errant December 3rd through the 8th.
neocharge: Yeah, that's true.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Now, this is before the Game Awards. This is before all that shit. Like, I'm pretty sure when the GameCube came out, I think Smash Brothers, the Smash Brothers on GameCube, I think it did get delayed after launch of the GameCube, but I think it came out like mid, to early to mid-December.
Leon Lionheartly: think that's a good question.
neocharge: and he
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So it's not unprecedented, but we do live in 2025 now.
Leon Lionheartly: good question.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I don't know.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i I'm not gonna lie to you, man.
Leon Lionheartly: I think that's good question.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I feel like it's toast. That's just me because it's almost August, but I don't know.
neocharge: Me too.
Leon Lionheartly: I think that's a good question.
neocharge: Me too. We'll see. ah We have a partner direct tomorrow. They're not going to say anything about it, but the next direct they might.
Leon Lionheartly: I think that's good
neocharge: I to have kind of lost hope, but we'll see. There's um I'm still hopeful. Of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: ah Let's see. People are sitting on at the like the standings for the draft. Um, ah We got Admiral Murphs at 90 or no, 93 points.
neocharge: um Fallen Awake Mystic Rank, 87 points. Neo Charge Me, 86 points. Leon Lionheart, you Bob, 67 points. And Solo um with only two left, 64 points. So projections, Solo's fifth.
neocharge: Lionheart's fourth.
Leon Lionheartly: Only two more points and I got my goal.
neocharge: Oh yeah, you're going to get it. You're going to get it
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: But yeah, ah Podium is right now sitting me, Fallen Wake, and you, Caleb, Admiral Merp. So you got we'll we'll see how it goes. It's anybody's game still.
neocharge: It really is anybody's game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): For the first time I ever drafted, I've never done this before. My goal was to not get anything below an 80.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That was it. And games that I would be interested in. And South of Midnight fucked me.
neocharge: Yep. You failed.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): let's what
neocharge: yeah And you know what else fucked you?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Which is kind of bullshit.
neocharge: Atelier Yumiya, the alchemist of memories in the envisioned land, fucked you too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, I thought that was going to get an 80. So a 79 is really not that crazy. mean, you know, that was like, ah, this is like the lowest one that I can pull right now for the draft because somebody stole Ninja Gaiden Ragebound and some other games.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: what I think we have a problem from
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: And you you're seeing new conversion. You have to data.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah But no, i I really think the thing that rubs me the wrong way the most about South of Midnight isn't that it scored a 77.
Leon Lionheartly: looking at new conversion. You're looking at new conversion. looking at a new conversion.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's that I actually, I started to change my mind on it about two weeks before.
Leon Lionheartly: You're
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I was like, you know what? I just don't think it's going to be
Leon Lionheartly: looking at new conversion.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): scored well it might be good but i don't think it's going to be scored well i tried to drop it and no reviews had come out yet no official reviews so i was like cool and then like i think the friday before a couple early reviews came out and so it locked me from dropping it i was like cock gobblers and i didn't know that i mean i just didn't i knew that you had to drop it before reviews came out but i didn't realize they were going to come out with early reviews and dick me over yeah
Leon Lionheartly: You're looking at a new conversion.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: oh
neocharge: Oh, yep.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Oh, yeah, you gotta... You got to pay attention to the review embargo.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, i tried to find one and and I mean, shame on me.
neocharge: um
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I couldn't find one and I didn't care that much because I was getting ready for my trip to France.
neocharge: oh yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I was like, ah, fuck it.
neocharge: Gotcha.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But yeah, that's that's the only real major bummer for me.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah But everything else, i' i feel I'm standing by all my calls.
neocharge: Yeah, it's solid.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm good with that. I'll take second placement.
neocharge: You're doing solid. Yeah, you're doing solid. is And so are you, Leon Lionheart. I know I'm um calling you by your fucking name, Bob. ah are yeah
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: You got a lot of good ones coming out. But speaking of what's coming out, August, we got a lot of shit coming out.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh my God.
neocharge: Let's see. Mafia the Old Country for underdog gaming solo. um That's going to hit. I think that's going to get a ah solid 80 plus easily.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'd say 85, 86. Yeah. Yeah.
neocharge: Mafia.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): said
neocharge: Yeah, mid 80s.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: Sword of the Sea. So for me, um I think that's going to hit because it's it's Journey. It's Austin Wintry doing the composing. It's ah That Game Company, which did... ah I mean, or no, I'm sorry, Giant Squid, which ah did Abzu.
neocharge: like I think it's going to hit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: I think it's going be awesome.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank
neocharge: And it's finally got a release date. Gears of War Reloaded. The originals got up in the 90s. I think that's going to hit for me too. It's going to get 90 plus.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: ah This one's going to hit for you, Bob. This is a solid one. Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater. ah You're going to get high 80s on this one. Might even crack 90s if they do well.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah I think it's going to get an 88.
neocharge: Because, I mean, this is a classic, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think it's an 88 based on, yeah, that's my guess for snake eater.
neocharge: Yeah. 88. You heard it here.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Watch it get like a 95 and I'll be like, well, good for you.
neocharge: ah
Leon Lionheartly: I was going to yeah isn' it ah there's an outside chance.
neocharge: Right? Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Fuck my draft. Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: ah We've already seen what that team has yeah can do recently.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): True.
Leon Lionheartly: So it's, yeah and Oblivion did really well.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: he
Leon Lionheartly: ah So there's a chance because I'm sorry, i don't mean to speak bad to the Oblivion fans out there, but you're comparing apples and oranges. Snake Eater is by far a better game at the end of the day.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, if you ignore genre type and stuff as as a production value and stuff, yes, I agree.
neocharge: Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: Yes. Yeah. um This one I'm concerned about and because we haven't heard anything from it and it releases in about a month. Lost Soul Aside. um It already got delayed. I have this drafted.
neocharge: I don't know, man. I think it might not crack 80. ah We'll see. i hope they're kind of just in reserve, ready to just surprise everyone. And i I am going to buy it. I have it pre-ordered. It's on my list. I love the style and like it's Devil May Cry and kind of with Forspoken. i know that doesn't sound good, but I love Forspoken and it looks incredible. They they showed a ton of environments.
neocharge: i I still think it's going to hit. i think it'll get 80 plus, but I feel like it won't be well received and it might not crack 80.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): If you're going to drop it, can you wait until after the first couple reviews come out?
neocharge: I'm not going to drop it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: drop No, not going to drop it. I stuck my flag. I picked this up and I still think it's going to be great. PlayStation is behind it. They're going to be awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: And lastly, at the end of the month, I think this is going to hit for you. ah it kind of in the vein of Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi Art of Vengeance.
Leon Lionheartly: so
neocharge: Stats and Plats. That's yours, Caleb. I think it's going to hit for you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i am island I am behind that a thousand percent.
neocharge: 80 plus.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think it looks awesome.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, I think Ninja Gaiden looked awesome too, and i'm I'm really excited to play it.
neocharge: Yep.
neocharge: Did you get it pre-ordered? You could only pre-order it from a limited run.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, i I didn't because I just didn't. i I'm probably going to get it digitally like a fucking schmuck, but I guess I just, yeah, I don't know.
neocharge: Right. Yeah, no.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Now that it's gotten really high scores, though, I might change my mind and wait for
neocharge: Well, not not Ragebound. Shinobi.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, Shinobi.
neocharge: Heart of Vengeance. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, yeah. well
neocharge: Ragebound, you can get it at Best Buy.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay.
neocharge: However, interestingly, the physical version is $15 more than the digital version. You can get it on $25.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: So, I mean, you get you get the the soundtrack, some little ah physical goodies in there, but $15 more for the physical version? Interesting.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, the soundtrack, I would pay that.
neocharge: Interesting.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): would pay, you know, 10 to 15 bucks away.
neocharge: Yeah. Well, it depends, right? If they lock the soundtrack to the PS5 dashboard, fuck is that?
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, fuck that. yeah Yeah, that's stupid. That's stupid.
neocharge: come on give me a code so I can, you know, redeem it at, in my, uh, music streaming platform of my choice, right? Like movies anywhere and stuff like that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: But dude, a lot of the soundtracks you get on these collector's editions, they lock it as an app to the dashboard on the PS five.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's so dumb.
neocharge: If I want to listen to the fucking music, it's not going to be on the PS five. I'm going be playing the fucking game and listening to the music on the PS five.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Right? And like, I have Apple Music. People have Spotify. Right? It's probably on there. Why the fuck do they do that? Like, I don't get it. don't understand it. Give me the disc at that point.
neocharge: Right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Exactly. Yes. Give me the disc at that point. So I at least have something to show people like whether they want to, Hey, do you want to hear it?
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't have a CD player anymore, but if we did, could, we could play it right now.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Right. So yeah, that's the state of the draft. but We wanted to, we we like to do a state of the draft at the end of every ah the episode for the end of the month. And we like going over it. It's fun. I hope you guys are having a blast. I always have a blast every year.
neocharge: And yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. going to have more of a blast if Lost Solicide gets a three.
neocharge: So
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then I...
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, i'm just kidding.
neocharge: three, if I get three points, cause that's possible.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i think I think the game looks good. yeah No, I...
Leon Lionheartly: No, it's going to hit a zero because it's going to get delayed unexpectedly.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, well...
neocharge: Fuck. Yeah. I could see that. I could see that. We haven't heard anything from it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's true.
neocharge: We haven't heard anything from it. And it's a month out.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They were good about...
neocharge: We got just a...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, when did they delay it the first time? When they delayed...
neocharge: They should be going Gold Master right now.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yeah, they should. I mean...
neocharge: They delayed it a couple months. um And they delayed it three months ago for a couple to a few months. I don't know.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but do you remember when they announced it? Was it like a month out or was it couple months out?
neocharge: Hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Cause I thought it was relatively close to now before, you know, cause it was supposed to come out in what may.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I think or July.
neocharge: ah July. it was supposed come out in July.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay. Well maybe it got delayed in May.
neocharge: May? Maybe it was May.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, whatever, whatever.
neocharge: I don't know. I forget.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I thought it was May fifteenth but I,
neocharge: Delays. I don't care about delays for games. I really don't care. Like, ah make your game good. Delay it if it's not good. Keep working on it. Release a super polished, awesome game.
neocharge: Because what did Miyamoto say?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, agreed.
neocharge: What was his famous quote?
Leon Lionheartly: Depends on what what do you mean by that.
neocharge: Anyone? his With delayed games. Like a delayed game.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, yeah, yeah.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Go ahead.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Go ahead. you You know this.
neocharge: I forget it. Maybe.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What is it?
neocharge: I forget it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Like a broken game is broken forever, but a delayed game could be good or still be good?
neocharge: It's like...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): or so i don't I don't remember it either.
neocharge: Something like that. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i should remember that and I don't.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Me too.
Leon Lionheartly: and
neocharge: Me too.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah I'm trying to remember. It's something to that effect.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): This is 40.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): This is what happens when you're 40. You can't fucking remember anything that was important to you. that' quite few
neocharge: Right?
Leon Lionheartly: ah you blame You blame age. I blame all the pot, but that's a different story.
neocharge: Okay. A delayed game is eventually good, but a rush game is bad forever.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's what it was. Sure.
neocharge: Yep. So that old internet, I remembered that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sage wisdom, Miyamoto.
neocharge: I didn't just look it up for sure. Uh, no, 100%.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, we don't have information at our fingertips. That was all on your frontal lobe, I remember.
neocharge: I, I, I access the annals of my brain.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I watched it.
neocharge: Um, so yeah, right.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He said, animal.
neocharge: Uh, yeah, yeah
neocharge: Let's get into the news.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's a good idea.
neocharge: Let's get into this the news. ah Let's see. We got new PS Plus monthly games. You want to go over those, Bob? You want to go over the new games we have?
Leon Lionheartly: you say...
neocharge: Which are awesome games. And one of them, I'm excited for everyone else, but I bought, unfortunately. So...
Leon Lionheartly: and yeah you know you say on
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And you bought it for me as a Christmas present or a Hanukkah present.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You bought me the same game. So I'm yeah i'm also thrilled for other people. Thank you again.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Great game.
neocharge: You're welcome.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: we yeah It's funny. This game came up, and I wonder if it's big yeah with ah another buddy of mine, and I wonder if it's because of this announcement, but ah this month, well, this month, I say august ah big month ah big game lies of p um
neocharge: Uh huh.
Leon Lionheartly: This game, I've recommended it to Matt. I've recommended it to a few other buddies. And I gotta say, this game, everybody I've recommended it to, i haven't gotten any feedback about negativity.
Leon Lionheartly: um
neocharge: you
Leon Lionheartly: if yeah For those that don't know, think of this as a the best Souls-like and not light, but like game that's not developed by FromSoft.
Leon Lionheartly: um Very Bloodborne, gothic, ah inspired, ah but with puppets. And it's very, very heavily inspired on um the world of Pinocchio.
Leon Lionheartly: And I'm not talking the Disney animated classic, folks. I'm talking the the original stuff that's very dark and grim.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: um Hey, oh, especially since you made it. i wrote it. But... Go look at it. Check this out. um ah Too bad I already bought it. Too bad I'm going to get the DLC.
Leon Lionheartly: um But if you haven't gotten it, definitely go check this out.
neocharge: yeah
Leon Lionheartly: um Let's see. What else do we got? Oh, we got DayZ coming out. um I don't... Be honest. This has got... I'm not so trying to talk bad about it, but it it doesn't have my interest. ah Zombie games were 15 years ago.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and And not as interesting when you keep doing the same thing. And i I say that about movies.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I say that about books. I say, you know, this game didn't really do it for me either when I saw it.
Leon Lionheartly: moves pretty fast.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm happy for those that might be interested.
Leon Lionheartly: first by
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But for me, I'm just, I don't have time for that right now.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't.
neocharge: Hmm. Yeah. But Bob, yeah, you did recommend Liza P to me. And I played it. It's one of my top three Soulsborns of all time. I was getting on your case about playing it, Caleb.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: like I was like, you got to play it. And I was just like, you know what? Fuck it. I'm buying it for you, sending it to you. And you you got it. You played it. You loved it. And we got DLC.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I did.
neocharge: We got DLC coming out for it. So.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And you were mad at me when I fought a certain boss.
neocharge: Oh, my God.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): he sure how How long did that take you?
Leon Lionheartly: I'm what you're
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I actually i didn't know which boss you were talking about because the name didn't mean anything to me because I beat it the first try.
neocharge: Two hours?
Leon Lionheartly: sure what doing. I'm not sure what you're doing.
neocharge: Uh-huh. Bob hasn't even fought it because it's a secret boss.
Leon Lionheartly: not what you're
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, okay. Well, oops.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not what doing.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then I will say, though, when I had to go back and you have to beat the game two more times, unless you save scum and all that, ah when I went back to do it again, because I just didn't do it the right way, the third time was a lot more difficult.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not sure what you're doing. not sure what you're doing.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not doing. sure you're doing. I'm not what doing. what you're doing. I'm not sure what you're doing.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That motherfucker can eat my ass. But regardless...
neocharge: Oh my god.
Leon Lionheartly: I
neocharge: One of the hardest bosses I've ever fought in a video game. Uh-huh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was very well done. That's the thing. When I would lose, when I went back, the only pride that was embarrassing was because the first time was kind of a joke. I mean, I really just read, ate right through it.
neocharge: Uh-huh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then, you know, you're, oh man, you're going get your ass kicked. And I did, i did i did a handful of times. i mean, I think I died, what, five times, which is still pretty damn good against that boss. But shit, like that, that boss was awesome.
neocharge: That's real good, dude. Crazy. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm excited for you to get to it, Bob. You'll have to report back.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: i think I think I know which boss you're talking about.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): sure
neocharge: Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: um but yeah we'll definitely take
neocharge: Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: I know somebody who's gone. I think he got the platinum on that one. um And he did not save Scum it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Same Zs.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Ooh.
neocharge: No, I didn't save scum.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): the Same Zs.
neocharge: got the plat.
Leon Lionheartly: Jesus, that's that's in some good company here.
neocharge: I played it three and a half times.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): There is not a Souls game that I have not platinumed that I've played.
neocharge: Very cool.
Leon Lionheartly: Respect.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Demon's Souls, all the Dark Souls, Elden Ring.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I guess I haven't played Night Reign, but I don't really care that much about it, to be honest. I feel like I played Elden Ring, so I could be fine in Night Reign. If you boys wanted to play with me, I would be more than happy to get it.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But I feel like I would go...
neocharge: Hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: Hmm.
neocharge: When?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, exactly, when? Maybe when Bob and I are done with Death Stranding, and and then 17 years from now, when you are also done with this Death Stranding.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: Hmm. Hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
neocharge: Yeah. My chiral network expansion is is not going well, but soon will be for sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I have zero likes from you, you son of a bitch.
neocharge: Yeah. Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: That's what I'm saying.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: I'm helping him out.
neocharge: Hey, I helped build the roads.
Leon Lionheartly: He's not building any road not contributing to any roads. not contributing shit.
neocharge: I will soon, very soon. It's going to happen. um But yeah, if you haven't played Liza P and you love Bloodborne or any Soulsborne, really, dude, it's so good. It's so good.
neocharge: ah go
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: You don't you have to buy it now. You get it for free. Well, it's it's included in your subscription, right? So, and then another one, My Hero 1's Justice, which I assume is My Hero Academia.
neocharge: It looks like the same font.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: I don't know.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, yep, you're right on this one. ah It's a fighting action game. it's i don't want to say anime slop because it sounds kind of kind of condescending and it has a negative connotation, but it's anime slop.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
Leon Lionheartly: It's licensed anime slop.
neocharge: Oh,
Leon Lionheartly: um If you like My Hero Academia, you might be interested. I just don't know anybody that's personally played it. I don't know anybody that knows anything about it, but ah definitely if you've played it, i I'm curious to hear about it because I played the Budokai games back in the day and those were fucking awesome.
neocharge: whom oh yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, drop thoughts in the Discord because I also want to know.
neocharge: Yeah, that was. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I wanted to watch My Hero Academia on Netflix and then I just didn't.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I never got around to it because of everything else. ah
neocharge: Do we have an anime channel? If we don't, we need to create one and we're going to. So there will be an anime channel in the discord.
Leon Lionheartly: no
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Call it Channamay.
Leon Lionheartly: That's it. Pandora's box, my friend.
neocharge: Yeah, whatever. Like it already isn't with some of the channels.
Leon Lionheartly: right. That's fair. Okay.
neocharge: It's quite the community there. Keep on, uh, keep the conversation going. Whatever you want to say. We don't care.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah I'm not going to lie.
neocharge: Just but don't be an asshole. No,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I've opened some of those things in in public and I've just gone, yikes, and closed it real fast. not the Again, not talking shit about anybody. Be yourselves.
neocharge: no
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's great.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But I laugh and then my wife looks at me like, what's going on? And I say, you don't care.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You just don't care about this.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Trust me.
neocharge: Nope. but we we love it. The Discord community is continuing to grow, and hopefully people will ah be able to go to the link now because it's just Shapes of Gaming. and be able to
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: ah Let's see. ah The ROG Xbox Ally got pricing, and it's interesting and steep.
neocharge: So the ROG Xbox Ally, the standard model, is going to be
neocharge: $599. Between $599 and $690 USD. i that's That's a lot. That's a lot for a handheld.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): here's So here's a question for either of you, because I i am not a PC gamer anymore.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I still know enough about PC gaming, not as much as I would like to for as much as I love the game world.
neocharge: Neither mind.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But knowing what I know about the Switch and Switch 2, its hardware, and all the other portable things, an iPad you can even use as a Switch or even you get an iPad as an Xbox now if you want it to be.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): um Do you know what the operating system is on this um this handheld?
neocharge: Windows...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Because that that makes a huge difference in price.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: windows
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It really does.
Leon Lionheartly: So from my understanding, um and I would have to go dig into it, but from my understanding, this is a... ah So Microsoft, ah not Xbox, but Microsoft has two mainline operating systems that they kind of support.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: ah One of them being the Windows desktop experience, which is your Windows 11 and everything else, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, yes.
Leon Lionheartly: If you remember from back in the day of Windows 10 and people were like, shut up, nerd. aye They had that desktop or the tablet ah mode that you could switch into that would get rid of like the start menu and start bar.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: That's been kind of put to the side from my understanding with Windows 11. but it's called Windows NT, which is kind of like a stripped down version of Windows.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm willing to bet this is basically, and I i would have to go look at ah ah some tech ah videos on this, but I'm willing to bet that's what it is. It's Windows NT because they can customize the shell on the NT ah very effectively to meet customers' needs.
Leon Lionheartly: um Believe it or not, you'll see that a lot with like your checkout systems at Walmarts or Targets and things like that, lot of times they're when running up basically a Windows NT under the hood with a custom shell.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Right.
Leon Lionheartly: So I'm willing to bet that's what it is. um how that integrates Which makes sense because it integrates with like ah Steam and stuff very easily if those rumors are true................
neocharge: Yeah. So,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, that's that's kind of my issue with it because i have a Steam Deck. For not being a PC gamer, i my mother actually was she worked on ah on a couple big movies that year that it came out, and I didn't have any other requests, and I just you know threw a Hail Mary and said, well, about a Steam Deck, Mom?
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And she was like, fuck it. i Sure, why not? and And that was very cool.
neocharge: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): um And I've... I don't play it as much as my other things, and that's not because it's bad. It's it's an awesome kit. Trust me, the hardware is great. I actually run mostly emulated stuff from games that I own all the way back to the Atari, but I was playing Dissidia on it, Dissidia Final Fantasy from the PSP with a bigger screen and a big old meaty.
neocharge: Awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It ran really well. it was great. So that was fun. The thing is, I can't justify this ROG price when you compare it to a Steam Deck and when you compare it to other things that can do a lot more.
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Exactly.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I don't know if that just makes me a jerk or if I'm just under-informed, which is why I figured if you guys knew what operating system it ran on, if it was a Windows 11 or a Windows-based anything, that's great.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): If it's just an Xbox and Steam portal, I mean, that thing is twice the price it should be. Unless the battery is $5,000 long, then then fine.
neocharge: Mm-hmm. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But it's not. I know the battery is not. So I was just genuinely curious if you guys knew more about it at that price.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: And keep in mind that ah these are just the UK prices that were announced. So ah for the Ally regular, 599 euro.
neocharge: And the Ally X, this is where it jumps up, 899 euro. eu
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Jesus Christ.
neocharge: so Yeah, that's, I mean, so it's probably going to be pretty similar ah in price in USD, but it's just really, really expensive.
neocharge: ah And it's pricey.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, if it's 600 euro, then it's probably going to be about 500 bucks.
Leon Lionheartly: Sorry, guys. Did they...
neocharge: when
Leon Lionheartly: No, no, no, no.
neocharge: Windows 11.
Leon Lionheartly: did you so Did you just...
neocharge: Powered by Windows 11. Oh,
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, powered by Windows 11. So the question is, did you say that's in pounds or euros? There's a big difference.
neocharge: sorry. The E with the cross through it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The euro. Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: The euro.
neocharge: Euro, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: ah The euro is kicking our ass.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So maybe 550. Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: No, the euro is kicking our ass, gentlemen. I'm looking at it right now. As of today, euro is, according to the calculators, I'm getting, it's about 1.14 US dollars to a euro.
Leon Lionheartly: You're looking at almost $700 for that base one.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, damn.
neocharge: Yeah. Wow. That's...
Leon Lionheartly: Out. ouch
neocharge: Yeah. So, i I don't care. but That's right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You're right. and That doesn't affect us.
neocharge: It doesn't affect us, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
neocharge: We just got Switch 2s. um But damn, things are things are increasing. And I don't know if this is the best move from Xbox. But we'll see.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I really hope for them.
neocharge: don't know.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I do. I want them to succeed so much.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah, me too. Competition is good.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I want them to succeed somewhere and they're not succeeding anywhere except Indiana Jones and the great circle.
neocharge: Me too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's like the only thing I can, and and Gears of War when it comes out, I have no doubt that that's going to be a lot of fun, but and they really need win somewhere.
neocharge: Right. Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): guess iss i can't otherwise.
neocharge: Right there. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: But yeah, anyway, ah we'll see how that shakes out for him.
Leon Lionheartly: What did you get? OK. I see. I'll go get.
neocharge: This next ah news item is very interesting. I'm glad it's happening. ah It's a shake up in the industry. But Tencent. Tencent. uh, has a game they showed called light of moterum light of moterum. I don't know how to fucking say it.
neocharge: It's straight up a copy, a, a rip off of horizon.
Leon Lionheartly: Okay.
neocharge: If you, if you're curious, go watch the, uh, the trailer. It came out a long time ago. ah And it it's straight up a ripoff of Horizon.
neocharge: So Sony said, ah fuck you. And that looks like Horizon. And they said they're they're suing them. They're suing Tencent. So Sony has filed a lawsuit against Tencent for allegedly ripping off the Horizon video games.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: So well ah they i'm I saw the trailer and I was like, dude, this is a ah straight ripoff. Have you guys seen the trailer?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, I'm pretty sure when it came out, when that trailer was shown, I think you and I texted each other at the same time, Horizon, I mean, this is again, not like a racist thing, but I think I said Horizon Zero China or something like that.
neocharge: Yep.
neocharge: You're right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And you and you were just like, yeah, what the fuck? and And then we just kind of moved on because I thought maybe it's not, maybe it just looks a lot like that in this initial trailer, but boy, it is kind of blatant.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It is kind of blatant.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh my...
neocharge: ah It's, yeah. Oh, you're watching.
Leon Lionheartly: hold Holy...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Are you just now seeing it, Bob?
neocharge: Okay, cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: We're getting a reaction live. Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: Holy shit.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: This is... Like, Pal World is coming up on the line.
neocharge: e
Leon Lionheartly: and this is...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: ah You know what? I'm going to step over the line and see what happens ah in terms of, like, what can we get and get away with? That's what this feels like. Because I'm looking the aesthetic, the environment, the...
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Yeah, it's we have it's we have horizon at home.
Leon Lionheartly: enemy
Leon Lionheartly: The only thing that's different that I somewhat see is, um and you guys, ah you will you know what I mean by this. You remember when Ocarina of Time started the Z-targeting situation?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yes
Leon Lionheartly: I see a lot of that and with the with the combat here.
neocharge: Mm hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: But ah changing the combat style a little bit, no, that doesn't. This is the classic effect of, can I probably copy your homework? Yeah, but change it up just a little so the teacher doesn't think it yeah happened.
neocharge: great Right, right.
Leon Lionheartly: That's exactly what's going on here. um I've got mixed feelings about Tencent, and I don't care one way or another about about whether they thrive or not.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: But you do that, I give you the big middle finger. That is way too...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Dude, I feel like they should have named it for real.
Leon Lionheartly: date
neocharge: that's a That's a whole podcast topic.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I feel like at this point they should say, all right, fine. We'll concede. We'll change the name. And then they should name it Harozen Zoro Dern. it's like I mean, it's so close.
neocharge: Here's... Here's the kicker. And here's why Sony is is very involved in this. But they said Tencent tried to come to them in 2024 and requested to license Horizon.
neocharge: And Sony's like, no.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Right, that's ours.
neocharge: No, we were're we're holding the license and Tencent's like, all right, we're just going to fucking copy you then. And Sony's like, ah no, you're not. we're We're fucking suing you. So I'm happy to see this, honestly. like This is a blatant ripoff. Bob, you're watching it now.
neocharge: I mean, you can't do this. You can't do this.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): His face, for those people at home that can't see that this, his face is just everything Matt and I went through, and it's great.
Leon Lionheartly: What?
neocharge: Right?
Leon Lionheartly: and So it's...
neocharge: His face. Yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I can see a little bit on his glasses, too, so it's like I know where he is.
neocharge: Right. but what What was the release date? What was the release date of this trailer, Bob?
Leon Lionheartly: all the
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Three days after the next Zelda.
Leon Lionheartly: let me get let me go Let me go look because i have i have something else that this reminds me of.
neocharge: It's been a while.
Leon Lionheartly: um But while I look this up, because I know it's supposed to be a release date, um I'd have to go look at the trailer, to be honest.
neocharge: Just the the trailer release date.
Leon Lionheartly: oh
neocharge: It should show. And you if you're watching the trailer, just look.
Leon Lionheartly: november November of last year.
neocharge: Yeah. Yeah. So it's been a while. we We first saw this and I was like, what the fuck? Tencent. What are you doing?
Leon Lionheartly: You know what this reminds me of? ah and you i don't know if you gentlemen know what I'm talking about. but ah way back in the or I say way back in the day, but really it has been a while. A young up-and-coming writer out of Russia, this young child. She was like 12 or 13.
Leon Lionheartly: um I would have to go look up her name. um Toru Asawa, I think. Or no, no, no, no. Valeria Sprandia. Sprandy. She wrote this book and it was beloved within the Russian community.
Leon Lionheartly: And everybody was like, oh, this is amazing. And then the book got out into the worldwide and people went, wait a minute. This is just Ocarina of Time in a book form.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i had no idea ah
neocharge: Holy shit.
Leon Lionheartly: It legit was like some, ah and and it was like, instead of Navi, it was like Cavie or something was the ferry.
neocharge: Yeah, there's can't do that.
neocharge: Oh my God.
Leon Lionheartly: So that's what this was. Yeah. it It was almost on the dot, but yeah, that's what that just reminds me of, where you just change it up a little bit and be like, ha ha, we're going to be smart and get around it.
neocharge: yeah
Leon Lionheartly: And you're like, not really. No, there's a reason we have these rules.
neocharge: and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): did i tell you guys about my book idea it's called shame of bones nobody will guess what it's about that's
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: ah wait
neocharge: A wrong of ice and liar.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The Blightcrawlers.
Leon Lionheartly: You say the shame the shame of bones sounds like the um adult film version of that.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It is. That's my idea.
neocharge: but say
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's just porn because Game of Thrones didn't have sex in it.
neocharge: Right. Oh, yeah, right. Song of Fire and Ice, not Ice and Fire.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): A song of nice and liars. I don't know. Anyway.
neocharge: my God.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: Oh, yeah. No, this is a... if If you guys are curious, go look up Light Motiram. Motiram?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): M-O-T-I-R-A-M, right?
neocharge: Motiram? I don't...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): right
neocharge: Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: Won't fucking matter because the light's going to be snuffed out by a lawsuit.
neocharge: That's... Oh, yeah, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: if
neocharge: Sony's going to win this. It's a blatant ripoff. So ah honestly, you know, they they deserve it. And Tencent can take it. Unfortunately, they own so much of the the video game stuff out there. So ah we'll see. We'll see how that shakes out. But i I feel like Sony's going to come out ahead on this one. um Let's see.
neocharge: Good news and bad news for you, Bob. um Borderlands 4 has gone gold.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: for ah
neocharge: so that's good no i mean you lose you lose no of course right but it's it's kind of a win-lose right the drill man that counterpick they're saying it's it's like the best borderlands yet a lot of previews like game informer by the way bob did you get your game former yet
Leon Lionheartly: I win either way.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's true.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, he wins. He gets to play it. He gets to play it. We need to get to play it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: No, I have to check for today, but I still haven't.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Me either. And guess what?
neocharge: Okay.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I went to a Reddit last week, a subreddit last week because I wanted to know, well, I got an email today.
neocharge: Did you fill out the form?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): john i did i was going to wait till the end of this week because the guy on Reddit was like, the the Game Informer guy was like, wait till the end of next week.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And if you still have a problem, you haven't gotten it, let us know.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Email me here.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So this morning I get up and I got an email from Game Informer without me prompting them at all. And they said, yo dog, tell us the information, fill out the survey. We know that some people haven't gotten their thing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I will say as annoying as it is, I am very glad to see that they are being proactive enough about it.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's awesome.
neocharge: Oh yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): that's That's why I supported them in the first place.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But yeah, it fucking sucks. I want my Borderlands issue so that I can read about it.
Leon Lionheartly: sorry.
neocharge: You'll get it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): you know
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I could get it.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): digital i mean, I have the digital thing too, but the first one, i want to read the first one in print.
Leon Lionheartly: All right. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You know, that's I don't know if that's just me.
neocharge: Yes, you do. I highly recommend it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I heard what you said a couple of weeks ago.
neocharge: It's me too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I know I'm a little behind on on the podcast. I'm so sorry, gentlemen. Again, deliver packages.
neocharge: What the hell man? Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Go to the movies. I'm in the middle of your top 10 episode right now. I have heard you're both of your bottom five, if if you will.
neocharge: Hell yeah, man.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. But I heard you say very recently about reading at night before you go to bed. You don't want to look at a screen. You want to kind of unwind and and read the print.
Leon Lionheartly: and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I feel you, man.
neocharge: Exactly. like
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think that's, I get it.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm kind of like that when I wake up. A lot of people wake up and the first thing they do is look at their phones. And i I will if I'm doing a Duolingo, but I don't like to.
neocharge: It's bad for you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i ah I resorted the other day to looking at my mail from the day before.
neocharge: Mm-mm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was like, I got to go through something that's got text on it. So I want my Game Informer. And yeah, I have faith that they will get it to me. It just sucks because it's almost August, man.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What the hell?
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, man.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. yeah You know what I try and look at when I wake up? The mountain.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Is that a sex term?
neocharge: From my... No, no, the mountain.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
Leon Lionheartly: a
neocharge: No, the the actual mountain from my deck. the
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): From Game of Thrones?
neocharge: The Rockies. No. ah No. Oh, yeah. I look him up. No, I try.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You should.
neocharge: No. So it's really good. It's really good. As soon as you get up, try and go outside, get that sun on you and get that sunlight. Your your eyes, actually, your your body won't wake up until your eyes like understand that you're in the sunlight.
neocharge: it's It's kind of like part of your circadian rhythm. So the moment you get up, try and get outside and look directly in the sun.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): sure
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: I'm kidding. Don't do that. But look like outside. Look at the... look at the the the natural light right it's uh yeah right right so uh feeling the the sun on your skin actually helps you wake up too there's dude our bodies are so fucking complicated it's crazy but they if you feel the the sun on your skin if you see natural light like the sunlight hitting things it helps wake you up uh coffee helps too and i drink a lot of that too
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I open the blinds and I check for bunny rabbits in the yard and stuff. That's what I do.
Leon Lionheartly: I was going to say thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: But usually when I brew my coffee, i I slow brew my coffee. I have like this. I used to do pour over. That is just a process and you have to sit with it for like 20 minutes.
neocharge: I got an automatic pour over a coffee maker. um I wouldn't call me ah myself a coffee snob, but I'm a connoisseur of coffee. I like light roast. I like doing the pour over.
neocharge: don't like doing the pour over, but I have an automatic pour over coffee maker.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm sorry, I'm I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, I'm I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, I'm I'm
neocharge: And yeah, I drink my coffee every morning and I try and get outside in the sun. It really helps. And then, man, when you're going to sleep, like like I was saying, andm like you like, ah get rid of the screens like an hour before bed and really just try and eliminate that blue light.
neocharge: Because, dude, people are having sleep problems. And it's probably don't be on your phone like 30 minutes before bed or 30 minutes after you wake up. This has been the health podcast by Matt Stetson.
Leon Lionheartly: results may vary
neocharge: Yeah, very true. Very true. But we have a circadian rhythm and our bodies like are attuned to a lot of stuff. And technology is good. We use it for the podcast. I use it every day when I work.
neocharge: ah But it does fuck with our circadian rhythm. And you want to not have a screen as soon as you wake up or not have a screen right before bed. That's why I love print media.
neocharge: And that's why I'm so happy that Game Informer... ah finally released physical issues. And I really hope you guys get get yours.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Which brings us, Phil Slurkle, to Bob, why don't we have our fucking magazine yet?
neocharge: What the fuck, Bob? dare say you not Right.
Leon Lionheartly: I want my magazine too, man.
neocharge: Right?
Leon Lionheartly: and What the fuck? I check every day.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Can I... I do... I know me too. I feel like a kid, you know, waiting for like a package, like a game.
neocharge: It's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I go to the mail and I'm just like, you're a 40 year old man who's checking for his video game magazine. But I do, I actually quick non sequitur.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm so sorry. Cause I talked about it briefly about the top 10 episode. I'm only halfway through. So I actually, i mean, I have a feeling I know at least three of Matt's top five.
neocharge: Of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Bob, I think I know at least two of yours, but I'm excited to see the rest, but I have to say, When you guys were getting started, Bob, you kicked it off and you started to describe a game from, I believe, 1996. And immediately, this isn't a spoiler because it was couple episodes ago for people listening now.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm not kidding you. I mean, you guys should know i was listening to you in the shower, so I was naked when this started.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Ooh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You said 1996, probably.
neocharge: Were you touching yourself?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): When am I not touching myself? That's why I can't be on camera. When you guys get camera, I can't be on it because I'm just, it's going to be rated X.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes!
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah No, so i'm i'm I'm standing there and I hear you say 1996. And I'm not kidding you. I feel like you and I might just be on the save wavelength. I am not. I wish somebody were home to prove that I did this.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I yelled out, please be commanded fucking conquer red alert.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm not kidding you. As soon as you, and then you said Westwood and I was like, motherfucker. And then you want to know what made my penis go into my body instead of out?
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: like
Leon Lionheartly: Oh!
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): When Matt said, I've never heard of this game. I was like, what the fuck?
Leon Lionheartly: ah for
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was so disappointed in you as my friend. I need you to know.
neocharge: I'm sorry.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i was so upset. I can't. I mean, I know you weren't a PC gamer. I understand that.
neocharge: No.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But you hadn't even heard of Command & Conquer. Like, Red Alert was my favorite of the Command & Conquer series. It was. I loved Red Alert. Alert?
neocharge: I've heard of Command and Conquer.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: I think it was the other one.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What's that? red alert
Leon Lionheartly: for me it was right ah for me For me, it was specifically Red Alert. um
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: But you're you're right. i i think You know what I think needs to happen, Caleb? Until we get Matt to play Red Alert, I need to send him the Tim Curry clip from Red Alert 3 where he's just like, I'm going to go to the one place you can't follow me.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: Space!
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Dude, it really is like the campiest shit. And it's it's great. Because again, it was nineteen in the mid-1990s. And I played that.
neocharge: Oh, the best.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I played StarCraft. I played Warcraft 2 and 1. But man, Command & Conquer Red Alert, there was something special about that game. So I just had, I'm so sorry to completely derail for a few minutes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But Bob, i had I had to give you some respect for that choice.
neocharge: No, please. We love it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Because that I was trying to think the same thing when you guys were talking about your top 10. That it's really hard to come up with like 4 through 10. One through three are a relatively easy, easier.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah They might fluctuate a little bit, two and three, but four through 10, man.
neocharge: hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But man, when you when you started to describe Command and Conquer and you didn't even drop the Westwood, I just like shouted it out as a naked man in a shower alone. I thought you would appreciate it, as ridiculous as that sounds.
Leon Lionheartly: but Another man thinking about me while he's in the shower naked.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But...
Leon Lionheartly: I'll take it, folks.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You're goddamn right. You think I wore the shirt for you today? After I got out of the shower, was like, how can I keep this naked ball rolling the rest of the day?
neocharge: Dude, top three places to listen to podcasts. Shower, driving, Or biking for me or cooking. Just something that you're you're doing that you're...
neocharge: I can't listen to podcasts while work because I'm reading and I'm using my brain.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Right. Yep.
neocharge: right And I can't listen to podcasts if I'm watching something. I can't listen to podcasts if I'm reading something.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No.
neocharge: It has to be something kinetic and ah that I'm not really focusing on. And then I can listen to podcasts. So, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, that's my for me, because I don't cook. I'll burn the damn kitchen down because I'm an idiot. But I do the dishes.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I clean. That's that's the deal. My wife a great cook, great baker.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I will I will clean as much as I can so that she doesn't have to because she feeds me.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that's very sweet. ah But yeah, when I do the dishes, I will try to listen to podcasts or when I'm driving.
neocharge: Oh yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The only time and I will say this because I would say never, ever, ever while you're gaming or watching something. But if I'm playing a fighting game,
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Or on the very rare occasion I'm playing a sports game that I played forever and ever and ever and i'm not I don't have to pay attention to a story or the music.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Like Street Fighter. Street Fighter has great music. No problems with the music.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But 200 hours in, you're playing some Street Fighter, I can listen to a podcast while I'm being Ken or Ryu or Charlie whatever.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah So, but otherwise i feel you, man. If I have enough chunk of the time, I'm not going to listen to the podcast. and not yours, any, any podcast.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just don't. So I had errands today.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i had dishes to do. i had things to do. And then I had to get naked and listen to my boys.
neocharge: There you go
Leon Lionheartly: you.
neocharge: Yeah, I have I very rarely ever listen podcasts while gaming.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): of
neocharge: The one time I did it when I was ah chasing the platinum for Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Oh, my God. if If you guys know Assassin's Creed Valhalla, that map is huge.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
neocharge: There's so much shit to do.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: It's it's pretty i repetitive. And yeah, I listen to it. But dude, go ahead.
Leon Lionheartly: I was going to say, I did that same thing when I was chasing the platinum for Civ 6.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): that's fair oh sure 700 hours so you gotta listen to something else
neocharge: Yep. Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: Just...
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, you're just like, I love Sean Bean, but I can only hear him say the line so many fucking times.
neocharge: Yeah. But dude, thank you so much for listening. We we greatly appreciate it. And we i we understand. it's ah It's a time investment. And yeah, the fact that you're listening and all of you are listening, we appreciate it very much.
neocharge: So we're just...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, what put me behind was some asshole wouldn't shut the fuck up during the Claire Obscure spoiler cast. I wonder who that was.
neocharge: right?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it's almost five hours long. This clown right here. Jesus.
neocharge: We had a blast. We loved having you on.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): okay that was That was a good.
neocharge: That was a very fun podcast. Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: Going into like, but I mean, what was it like 3am your time?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): like that.
neocharge: Cause it's,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): don't know.
neocharge: Or like 2.30, because I think we we wrapped that up at 12.30 MST, which is 2.30 your time.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was late.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: But dude, we had a blast on that. So you haven't listened to the Claire spoiler cast, go listen to it after you play Claire Obscure, of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was great.
neocharge: All right, let's ah let's wrap up this news with... ah and I'd say the biggest announcement this week, ah Nintendo has announced a partner showcase today, July 31st.
neocharge: ah And they have said, ah we are going to do roughly 25 minutes of information on upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch games for from our publishing partners.
Leon Lionheartly: um
neocharge: That happens today at 6 a.m. Pacific Time, 9 a.m. m Eastern Time. Today, of course, if you are listening to this on launch, and it might have already happened if you're still listening to it today, because it's pretty early.
neocharge: ah So I don't know, man.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): you think they're just going to show pokemon the new pokemon game is it really i mean game freak is not i guess okay fine okay second part i would guess second but yeah sure
neocharge: So no, that's first party.
Leon Lionheartly: As soon as.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
neocharge: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Pokemon's first party. Yeah. Or but I don't know, kind of second part. No, this is like a. No, yeah, yeah, yeah. But Nintendo publishes that for sure.
neocharge: So I think this is just going to be like third party partner stuff. Now, a friend of mine, ah listener of the show, probably list he listened the podcast. ah Ryan, Infinity Zen, did tell me ah one game that could be there that I am excited for.
neocharge: And that's Hollow Knight Silksong.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Oh, okay.
Leon Lionheartly: ah oh
neocharge: ah That gets me excited. It's probably not going fucking be there. But yeah, I don't know, man.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It'll be three seconds. Three seconds in the background of some bullshit like they did before.
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Right. We still don't have a release date.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No.
neocharge: That was on the raw Xbox ally.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): now
neocharge: ah little It was in their showcase. And it was, yeah, three seconds. And then Team Cherry was like, it exists. It's coming out this year. We'll fucking see. And that is one I have drafted.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Honestly, though, between Xbox and Nintendo, they've been getting along lately, the last couple of years.
neocharge: So...
neocharge: I think we may see it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): maybe Maybe this is why we haven't heard a release date.
Leon Lionheartly: from last year
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Maybe they said you guys can show it with your console, not console, if we can talk about it in great detail at our showcase.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I could actually see Nintendo and Xbox coming to an agreement. because Xbox gets to be first in June when they showed it.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then Nintendo gets to swoop in and be like, yo, it's going to be on the portable. It'll also run on ours. going to be great.
neocharge: Yep. Might get a release date.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, you might be you might be right.
neocharge: Might get release date.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Orion might be right.
neocharge: I'm a huge Hollow Knight Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: no
neocharge: I'm a huge Hollow Knight fan.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: I'm very excited for this game. I have a drafted. i believe in it. I still think it's going to release this year. ah This partner showcase, I got my Switch mainly for first party. I think we're going to see a lot of PS4 games and Xbox One games ah ported, and they're going to be the this blah, blah, blah edition.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Right.
neocharge: Red Dead, Yeehaw, Arthur Morgan, woohoo edition. You know?
Leon Lionheartly: You know, if I may, gentlemen, I'm only saying this now because I've already dropped it.
neocharge: don't know.
Leon Lionheartly: So knowing my luck, this is going to come true. There is an outside chance and I'm i'm just putting on my little rubbing my crystal ball looking into the glass, that we end up with an Atlas or Koei Tecmo developed Fire Emblem game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah man.
neocharge: o
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I would be so fucking happy because I love Fire.
neocharge: Isn't that first party though?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: So Fire Emblem is Nintendo-owned. That's like the IP. But the developer and the publisher is always done through a second or third party.
neocharge: See, I...
Leon Lionheartly: And the last one came out in 2023, which there's never been more than three years between a Fire Emblem game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): you're talking about in days, right?
neocharge: I think this partner showcase...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sorry, that was Fire Emblem Engage.
neocharge: The what?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Was that 2023?
neocharge: Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, sir.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay, yeah.
neocharge: Last one, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, sir.
neocharge: I think this partner shake showcase is going to be mainly third party. Honestly, I don't think we're going to see any first party stuff. Because we went over Fire Emblem. ah Nintendo publishes it.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: I don't think we're going to see any Nintendo publish stuff. I don't think we're going to get an update on Metroid Prime. I mean, that's really first party, right? That's a big first party IP.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Maybe that's the update.
neocharge: But...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Maybe they're like, just kidding, we didn't make it. Somebody else did.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
Leon Lionheartly: ah
neocharge: like ah Yeah, I don't think we're getting anything first party. No Pokemon, Metroid, Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Kirby, nothing like that. I think it's going to be strictly third party.
neocharge: And I think we're i think we're going to see a lot of what we already saw and what we've already played and on the PS4.
Leon Lionheartly: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I do have one. The only thing when I saw that announcement earlier today, my very first thought and my honest, my biggest hope for the show is Hades 2. Give me Hades 2.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): know I think that's going to be the big the big takeaway for me.
neocharge: Yes. Shit, you're right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah that's I can't imagine that they're going to wait any longer without having a problem with the game. and i don't think i mean The game runs very well on PC. The early access has gone very well.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): People like it. It got a bunch of updates.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And the only reason that I don't know everything about it is because I'm waiting to play it on my fucking PS5. That's
neocharge: Exactly.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, the the Switch 2, I'm sure, will run it very well. And if I didn't love love, love, love, love my game room, I would absolutely get it on the Switch 2. It's nothing against Nintendo. It's just the fact that my, you know, my AK95 or A95K OLED and my sound system and everything, I need that.
neocharge: Exactly.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i need I need to play Hades that way.
neocharge: Yep. We are all owners of Sony OLEDs and PS5 Pros.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So...
neocharge: Look at us go.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, sir.
neocharge: Look at us go.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Look at us deliver packages in high def.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Unless you're Matt. And then you fucking don't. You don't give us likes.
neocharge: Fuck.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You don't build roads.
neocharge: I'm working on i was going to play tonight, but I got a fucking podcast to record.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): oh All right.
neocharge: Shit.
Leon Lionheartly: stations, a little fucker.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Here's the thing. Bob and I are going to finish this. You go catch up, you son of a bitch.
Leon Lionheartly: Ooh. Ooh.
neocharge: ah Oh, no. um'm I'm planning on binging this shit and catching up. Because what? ah Bob, you're on chapter 9? 10? ten Fuck.
neocharge: And then Caleb, you're on chapter... Son of a bitch.
Leon Lionheartly: o
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I have intentionally not gone past that point because I don't know that my tender heart can take it. No, it's... it's ah
neocharge: That's where I'm at. I'm like, i um I don't know if I'm ready because there have been a lot of story beats that have just, I needed to process.
Leon Lionheartly: so
neocharge: I need to put this down and process.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): here's Here's the thing, man.
neocharge: And I don't know if I can take any more of this at this point in my life.
Leon Lionheartly: so So here's the thing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Here is... ahead.
Leon Lionheartly: oh sorry. I was going to say, Caleb, do you buy
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, please. Go ahead.
Leon Lionheartly: and so Shall we just get right into it, gentlemen? We're already here. So yeah, yeah like Matt.
neocharge: You like that segue?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, I'm sorry.
neocharge: You like that segue?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, that was a good segue. i Matt. All right. So you you said your heart can't take it. All right, Caleb. You'll know what I mean. Did you recently, well, not recently for you, but did you get to a point into the game where you put down the controller and walked away?
neocharge: Oh my god.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah I think I've done that about six times in this game. Not not out of frustration or anger or rage for gameplay, just for the listeners who haven't played yet. I will say Kojima is an alien alien.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Who's in control of all of us. He is so in tune with the way people think, even for bonkers, batshit nonsense. I mean, i really, it's bonkers, batshit nonsense that somehow you're like, yeah, this makes perfect sense in this world.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes!
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It makes perfect sense to me. i This is not a spoiler in any way, shape, or form. Anybody who's watched the trailer knows that there's a little character who's who looks like a doll.
neocharge: Marketing. Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And his name, yeah, his name is Dollman.
neocharge: yep
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): my wife My wife came in to the room and she's she's not much of a gamer at all. She knows that I play weird shit. She knows that I play basically everything. But she she doesn't know Kojima as much. I've tried to explain him to her, but he's an enigma. He can't be explained. He just has to be experienced.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): She walks in and Dollman... is doing something. And she just looks at me and she says, okay, sure. And she just leaves the room. And then I felt compelled to chase her up the stairs and be like, no, you don't understand this thing.
Leon Lionheartly: I...
Leon Lionheartly: but
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that, that i would get in spoiler territory because he was talking about his story.
neocharge: Kyron Network. Beat piece of shit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He was talking about his story and it was very good.
neocharge: I have a question. i have a question. I have a question for you, Caleb.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure. Yes.
neocharge: In the the private room, have you played Horizon Dreamer?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Okay, you've seen that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, yeah.
neocharge: Okay. If you guys are playing Destroying...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Purely by accident, by the way. pure Purely by accident, but yes.
neocharge: Well, he mentions like, oh, I like Horizon Dreamer. Yeah. So...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Excellent. Excellent. Bob, I told Bob about that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I believe that was...
neocharge: And yeah, you finally did it.
Leon Lionheartly: they don't
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i believe
neocharge: Mm
Leon Lionheartly: that was kojima that was kojima right there that was like i am in a deep emotional hole and well sobbing and going through this roller coaster and then i get into this and i'm like that that's just kojima man like yeah it's
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): that was but
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): that was That was one of the times I had to put the controller down. i mean, I laughed for a long time and I just thought, this is amazing. i've experienced I love this.
neocharge: hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Based on what happened 15 seconds ago at the game, this doesn't make any fucking sense, but it does. It works.
neocharge: I love it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I ended up walking upstairs and just looking outside and i was like, yep, I'm a grown-ass man and that was poignant. Like, it's crazy to say, but but really, in all seriousness, it is...
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): a masterpiece for people who give it the time. It's not for everybody. The game is not for everybody. It is, I think it could be for everybody. If you, I have a friend who has ADHD and he really needs something to be a little bit faster paced, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He, he and I could play Diablo together because it's lutes dropping all the time and he can just, I got a new thing. I got a new thing to chase. I can do this. And I'm not, I'm not picking on anybody with ADHD. I'm not, that's not what I'm getting at.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What I'm getting at is in this game and the first one specifically,
Leon Lionheartly: Thank
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I can understand. He's he's tried to play it like five or six times. And every time he says, what the fuck? I can't get into it. And I'm thinking, stop starting over. I know that's weird. Just power through until you get to point XYZ.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then I promise you it will hit for you. I promise.
neocharge: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): you just And it's normally in another game, I wouldn't say give it 10 hours. I wouldn't, just because 10 hours a long time, especially the older we get. Ain't nobody got time for 10 hours of of quote unquote boredom.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But then you really appreciate why the first couple hours were the quote unquote slog.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not not a
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, some people could call it a slog.
Leon Lionheartly: kid. I'm not a
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I wouldn't necessarily call it a slog, but that's just me.
Leon Lionheartly: not a kid.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm a patient guy, generally speaking.
Leon Lionheartly: not kid. not a I'm not I'm not a kid. I'm not
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But man, what Kojima did with this one is another masterclass in creativity and storytelling.
Leon Lionheartly: kid. I'm a kid. I'm a kid. I'm not not a I'm I'm not not a kid.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And its it actually makes me concerned about Claire Obscure.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm kid. I'm I'm not I'm I'm not a kid.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think that is the game of the year.
Leon Lionheartly: not not
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): For me, it's the game of the year.
Leon Lionheartly: kid.
neocharge: I suppose my next question.
Leon Lionheartly: a I'm not I'm I'm a kid.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): This game, though, is fucking great.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not not a kid. a I'm not kid. a kid.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And it's it's Game the Year material.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It deserves it as well. I kind of want Kojima to go up there and be like, yo, I think we both win because he's Hideo Kojima. He's one of the greatest of all time.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I'm not just saying that.
neocharge: It's oranges and apples, right? It's such, they're such different games, but oh yeah, it's 100% going to be nominated.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It is
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, and it and it should be.
Leon Lionheartly: and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It it it deserves to be nominated for an from an artistic standpoint alone.
neocharge: Oh. Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It really does.
neocharge: And a technical achievement too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I'm not done yet, but yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: So that...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, the Decima engine blows my mind. Blows my mind.
neocharge: And it's not ray traced.
Leon Lionheartly: sobe
neocharge: I don't understand it
Leon Lionheartly: No, it's not. And that's the difference, Caleb. So um I will get to what I'm going to get to that point here in a second. But um you think about the Kojima, this game, when I was playing it and getting all the way up to where I'm at now, and I know I'm getting close to that ledge at the end there isn't a there's a couple of points in that game where you it the hits and the writing and the emotion hits.
Leon Lionheartly: And one in particular... I kind of felt like I got played. Like Kojima was like, you're going to feel like this. And then I'm going to make you feel like this. Not here's a really sad and tragic story. It was, no, I'm going to make you feel like this. And then I'm going to do this to you. And I was like, yes, that that's exactly what's going to happen.
Leon Lionheartly: Um,
neocharge: Yes, Mr. Kojima.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah Right?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, that's exactly what happened.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes, Master.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah i So it has the gra the emotional gravitas in writing of Claire. Its gameplay loop ah is, while different, is fundamentally just as good and addicting as Claire because I have ADHD as well.
Leon Lionheartly: Tell your friend if you can get to that for certain point. From that point on, do not follow the story. Just do whatever you want and you'll enjoy the game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: But the music...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): oh
Leon Lionheartly: top tier.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's
Leon Lionheartly: It's amazing. it's amazing You know what I think? I think, unfortunately for Claire, Death Stranding 2 is fundamentally ten times a thousand times better looking.
Leon Lionheartly: um
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: And um when you stack them all up, I know we're only a little over halfway over the year, but I can't believe I'm going to say this.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Death Stranding 2 overtook Claire Obscure.
neocharge: Oh! For you?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it's
neocharge: It's your game of the year?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: It's your new goatee? It's your goatee?
Leon Lionheartly: it's been It's the new goatee.
neocharge: Hmm. Hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: So in my defense, I probably had a couple of drinks, but I was playing the other night. I hit a certain point. I paused the game, shut the console down, and went outside and had to smoke a cigarette. like I was like had to process everything that happened and then went to walk around the block and had another cigarette.
neocharge: Shit.
Leon Lionheartly: like It hit me that hard, so close that it was uncomfortable almost uncomfortable. So when Kojima can do that, you you win my you take my goatee vote.
neocharge: That's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): he He definitely deserves.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, if it were like the Academy Awards where it's director, best director or something, not saying that Claire Obscura's team didn't have an amazing director, creative director.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Absolutely needs to be in the conversation, needs to be talked about. My biggest thing is when you compare a double A, like Matt, you said earlier, comparing apples and oranges, you have a double A studio, first game out.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You have Kojima, which is basically almost the Jesus Christ of game development.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, he's really, he's up there.
neocharge: Uh-huh. He's up there.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He's, everybody knows his name.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Even if you're a tangential gamer, you've at least heard, you know, Metal Gear Solid, you know, the guy, um So he he deserves all the praise that he gets. I know people make fun of him and I do too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And Jeff Keighley basically blows him on stage for 20 minutes for a trailer.
Leon Lionheartly: Is that right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But like, you know, Jeff Keighley is great too. I love Jeff Keighley. But, you know, come on. And then he comes out with this bullshit that's awesome. And you're like, well, I kind of get it. The guy can get it.
neocharge: Uh-huh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): you know He's very good.
neocharge: Uh-huh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So for me, the only reason Claire Obscure stays in the top spot, and I am not done with Death Stranding 2 yet, story-wise, I have a feeling that it's going to make me sad in all the right places. um I think Claire Obscure punched higher, and I do think that Death Stranding 2, while it refined everything about the first game and just made it so much smoother, so much more polished, so much more more fun than the first game, I'll say it,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I do still think it wasn't as big of a leap as a studio that didn't exist coming out from the get-go with Claire Obscure. That is the only reason that I give Claire the edge.
Leon Lionheartly: I...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's the only reason. But i I feel you a thousand percent, man. Death Stranding 2 is phenomenal. It's kind of bullshit how good it is.
Leon Lionheartly: i you Right? i in and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: And I had that same conversation. I love it. You and are the same wavelength. I had that same conversation. What took me over the edge is Claire Obscure is a almost perfect game. um And it is punching way above its weight class, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yeah. Sure.
Leon Lionheartly: But if this Death Stranding 2 was closer to Death Stranding, I would agree with you. But Death Stranding 2 is the... Pick your favorites, the Metal Gear Solid, the Snake Eater, so the though the the the the gun ah Guns of the Patriots,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: um it is that level of Kojima. There's a difference to there's a difference being than being, okay, I can be in the Super Bowl against Tom Brady, and then there's being in the Super Bowl against Tom Brady winning his prime.
Leon Lionheartly: And I'm sorry, this is Kojima at his a game, and you win some, you lose some.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): sure
Leon Lionheartly: that doesn't take away from cla from Claire Obscure at all.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Right.
Leon Lionheartly: i It is on my top 10 list.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You are correct.
Leon Lionheartly: It is on my top 10 list, and I gotta say, unfortunately, after... ah I still got a ways to go, but right now I got a feeling i agree to do my fucking list because of Kojima.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: ah So...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, no, it's it's kind of like a when when Rebirth didn't win game of the year, I was not upset, as upset as I should be as a 7 fan, because Astro Bot is the only other game that I could see deserving it.
Leon Lionheartly: with
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): For real, that year, that last year, I thought I could see it for Astro Bot.
neocharge: Oh,
Leon Lionheartly: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And when Astro Bot won, I was thrilled. I was. I just thought, good for good for Team Asobi, good for this small team.
Leon Lionheartly: um
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Good for, us what was it, $3 million? dollars It wasn't even that expensive to make.
neocharge: um yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Now, was I bummed about Rebirth not getting more accolades that it did deserve? I really think, other than the minigames, I think Rebirth was amazing.
neocharge: We all were.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but And even the minigames, some of them were good. There were just too many and not enough of them were polished. But um with Death Stranding, it's kind of the same. if If Claire Obscure doesn't win, it better not lose to anything that isn't Death Stranding 2.
Leon Lionheartly: I love that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Or I'm going to fucking lose it. I'm going to fucking lose it.
Leon Lionheartly: I love that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): If it loses to that, I'm cool with that.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i would If you're going lose, lose to the king, quite frankly. that That's how I but i feel.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, that's exactly it. i love I love it. Love it. Love it. That is exactly my mentality right now. Because the only other game that I could see potentially getting there would be Delta. But I don't think so because it's not truly Kojima.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: It's just his product, you know?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And for the record, Snake Eater is actually my favorite Metal Gear Solid game.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So, yeah.
neocharge: Ooh, bet you're excited.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm very excited. i don't know when the fuck I'm going to play it, though. I got 45 other things to play, but yeah.
neocharge: Right. When? Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But...
neocharge: ah that That's why I'm going to the Game Awards this year. It's because the nominees, I think all the games that I've loved, I mean, i haven't played Donkey Kong Bonanza, but I think like the top three that are probably going to get Game of the Year...
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: I wouldn't be upset about. Like you said, I was upset Final Fantasy VII Rebirth didn't get Game of the Year because it was my Game of the Year, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Sure. Mm-hmm.
neocharge: But that's, so that's so you know, it's it's a personal thing. It's nostalgia, stuff like that, you know, Cloud.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): sir
neocharge: Like, Final Fantasy VII is my, in my top three, right? Uh... But it lost to a game I also loved, which was Astro Bot.
neocharge: And i was i even said, I think you were you were there in my living room or in my game or theater room or whatever. And I was like, if Final Fantasy VII doesn't get it, I won't be mad.
neocharge: Because if it loses Astro Bot, it's all good. So, and Astro Bot won. And I was like, I'm not even mad. I'm a little mad.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: A little mad. But... so man
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was disappointed for me, but happy for them so so much.
neocharge: but yeah Yeah, right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I will say, just while we're on the topic of Death Stranding 2, and then I'll stop, but I told you, Bob, before this, I had a small bone to pick with you. So for people for people that know the game, you create strands with other players.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, here we go.
neocharge: Oh. You've
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And if you're on your friends list on PlayStation or whatever, it's sort of weighted towards them.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You're going to find maybe a bridge they built or a thing.
neocharge: got to create a strand contract.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. And you are the only strand contract that I have that still has zero, zero.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I haven't found a single one of your things. And I don't think you've found a single one of mine.
Leon Lionheartly: All the truth.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I have built, Okay, very, very light spoilers. i have built all the fucking roads and the monorail system, and I've i've added – I've got other shit, let's just say.
Leon Lionheartly: Right? The music. Right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I thought for sure I was like, Bob needs to come and fucking like me so that I can like him back. and we can We have a strand contract. It's just zero, zero. And so I'm just – actually, the only thing that I got of yours was ah you had a car in in the online garage.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and i And I jacked it and i ran across the world with it. And i think I got an old version because you cannot be using this thing with no goddamn batteries. It ran out in the middle of nowhere. And I was like, Bob, goddamn it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Fuck this shit.
Leon Lionheartly: So...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I almost severed your strand contract because I was going to give you shit about it.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But i I was like, well, it it is in his defense, he hasn't seen anything of mine either. So what the fuck? What the fuck game? ah So we we need to try to rectify that.
Leon Lionheartly: so
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I don't know how. I don't know what to do.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm going to have to figure it out. I might have to sever a couple of strand contracts maybe or something because I, i like you, Matt can tell you, he pestered me because I kept going and building roads so much that he was like, I was behind him in the story he's like, dude, you need to fucking go back to your home base.
neocharge: ah good
Leon Lionheartly: And I was like, no, I got roads to build. i got I've got five stars. But... but ah minor, very, very, very tangentially like spoilers.
Leon Lionheartly: So the first area, the very first river, when you're coming out when you're coming out of the desert, there should be a bridge there.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: It's built by me. I only know it's there by me because I got like 70,000 likes from it right now.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Wait, I built a bridge there too. kind yeah i've got like like I've got thousands of likes and I was i was like, this is is great.
Leon Lionheartly: Damn it! Wait.
neocharge: Oh, that might be it.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): This is a great bridge. So maybe that's part of it. Maybe we just didn't, I don't know.
Leon Lionheartly: wait
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i
Leon Lionheartly: how many How many likes do you have? I got to ask. I know this sounds so cheesy and corny.
neocharge: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah Somewhere around seven hundred k I think.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh my God.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it's it's something It's stupid.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And it's it's got to be all roads for me.
neocharge: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i And had monorail.
neocharge: yeah yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But there's a guy, there's one guy who I have four stars with out of five for just a random dude on the internet. And he actually, he messaged me. He found, because my name's the same, Avril Murphs.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He messaged me and he just said, thanks for all the roads. i like that
Leon Lionheartly: I love it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and i haven' I haven't found a single thing that this guy did, but he found all my roads just driving my whole fucking northern Australia, which is hilarious.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah yeah yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But yeah, anyway, it's again, not a spoiler.
Leon Lionheartly: oh
neocharge: Dude, this is the this is the Strand genre that Kojima created.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yeah, it is.
neocharge: Like, it's a a whole new genre that...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. It's brilliant.
Leon Lionheartly: it's
neocharge: It's amazing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just realized that I have usurped this state of PlayStation but podcast, and we're just talking about Death Stranding 2.
Leon Lionheartly: i love it
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm so sorry.
Leon Lionheartly: well
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But like for real, we needed to talk a little bit about it.
neocharge: No, we're in what we're playing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, that's true.
neocharge: We're in what we're playing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): we are yeah That's what I have been obsessed with.
Leon Lionheartly: ah
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and I'm trying to finish it, and I can't because I have too many things to build.
neocharge: I... I think I'm going to binge it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: I think I'm going to binge it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Good luck.
Leon Lionheartly: but
neocharge: And so how many hours are you, Bob?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): A hundred and a hundred.
Leon Lionheartly: ah
neocharge: im sort
Leon Lionheartly: I got it.
neocharge: I'm 35 hours in. I'm chapter six. ah How many hours?
Leon Lionheartly: You don't want to know because I'm like 80 plus hours into this thing.
neocharge: I do want to know. Okay. That's fine.
Leon Lionheartly: And. Hmm.
neocharge: There's 24 hours in a day, baby. I can get this knocked out in two days.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: Sleep is for the week.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: ah yeah I do want to ask what, yeah so Matt's not going understand the context and our listeners are not going to understand the context. So if you complain about spoilers, trust me, you don't understand the context, but I got ask Caleb, did you increase the star rating for the pizza chef?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Five stars, baby. He's maxed.
neocharge: a
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
Leon Lionheartly: You know what I'm talking about.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: i was I was dying laughing for like 10 minutes, dude.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Me too.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was so happy. Matter of fact, right before I did that, right before, because I had no idea. I'm i'm not using a guide. No, this is Kojima. I am going to experience everything about this as uniquely and as organically as I can.
neocharge: Absolutely.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i do that for 99% of my games anyway.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But for this, I am actively avoiding as much information about it as possible. The only thing that I will do, i will creep on my friends and see trophies. How far are you in the chapters? Just because I want to know, are you on chapter 7, 8, 9, 10, whatever.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I didn't even know how many chapters were in the game. But there were a few that ah another friend of mine that you guys don't know, he has and I don't. He's six chapters behind me, five chapters behind me maybe.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I thought, what the fuck? I don't know what they are because they're hidden. but it's But it's driving me crazy because I'm thinking, did I miss something?
neocharge: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But i I'm sure he just did some other things out of order.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh. Oh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And and it's crazy for how thorough I've been. I i literally, i think I finished all the roads, by the way. I i sincerely think I'm done, which is nuts. um
neocharge: Wow.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it ah Me and the mines. i have my I have spent so much of my crystals. It's stupid. I was running around with maybe 200 at one point.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i was like, this is not going to cut it. but ah But anyway, no,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I love everything about just experiencing this game as organically as possible. And right before i with the pizza chef, right before that, my friend called me out of out of the blue, the one I don't talk to ever. And so I paused it and I answered the phone and he asked me where where I was and I told him and and because he was a chapter ahead of me and I didn't know that. But we were We were cryptically bouncing around the subject, and he said, I'm going to need you to hang up and call me in about 25 minutes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I was like, okay.
Leon Lionheartly: here
neocharge: yeah
Leon Lionheartly: He's
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I hung up, and I did the thing, and then I called him, was like, what the fuck? That was so good. Yeah, it's, again, Kojima nonsense, peak. It's peak. it's It's Matt, I know that real life has been annoying for you or great for you, depending on certain things, but brother,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You got to start, you got to 72 hour binge this motherfucker and catch up to be involved.
neocharge: I'm getting there.
Leon Lionheartly: i'm
neocharge: I honestly think I may.
Leon Lionheartly: he's's he's right
neocharge: I think I may. And I'll just stop for hot bathroom breaks because I don't want to die. And I have to eat.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, you got to be like, you got to be like Sam.
neocharge: And that's about it.
Leon Lionheartly: you
neocharge: I don't have any other responsibilities.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Just go in your pants or on the side of your, your room.
Leon Lionheartly: a
neocharge: Get diaper? Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Unless there's a, unless I put a sign up that there's a no pee zone, then don't, don't pee there.
Leon Lionheartly: it
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: I can't be there.
Leon Lionheartly: he said He says he's going to do that, Caleb, but he's going to hit certain beats he's to be like, fuck, I need to take a break.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: It's going to happen.
neocharge: a
Leon Lionheartly: And when it does, you can call me anytime, buddy.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Okay. Okay. I'm excited to to finally dive back in.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It should be.
neocharge: Oh, no. I mean, dude, Death Stranding was my game of the year. ah The 2019, I believe.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: And I... Dude, it's been some pretty intense life stuff. Let's just say that. Okay?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: ah There's not a lot that can pull me from games, but this one has. ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Justifiable.
neocharge: I'm... Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna get back to it. I will. I will.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm excited for you.
neocharge: And I'm...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I really am because it is – well, I said it earlier.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's bullshit how good the game is. It's just fucking bullshit.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And i it's not fair.
Leon Lionheartly: It's not fair.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it's i Part of the things that I was thinking about, I think about this in the best media that I consume, whether it be games, movies, books, whatever it is, television series that are pinnacle.
Leon Lionheartly: ah
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): In games, it's a lot rarer for me to feel this way because i'm not I could never develop a game if my life depended on it. It's too hard. I have the utmost respect for people that can make even mediocre games because there's a lot of moving parts.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): This game, the same with Claire Obscura earlier in the year, this game made me think... you're 40 years old and you haven't done a fucking useful thing in your whole life. And this man has hit like 17 peak games.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It just keeps getting better and better. What? How is it fair? How?
Leon Lionheartly: with
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's why I said he's an alien who knows everything about humanity, because I don't understand it. That's my puny brain has to put it into a category. And that category is you're dumb. He's not.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He's a creative genius. And also, how have you spent a hundred and some hours on this game and just still are deliberately? I went upstairs for dinner this evening before this podcast.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The wife says, how many deliveries do you have to make? She doesn't even game. And she's like, how many deliveries do you have to make? And i was like, I got five stops I got to make on my way. She doesn't know shit about fuck with this. And I'm talking to her like she does.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then I realized halfway through and I said, don't care about this. She says, I really don't, but I'm happy for you. So I came down the stairs and but I finished my deliveries.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: That's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then I went upstairs and yeah yeah we ate. was a nice dinner and did dishes and so on. But that's what this guy can do. He can make delivering packages online.
Leon Lionheartly: is
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): appealing and not nothing against fedex ups and dhl agents but or whatever but you probably don't want to do that on your free time yeah that's work but in this it's it's it's you said it on a on an earlier podcast uh bob that it's it's zen you get in this zen-like state when you're making these deliveries and you're a logistical genius you're thinking oh if i build this thing and i go over here and then i gotta stop on that route but that's in the snow or Whatever.
neocharge: Great. It's a mundane thing, yeah.
neocharge: I gotta bring a ladder.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. yeah it's yeah and and But then when you do it, you're like, yeah, I'm the fucking man. I'm a porter. like It's just, it's so, it's great. So Death Stranding 2, I hate how good you are and I love how good you are at the same time.
neocharge: How many hours in are you?
Leon Lionheartly: Oh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i Honestly, probably between 90 and 100, but I don't know for sure.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Last I checked, I was 76 and I think that was two days ago.
neocharge: Okay.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I got to play a few hours today and a few hours yesterday, so I...
Leon Lionheartly: oh
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i yeah
neocharge: Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: I will say, gentlemen, I'm sorry. I was wrong. So um I'm looking at my ah profile ah through the PS app. um I'm four chapters behind you, Caleb. I'm at 76 hours.
Leon Lionheartly: That's how neurotic I am about doing everything that I can.
neocharge: a
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yep. Me too. I mean, I built so many things just because I wanted to.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I wanted to do the story, but I'm like, no, the further I go, I can't complete this area's friendship or yeah whatever whatever it might be.
Leon Lionheartly: but I mean, if you build the road, then that makes delivering the other packages easier.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
Leon Lionheartly: But in order to do that, you got to go to the mine. So that means you got to get the chiro crystals.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The amount of times I had to go and fight those motherfuckers, the survivalists, just because I felt like it.
Leon Lionheartly: See, you get it. Thank you.
neocharge: Hell
Leon Lionheartly: yes
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was like, man, you guys are in the way and you've got some ceramics. I'm going to need those. So I just clear out the whole base with me and my pickup truck, just give my cargo truck going through and being an asshole. It's great.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's great.
neocharge: he yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I love the people that have nothing, have no idea about Death Stranding and don't care.
neocharge: I can't. Right.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm sure what you are.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They're probably like, why didn't these guys tell us to fast forward 30 minutes, these fucking jerks?
Leon Lionheartly: not what are.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm so sorry.
Leon Lionheartly: not sure what are.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): This is what happens when they invite me on.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm sure what you are.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I ruin it by talking forever ever and ever.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not sure what you are.
neocharge: But dude, that's that's what it's all about. We play video games and we talk about video games.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not sure what are. I'm not sure what you are.
neocharge: And this is like the core thing.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not sure what you are.
neocharge: we we we're We're talking about the video games and our passion is coming through.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's true.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not sure what are. I'm not sure what you are. I'm not what you are.
neocharge: And we're very passionate about these video games.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not sure what you are.
neocharge: And we care about the story. We care about the experience. And that's everything that we do on this podcast is conversational and talk about video games.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm not sure you are.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I guess technically it is a PlayStation exclusive.
neocharge: So it's like it's so the core of what we are.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So we are on the state of PlayStation a little bit, little bit.
neocharge: It sure is. It sure is. Which could be a segue into our main topic. Do we...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You're welcome.
Leon Lionheartly: All natural, baby.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
neocharge: Uh, yeah. So the, the main topic is we're, we're wrapping up the four part series and we're ending with a bang and the best of the four and our humble opinion. And we brought Caleb on here because he is, uh, the resident PlayStation.
neocharge: I'd say you're a PlayStation expert. You've been in the game for a while.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, yeah.
neocharge: You know a lot about it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Thank you.
neocharge: And we wanted to bring you on because you're another, ah passionate fan about PlayStation. And we're going to go into the the state of PlayStation.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sounds great.
neocharge: Uh, Yeah, for PC, we kind of went into the the state of pretty much everything because PC is all over the place. Nintendo, we went into the state of the IPs, so the the actual games.
neocharge: um For Xbox, we just kind of bitched for 40 minutes about what the fuck they were doing. and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: And complain. And for this one, i think we're going to go by studio because that's what that's what PlayStation's DNA is all about, is their first party studios and what they've been working on and what they've done um when they were founded and what we think they're going to do next or ah what they're working on.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm going to have lot students that are going to be long job. a lot of students that are going to be long There's a lot of students that are going long job.
Leon Lionheartly: And that's job you're to be long job. then, you know, I'm going to have lot of students that going to be a long job.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): can i Can I ask you a question before we get into that, both of you?
neocharge: So.
Leon Lionheartly: And then, you know, I'm going to have lot students that to be job.
neocharge: Sure, sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it should be an easy answer. I promise I won't belabor the subject. Do both of you remember the very first PlayStation game you ever played?
Leon Lionheartly: Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Matt, do you remember?
neocharge: i So PlayStation game that was out for PlayStation multi-platform or the first PlayStation game?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Just the first ever PlayStation game you played. Just because I think it's interesting.
neocharge: Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Mine mine was actually third party.
neocharge: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I didn't even know that at the time.
neocharge: Ah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But I'm i'm genuinely curious. And then we can we can go into the nitty gritty of developers and stuff.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But I just think that's an interesting way to show what we know about PlayStation. Mine is with the PlayStation 1. I'm assuming that both of yours is as well.
neocharge: Yep. Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So what do you got, Matt?
neocharge: Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): what what's What was your very first PlayStation game?
neocharge: Yeah, it was on the OG PlayStation 1. I didn't own it. My friend owned it. And it was the original Crash Bandicoot.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Ah, that's great. That's a great first game to play on there.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Awesome. What about you, Bob?
neocharge: Yeah. And I, yeah, it was awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What was yours? Oh, sorry. Yeah. Yeah.
neocharge: Oh no. I just, uh, he invited me over and, you know, I had played on the SNES, the 64 and like, this was crash bandicoot. It was groundbreaking.
neocharge: And i stayed the night as at his house as many times as I could to play that game and to hang out with him, of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah yeah
neocharge: But yeah, it was, uh, the original crash bandicoot. That's why it holds a special place in my heart. And naughty dog is one of the, uh, Top three, in my opinion, for first party studios.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, but that's even better that it's a Naughty Dog original. So what about you, Bob?
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What was your first PlayStation game?
Leon Lionheartly: So mine was not by a studio that's owned by playstation Sony or PlayStation right now. um A little JRPG, you might have heard of it there, Caleb, called Wild
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, very nice.
neocharge: Ooh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Also a great, great first and introduction to the console. Because that was the thing. I mean, at the time, Nintendo was king.
Leon Lionheartly: um
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Let's be honest. Nintendo was fucking king.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You could make an argument for Sega ah if you were a Genesis person, but the Nintendo 64 was coming, but the Super Nintendo was at its peak. There were so many good games for that. and And I remember my friend got a PlayStation and I didn't I mean, i knew what it was, but I didn't know what it was.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was one of the I heard of Sony. I knew the Walkman. I knew all those things, but I thought gaming really. And i i actually didn't get to Wild Arms until much later. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't discover them until <unk>s probably like 2000, 2001.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): two thousand
Leon Lionheartly: Ooh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): a um But my first, my very first experience with the PlayStation, and I even though it's third party, I will always associate it with my love for PlayStation was the very first Resident Evil.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The original Resident Evil.
neocharge: Ah, beautiful.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And being a movie person and a TV person, my friend was a few years older than me at the time. He still is. But at the time, it made a bigger difference when we were that age. And he was like, when you come over hang out, it's it's a little bit more of an adult game.
Leon Lionheartly: I hear
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Because I mean, let's be honest.
Leon Lionheartly: sorry. You're or someone else? It's not.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Resident Evil now is is kind of...
Leon Lionheartly: It's not. It's not. It's not. It's
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The very first one is it's cheeky.
Leon Lionheartly: It's It's not. It's It's not.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's a little...
Leon Lionheartly: not. It's not. It's not. It's
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it's a little weird you see this this zombie turn around and it's this blocky thing with blood on its face but at the time my god and i just thought what is this this fmb stuff this is so cool i had seen it in a sega cd but i never really implemented in a game and then i remember i actually got not scared but i was a little too nervous to play because not the 3d controls and the tank controls either it was just
Leon Lionheartly: not. It's not. It's
neocharge: Uh-huh.
Leon Lionheartly: It's not.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: not. It's not. not. It's It's not. It's not. It's It's It's not. It's It's It's not. not. It's It's not. It's It's It's not. not. It's not. It's not. not. not. It's It's It's not. It's not. It's not.
Leon Lionheartly: It's It's It's not. It's It's not. It's It's not. not. It's It's not. It's not. It's It's not. It's not. It's not. It's It's not. not. It's It's not. It's not. not. It's not. not. It's It's It's not. It's It's not. It's It's
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I didn't know that it was a zombie right away. i didn't want to shoot it because I was 10 years old or whatever. And then he ended up putting in Warhawk, which I believe was a PlayStation first party.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, it was.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think. Yeah. So my first two were Resident Evil and Warhawk, but Resident Evil was the very first. I fell in love with Resident Evil then. That's what got me to buy a PlayStation originally. I i won a bet with my mother and and it was a whole thing, but I ended up getting a PlayStation with Resident Evil, Warhawk and a memory card and loved it but i i just thought that was kind of an exciting way to to maybe kick off the whole place the state of places because where we are now i mean it for me that was what 30 years ago was 95 i think something like that so yeah 30 years ago i've been a playstation lover ever since i really never wavered that much even when they were pissing me off i thought some of the best games come out on playstation i won't lose hope but
neocharge: Yeah, i love it.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: ah yeah you you're You're right. they place it So I know like Final Fantasy is a seminal in Dragon Quest, Dragon Warrior, depending where you're at.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure.
Leon Lionheartly: But when I really, really cut my teeth into RPGs is on the PlayStation because it's a dual package.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Not only did I play Wild Arms for the first time, I played another RPG um called Beyond the Beyond. Not very good, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): so Yeah, but I know it. Yeah, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: And then went right into Final Fantasy VII and then ended up playing a game that I was like, oh, at that point, i was like, I'm confident in RPGs. I still know what I'm doing. Let me take a look at this, right?
Leon Lionheartly: And then I played a little game called Legend of Ligaya and got my ass handed to me right away.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
neocharge: me
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Game was off.
Leon Lionheartly: And it's still an amazing game and I go back and I'll play it and I love it, but I got my ass handed to me so hard. I went, Oh, well, like I didn't realize it at the time. I'm like, wait, when did FromSoft create an RPG?
Leon Lionheartly: Because it's very difficult, but good, a rewardingly good RPG.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. ah I played like one of the first games I played was Final Fantasy seven on PC, actually.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): okay
neocharge: So, yeah, I mean, it was a yeah I mean, it was on PlayStation. Right. And I eventually got it on the PS one. um But yeah, that was an awesome, awesome question and a good kickoff for this.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Awesome.
neocharge: So.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, now I will let you continue and I will zip my lips.
neocharge: Yeah. No, no, no. i we We appreciate it. we love ah We love the kickoff question. And yeah, so PlayStation has 18 first-party game developers, and we're going to go from least popular to most popular. So we're probably going to...
neocharge: blaze through, i don't know, the first five or six. And then we're we're going to get a little bit more in-depth. So um let's kick it off with Valkyrie Entertainment.
neocharge: um That was founded in 2002 and helped with God of War, Infamous, Dreams. They're kind of like a support studio. And they're ongoing just support for multiple first-party titles.
neocharge: So... They're, they're helping with maybe a new, ah God of War, like, uh, spinoff that we've been, uh, hearing rumors about, like maybe following Atreus or something like that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'd be down.
neocharge: Uh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'd be down for that. I would. I'm a basic bitch.
neocharge: Me too. Me too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't care.
neocharge: Oh, dude, I'd love an Atreus game. So, uh, there are rumors and we'll get to Sony Santa Monica, ah but they're They're pretty high on on the list, so though they're a little closer to last. But ah they've said that the next game is going to be... It's not going to be identifiable to what they've usually developed.
neocharge: So... I think they might be doing ah an Atreus game. i would I would love for that maybe like a Miles Morales game, but we can we can get into that when we get into Sony Santa Monica.
neocharge: This is Valkyrie.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure.
neocharge: So Valkyrie does support stuff ah and they're still supporting. Nix's software, ah they were founded in 1999. They were... they were like recently picked up by Sony by PlayStation.
neocharge: Uh, I think what, like five years ago or something.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I would have guessed since COVID, but I don't know.
neocharge: Nixie's. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): think it was right after COVID when PlayStation was was trying to, not to grow like Microsoft and just eat everybody, but but to try to curate things.
neocharge: Right. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I believe that happened and after 2000, I think.
neocharge: Yeah. So they, uh,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Or sorry, 2020. I meant 2020.
neocharge: Right. So they are definitely ah very popular for PC ports. They do most of the PC ports ah and they've done PC ports of Marvel, Spider-Man, Horizon, all the PC ports you see, they work on because I mean, porting from console to PC is pretty complicated and they have to deal with a lot. So.
neocharge: ah They're the the PC porting studio, and I'm sure they're working on other stuff. I'm sure we're going to see Forbidden West if we haven't already. Ragnarok if we haven't already. Because PlayStation is brilliant, and they like to release like the the title, and then the sequel comes out shortly after on PS, their PlayStation exclusive console.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Thank you.
neocharge: So they're like, oh, yeah, you can play the the older one. But if you want to play the sequel, like ah for but they released God of War and then they released God of War Ragnarok, I think, what, six months later ah on PS5 exclusively. So you get a taste of God of War. Here's the taste. But I mean, you want the sequel, you got to get a PlayStation 5.
neocharge: five So I think it's PS4, PS5. I think it's brilliant. And that's what Nixies does.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You touched on it in an earlier episode ah that that you really like that business model.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I agree. I think that's very smart of them to do, especially when they can stand behind their product because it's...
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah it's one of those things that's just like, you've got so much content that you can release and you don't want to, I don't want to say give it away that that makes it sound bad.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But when PlayStation say it's almost like a drug dealer, that's a nice drug dealer.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's like you get a taste and then the rest of it, you got gotta to get our system.
neocharge: ah yeah Yeah, exactly.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But you also know as a PC gamer that, okay, maybe I can wait. Maybe I really liked that game, but I didn't love it. I didn't love the first one. So maybe I'll just wait for the second one. But man, if you loved God of War and you the Ragnarok's coming out, you're like, fuck me, I got to get a PS5.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You know, that that's something that I think is is very smart.
neocharge: Exactly. Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I do think they do that better than just about everybody else. And i don't I don't know if that's a bias.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It might be biased because I very much like most of the PlayStation games that I play, if not all of them.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But... Movie studios steal ideas all the time. And then you usually get lackluster movies. Do you remember years ago when, I mean, it happens in waves all the time, but years ago there was a movie about a magician.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then there was another movie about a magician. and There was another movie about a magician there.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. The prestige.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Chris Nolan, the prestige, in my opinion, was the best one, but everybody else fucking stole it for a couple of years.
neocharge: Yep.
neocharge: Agreed.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and it And that's just kind of how it works. PlayStation doesn't really play that game. They kind of say, we're just going to do our own thing. and move on. And that's great.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i i do I think you touched you hit the nail on the head when you talked about that a couple, it might've been a couple episodes ago when you talked about their business model. And and that's that's just brilliant to do.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Because also the PC ports generally are pretty good. We've run into some that have been bad, but I think a lot of those are third party.
neocharge: Mm hmm. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think the PlayStation, the studios that do their porting are just... it's You said it earlier. It's hard. It's very hard to do, and they do a good job.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. Yep. What are your thoughts, Bob?
Leon Lionheartly: um don yeah So you mentioned that the the PlayStation takes it and then moves on kind of thing. um i i I fundamentally kind of agree.
neocharge: Mm hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: um And a on what the re air the what the it's a great just ah like contrast to what Nintendo's doing. Because right now, Nintendo is doing a, here's another Mario, here's another Mario 2D, here's another Mario 3D, here's a...
neocharge: yeah
Leon Lionheartly: And then they kind of sprinkle in these little pieces ah for ah of loved stuff that doesn't get seen as much, i e
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Metroid Prime. You know, like, when when did Metroid Prime 3 come out? Yeah, you know, that was 20, 15, 20 years ago.
neocharge: For the Wii?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: um The PlayStation, they seem to do this consistent. We're going to go to the next idea. We're going do the next thing. We're going to do next thing. We're going to do the next thing. And it keeps you going. And occasionally you get the, let's go back to the well, but not too often.
Leon Lionheartly: um With one exception.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): want to give One exception?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes, I'm so glad you're going to say it yeah
Leon Lionheartly: you
neocharge: yeah
Leon Lionheartly: i' yet With one exception, and that's The Last of Us, the part one and two remastered, re-deluxed, re-downloaded edition, right?
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it.
Leon Lionheartly: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't understand.
neocharge: right
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I love The Last of Us, but they need to chill the fuck out. I love PlayStation, but chill the fuck out with that, please.
Leon Lionheartly: They do.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think we're probably going to get to it later in the in the studio talk, but I do think it's not entirely...
neocharge: who
neocharge: oh yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): PlayStation developers fault. They were tasked with some things by leadership that caused a lull. And so I want the audience to know that we're not all just drinking the Kool-Aid.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They're not immune to doing stupid things. They do stupid things.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And The Last of Us Part 76, that's just Part 2 74 times is enough. we We don't need that shit anymore. um
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but But yeah, you're absolutely right, ah Bob, to bring that up because... o What are they doing with that?
Leon Lionheartly: Hey, that that and that is are And that is a rough point. And that's actually why, um while you guys are, they you both mentioned an Atreus game to be cool, I am not in that camp.
Leon Lionheartly: Like, let Atreus go. Let's move on. I think the end of, you know, I'm not going to go into spoilers, but I think the end of ah Ragnarok is a really good way to send the entire, send the series off.
Leon Lionheartly: Like, it gives, it so a good ending, in my and this is just my, the art is an objective. ah Yeah, you heard me. It's subjective. No, I'm just kidding. It's subjective. And in my opinion, a good ending is one that lets you kind of go back and go, okay, is this true? Is this not? And you get a theorizing and that's how you get the fan bases going.
Leon Lionheartly: um thank I know it's a cliche, but and
neocharge: Oh, yeah. ah we'll get in We'll get into it on Sony Santa Monica for sure.
Leon Lionheartly: i think yeah, but think about the yeah coin that's spinning in Inception.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Thank
neocharge: Mm-hmm. It's the, yeah, the top.
Leon Lionheartly: that Yeah, exactly.
neocharge: No spoilers.
Leon Lionheartly: That's, yeah, that's the way we go. That's what I think they should do with it and just let it go to the side.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: But um yeah, at the end of the day, I'm excited.
neocharge: Hmm. We'll see.
Leon Lionheartly: I like what they do.
neocharge: Yeah. ah yeah. Nixie's does the ports. Uh, there's still porting stuff. So we'll see more first party stuff come to PC, which is awesome. I think it's a great business model.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Uh, Team LFG, new studio that was recently founded in 2024. ah Basically, it was announced in 2025. But this is part of Bungie. So they they spun off a lot of Bungie developers.
neocharge: And they are working on a competitive online multiplayer game involving frogs.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Is it actually frogs?
neocharge: So um and they they keep teasing frogs with er with their stuff, with their marketing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I didn't know that.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: And their i think they're working. They might. This isn't confirmed, but they're probably working on Project Gummy Bears. That's what it's called. So cartoon animated frogs?
neocharge: I don't know. I don't know what the fuck this game is. I don't care. I'm probably not going to play it. It's online competitive multiplayer. Not interested.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I will say, i agree, but I think it's important.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You've got to get that base.
neocharge: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but i mean That's it's important for a lot of players. A lot of players
neocharge: Yeah, Concord failed.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, yeah, but that a lot of people do tend to like the shooters and only the shooters. It was, I actually have to give this one to Microsoft back in the day.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They figured that out early and we we joke between us because we're, we're not these people.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Call of Duty is actually a pretty solid game. Call of Duty doesn't need 75 iterations, but it is a pretty solid game. The core crux of the game is good. It is a, if even if you hate shooters, you can't argue it's successful for a reason.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's just what they do. And Microsoft sort of got the quote unquote Call of Dude Bros on board early, which is why a lot of people flock to the Xbox back in the day and why during the PlayStation or the Microsoft Activision acquisition, PlayStation was a little pissed.
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: um
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I actually kind of took Microsoft side on this, even though i it was a bummer that PlayStation was worried about losing Call of Duty because they were scared of losing a huge gamer base.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I didn't like the way Microsoft did it.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Unlike PlayStation, they curate their own things, whereas Microsoft just says, I'm going to buy this now.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): My argument to PlayStation was you've got so many fucking shooter IPs that you're sitting on. What are you worried about Call of Duty when you could make Resistance 4 that's amazing and and you know how to make these now.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I do think, I agree with you, I call it Team Let's Fucking Go even though it's supposed to be looking for group, but Team Let's Fucking Go is what I call it.
neocharge: right
neocharge: Yeah, dude, that's exactly what I see. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think that they actually have a possible path forward if they've got Apex Legends talent, if they've got some Destiny people
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: huh
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Bungie was the best of the best of the best when it came to shooting mechanics.
neocharge: They were.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The best.
neocharge: I love Destiny. We love Destiny.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And we did.
neocharge: We raided many times.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): We had a great time in it, and the Eververse, or whatever the hell it was called, the ruined it for me, but it still doesn't take away the the majesty of what the game was.
neocharge: Yup.
neocharge: Yup.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I think, team, let's fucking go.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think it's good for Sony. I'm not interested, really.
neocharge: I think so too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm rooting for them. i Maybe they can make me interested. Maybe they can succeed where Concord didn't.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i well We'll see.
neocharge: Frogs are cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but Frogs are cool. Let's see.
neocharge: Hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: i You know, I think i think i think we're getting baited. The short answer is I think we're getting baited and switched here.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You think so?
Leon Lionheartly: i've got I've got a theory. So we are coming the ship titles like Destiny, Halo, League Legends, Roblox, yada, yada, Fortnite, yada, yada, yada.
Leon Lionheartly: But then you look at the... it And i originally I was kind of like, what kind of game are they working on? And i as I've spent the last couple of the weeks trying to... or months now at this point since the announcement for LFG, I've been trying to come up with what kind of game...
Leon Lionheartly: is is envisioned in my head when they describe... All right, I want you to try to describe this game, gentlemen, and tell me if you come up with something. They draw inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type games.
neocharge: Smash Brothers.
Leon Lionheartly: What game does that...
neocharge: Frog-type games?
Leon Lionheartly: What game does...
neocharge: Frogger?
Leon Lionheartly: Exactly. My point is, I think they took the piss out of everybody because people are saying, hey, this is our, our game is a MOBA RPG souls, like inspired, uh, roguelike that you'll really enjoy. Please look forward to it.
Leon Lionheartly: I think they're taking the piss out of the industry and they did it purposely. So when they drop what gummy bears looks like, they're like, Hey, by the way, here's what we're actually working on.
neocharge: I love that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You realize, I feel like their name is actually team Let's Frog Game.
Leon Lionheartly: I think it's a market. I think it's a marketing style. Oh, go ahead.
Leon Lionheartly: um Like, sir so seriously, their marketing team, like the frog with F, I think their marketing team purposely did this shit just to throw us off the trail.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm sorry. ah
neocharge: Shit.
neocharge: Oh my God.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I hope you're right.
neocharge: Well, seeing, I hope you're right too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But I also, I wish it was just Titanfall 3. I know that's not possible, but Titanfall 2's story was so good.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. right
Leon Lionheartly: You and me both, man.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: You and me both.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh,
neocharge: ah yeah Let's see. What's next? ah Dark outlaw Outlaw Games. That was just founded, too. 2025. Led by Jason Blundell.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: He's an X-Treyarch dev that worked on...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it's Call of Black Ops, right?
neocharge: Yeah, yeah Call Duty Black Ops.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think it's fair.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Black Ops, yeah.
neocharge: Yep. So um they're working on something. Their ah current project is rumored to be a triple A multiplayer sci-fi shooter. And it's an early development.
neocharge: So ah who knows what that is?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
neocharge: um Triple A multiplayer sci-fi shooter. The only thing I can think of as siphon filter, but that's bend. And I think they might be working on that, but who knows what it could be again.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's called Durstiner. Like what?
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: durs
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What the hell else can it be?
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sci-fi multiplication?
neocharge: I love, i love the name dark outlaw games. That's, that's pretty cool name. ah It's better than team LFG.
neocharge: So yeah, lame, lame frog game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Let's frog game.
Leon Lionheartly: Let's fucking go.
neocharge: Uh, we'll, we'll see. We'll see though. Uh, Haven studios. They're not doing too great.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: Uh, found in 2022 PlayStation bottom. playstation bottom and they're working on fair games, which we haven't heard a lot about.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): okay
neocharge: And I think it's our next Concord. and I don't think it'll be that bad, but I mean, if they can capture what the division did with, I think it's going to be an a extraction shooter. um And fair games is set.
neocharge: They, they say it's set in the future and ah the wealth gap is, is very big. ah And I mean, I, I guess it's present or future depending.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So it's now. yeah not
neocharge: Yeah, exactly. Right. And the ah the wealthy, you go and like you you you rob them, which is like Robin Hood. So that's cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure.
neocharge: um But fair games. We saw a teaser trailer. I don't think it was even gameplay. Like what? Fucking two years ago?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): pride It sounds right.
Leon Lionheartly: and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Do you have any idea?
Leon Lionheartly: so
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): do either of you have any idea if this was a Ryan game, the Jim Ryan?
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, it was.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay. Okay.
neocharge: No, no. Jim Renn. Yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and Okay, because i not to he doesn't have the greatest track record with his live service requests, and he did a lot good for PlayStation.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm not going to completely shit on the guy, but boy, was that a misfire and a misstep, which is why we're in the law we're in now. And I thought that Haven Studios was one that was tapped. I assume that Fair Games was was one of them.
Leon Lionheartly: you Yeah, it it it was. And this is why this going back to team, ah ah team LFG. um I think this is why they're take them. Look at Dark Horse. Then you look at what we've got going on for Haven.
Leon Lionheartly: Like, ooh, sci-fi mo ah online shooter. That can name 30 other fucking games, right?
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: i And so you give me a, try i don't get, like, I'm not trying to be an asshole, but like describe Borderlands one to somebody.
neocharge: I know.
Leon Lionheartly: You know, oh, well, you're a character that runs around and shoots ah aliens and loots guns.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: That's very good.
neocharge: Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: Like you're you're so not as give me a trailer. And that's what their games really hasn't given us. They give outside of a teaser. So till we see it, it doesn't exist as far as I'm concerned.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: Yeah. This studio was founded by Jade Raymond, ah which I think, correct me if I'm wrong, didn't she just exit the studio?
Leon Lionheartly: She did.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, I should do
neocharge: Yeah. So that studio is in trouble. I don't know what's going on there.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's a great sign. That's a great sign.
neocharge: Right. Yeah. The founder exited. ah So fair games. We haven't seen a lot of Haven studios not doing great. I'd say ah we need to see more, but I'm pretty sure they're, they're gun shy with what Concord, what happened to Concord, of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I agree. Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Uh, so I don't know. We'll, we'll see how that goes. Not, not interested really, honestly. Um, but I hope like diversify that portfolio, give us all the different games, you know, uh, fire Sprite founded in 2012, bought, uh, after for PlayStation fire Sprite was another one they recently picked up in the last five years or something like that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Me either.
neocharge: um They made Horizon Call of the Mountain um for VR, which VR, I don't think is doing great. We haven't heard a lot with the PSVR 2 stuff. um I didn't play it.
neocharge: I don't know if you guys played it or not.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't care enough about VR yet.
neocharge: um yeah Neither do I.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and even then maybe it's because I'm old. I just feel like we're not matrix VR yet.
neocharge: Yeah. Oh,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): When we get to that point, Oh, I'm fucking there. I'm going to just be the pod forever.
neocharge: oh yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah But for now it's, I don't know. it's It's still that cusp of gimmicky for me. And i know that it's it's gotten better.
neocharge: Right. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It has absolutely gotten better. The frame tracking and the eye tracking and everything has gotten so much better.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's not giving as many people headaches and nausea and everything.
neocharge: o the Foveated rendering.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah Well, yes, that is correct.
neocharge: ah Yeah. It's pretty cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
neocharge: It's pretty cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And so i I have a lot of respect for it, for where it's gone, where we've where we've grown with it.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just can't get behind it, especially for something.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): There have been a handful of games. I have a hard rule when I buy a new system. that I have to have five games that I know I'm going to get on it to justify the cost of the system.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I have gotten a little lax with that as I've gotten older, just because I know the Switch 2, for example, there aren't even five games on it that I'm interested in right now. I know there will be. I know there will be.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that's kind of a shitty excuse, but Nintendo's been there since I've been three years old, so I'm not going to bet against them.
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): until they give me a solid reason not to.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But with VR, I've always run into one to three in the generation.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's never been five. And so I kind of, yes, I've missed out on ah Beat Saber, which ah looked awesome to me. I've always wanted to play that game, but I'm not going to buy the console just for Beat Saber.
neocharge: a I played it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm not going to do that.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I'm not going to play a shitty version of it on a VR that can't even do over 30 frames a second and not make my brain hurt. I just, that's, we're not quite there yet.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I, I don't want to look like the predator when I'm fucking in my basement playing a VR system. I'm not going to do that. So, yeah.
neocharge: i have ah I have a hard rule. And if there's more than eight cables required, I'm not getting your fucking system. now Now, granted, the PSVR 2, they eliminated the cables. I got PSVR 1.
neocharge: I hooked it up. It was a chore to hook up and manage and store. And I took it back in in two weeks. Love the concept. i I don't know about you. I don't want Matrix. I don't want to stick anything in the back of my neck.
neocharge: I don't want to plug in.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): All
neocharge: I want the Oasis from Ready Player One. I want...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): all right. Sure.
neocharge: Basically goggles, not not scuba diving gear, but like little goggles that you throw on, cordless, wireless, you throw on, you you play some VR. ah that's That's when I will be an adopter of it. Right now, it's very early.
neocharge: Like I tried the Vision... ah the Apple ah Vision Pro.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Incredible concept. Amazing. Futuristic. I felt like fucking Minority Report, but my head was my neck was sore within like 30 minutes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's awesome.
neocharge: And that thing was just scuba diving gear, basically. So love the concept. Can't wait for the hardware to shrink and basically be sunglasses.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I will take a, I will say I'll go as far as a body suit that has reactive stuff.
neocharge: Oh,
neocharge: oh yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): As long as it's not super heavy and uncomfortable. So yeah,
neocharge: Think of the porn.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): we what wetsuit gear that you could put on as though you are scuba diving, but the headpiece and the goggles that that weigh even even seven pounds or whatever.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't know what the Apple Vision Pro weighs, but it's just enough for me to say no.
neocharge: Yeah. A lot.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Because also the whole time I'm going to be thinking... Am I going to break this $3,000 piece of equipment by just whipping my head the wrong direction?
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that's not what I want out of an experience.
neocharge: Yeah. um
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just don't. But for the people that like VR and the people that appreciate VR as a concept, that's where I am. For people that like it in in practicality and stuff, i i would love to hear your thoughts about it in the Discord, but I just can't.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm not quite there yet. I'm not quite convinced. We're just, we're close.
neocharge: I think everyone should experience it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Absolutely.
neocharge: it's It's incredible.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Absolutely.
neocharge: Yeah. So how about you, Bob?
Leon Lionheartly: it Yeah. So VR is a very gimmicky enthusiast a platform.
neocharge: Hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: And I'm not trying to dog on people who fundamentally really enjoy VR, right?
neocharge: Have you tried VR, by the way?
Leon Lionheartly: um
neocharge: Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, I have.
neocharge: Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: And I don't get headaches. I don't get any of that. ah Unfortunately, I'm sorry. It's just not for me. I'm like,
Leon Lionheartly: It's just not for me, man.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: oh No, no. Hey, man, I don't own a PSVR 2, and I owned a PSVR 1 for two weeks. It's awesome when you're in there, but it's a chore. And there were like their cords hanging down. And as soon as it's all shrunk and simplified, I'm there.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: The concept is awesome. When I was playing Farpoint and on on the screen outside of VR, when you're looking at it, the the big boss is like, I don't know.
neocharge: three feet or two feet on my panel. i have a big panel. But when you're in VR, it seems like it's 30, like 10 stories high. Like it's there. It immerses you. I remember the first time I played VR at PSX 2016 or 2015, I forget.
neocharge: But I was playing like this heist game and I went to lean on a car door that wasn't there. And the guy caught me and he's like, it happens all the time, man. And I'm like, my it tricked my brain that I was in car driving, shooting the other car. It's ah it's awesome.
neocharge: But the hardware isn't there yet. The hardware just sucks.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): sure
Leon Lionheartly: No, no, i can't I can't do it, man. like i think of I think of that Futurama episode where they do the the brand new iPhone and they literally jab a fucking chip into your eyeball and everybody's like, oh, this is the greatest thing ever.
neocharge: Yeah. Awesome.
neocharge: if
Leon Lionheartly: No, that's not for me.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Never, never.
Leon Lionheartly: um I am a tech... There's a difference between... it People will know this joke, and I'm sorry but i if you've heard it, but there's a difference between a tech enthusiast and somebody who truly tech ah truly works in like the tech industry. tech industry A tech enthusiast has everything wired in their house wirelessly through Alexa and all this other stuff.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: ah Somebody works in the tech industry, my printer doesn't connect to the internet. And if it makes a noise i don't want, I've got a 9mm in the drawer ready to pop in.
neocharge: Yep. ah I do a little bit of home automation, but not...
Leon Lionheartly: Ugh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I feel you, man.
neocharge: I keep it simple. So, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, i can't I can't do the home automation stuff without just thinking, hey, I'm going to drive or somebody's going to drive by my house and just, well, now I can unlock all your doors and change your life purple.
neocharge: Yeah. Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): like
neocharge: Somebody's got to get into my bank account from my fridge.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah Fuck that. Not going happen.
Leon Lionheartly: turn your front porch light red and really make you pay the price.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: Hey-oh!
neocharge: Right. Oh, uh, yeah. So fire Sprite, um, and they are, they, they, they are working on VR related stuff. We don't know what it is. It is a VR related unannounced project.
neocharge: Um,
Leon Lionheartly: Yes.
neocharge: we We'll see.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: I'm excited for what VR has in the future 10 years from now. Right now, the concept needs some work.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm excited for the next studio.
neocharge: ah Let's see.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's what I'm excited for.
neocharge: Bluepoint!
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yes
neocharge: Yeah!
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: ah Man, so what have they been working on ah the last fucking three years? ah Sony or PlayStation really put them on a project that was very ah true to to what they do.
neocharge: And I'm super excited for it. No, they were working on a fucking God of War multiplayer game. and this is blue point. One of their best remake studios. We got demon souls. We got a shadow of the Colossus. And then, and then one Halloween, they decided to just tweet out this little fucking tweet.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Man.
neocharge: Uh, I'd say, and it was teasing the greats. It was teasing legend of Dragoon metal gear solid. what What else were they teasing? They were teasing all kinds of stuff that they were supposedly remaking.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): For me, that was 99% Legend of Dragoon.
neocharge: And, yeah,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): When I read that, without even knowing what they were talking about, knowing how.
neocharge: yeah Yeah. They capitalized the D in DART.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, Dart, the main fucking character's name is Dart. Why would they use the word Dart in this prophetic poem and talking about the Black Rose?
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: I know. I know.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's just, oh man, talk about being so hyped personally. i love The Legend of Dragoon.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Not quite as much as Alex, but I fucking love The Legend of Dragoon.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I'm real close, real close behind. he That game is awesome for me. And when when Bluepoint...
neocharge: Hell yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): When I found out that was Bluepoint, I was like, I will wait till I'm 75 years old to play this game, Bluepoint. Just take your time with it. And then we hear about this God of War multiplayer that nobody fucking asked for.
neocharge: Yep.
neocharge: No.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i love Kratos. I love all of the gods of Olympus, the Norse god. I love all that shit. I don't fucking need a live-action multiplayer God of War game.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't.
neocharge: Nope.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just...
neocharge: And to put up Bluepoint on it, one of the best remake studios first party?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): or
neocharge: Ugh, doesn't make sense. I was so pissed. So pissed when I heard that. Like, there is.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): There's still hope though. There's still hope.
neocharge: There is. But they're in early development now.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: So, unless they they might have been working on two, I don't know. um Give us a Resistance trilogy.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, yes, please.
neocharge: Come on.
Leon Lionheartly: Please.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Underrated.
Leon Lionheartly: they can They could have ported in the time they were fucking around with this God of War game. They could have ported all of the 12 games on the PS3 that everybody wants anyways. Yeah.
neocharge: right? Give us an infamous trilogy, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah Yes.
neocharge: Shit. Oh yeah. Uh, I'm very excited for, for blue point, blue point. I mean, dude, demon souls and shadow of the Colossus were amazing. Uh, they picked these guys up in the PS4 era and, ah yeah, I'm excited for what they're working on next.
neocharge: Just, just, Oh, absolutely.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): they They've proved themselves time and again.
neocharge: They're an incredible studio. And if they work on a new IP, awesome. I'm in, I'm in.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, I feel like, honestly, I think they've earned it and then some with their goodwill. And so maybe that was the idea with the God of War live action, the God of War live live game.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Maybe they were... i can't imagine that studio being like, yeah, we want to do this. Maybe they were. i don't I don't know them personally, but it just seems not their cup of tea.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I feel like they were sort of forced to do that.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i'm glad I'm glad.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't like when games get canceled. I don't. I want everybody... If a creative team believes in it, I want it to get its time to shine.
neocharge: Of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): However, part of me felt like I heard the sigh of relief when this game got...
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I feel like ah feel like I just was attuned to Bluepoint Studios.
neocharge: yeah Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
neocharge: fifty
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay, we can finally do something we want to do. Maybe I'm just completely fucking wrong about that.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i would I hope that I'm not, but I... Please just give me something that you want to make, not something that somebody told you you want to make.
neocharge: I'd say you're pretty accurate.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but i feel that way about a lot of things.
neocharge: Yep. Yeah, big old eye roll, probably, when they're like, hey, guess what? The next project you're working on is a God of War multiplayer online MOBA, or whatever the fuck it was.
neocharge: Big old eye rolls from everyone, and they're like, really?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): five If I worked there, I would have secretly called it God of Dammit behind the buy in the back of the executives.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, good. We get to work on God of Dammit now. Cool. but Fantastic.
neocharge: Oh, that's awesome. Well, I'm glad but most people are still there. I'm sure a few have left, but most of the studio is still there and we're going to get maybe a banger remake that we all want or a new IP.
neocharge: Either way, I'm in. ah This next studio... has been on the the map in the recent years.
Leon Lionheartly: Okay.
neocharge: And they first made a little, tiny little game on the PS5, built in, you know, ah baked into the the system. ah Take note, Nintendo.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Can we have Bob sing the name of the game?
neocharge: Okay, don't...
neocharge: Ooh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: ah You really want me? The Astro Bot.
neocharge: Astro Bot. and and and and and Astro
Leon Lionheartly: Astro Bot. My name is Astro Bot.
neocharge: God, I wish we had video.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I'm fairly certain you just lost at least 10 listeners, but you probably gained 30 more. So it's a net gain.
neocharge: Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: That's a win.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: Yes, they made Astro's Playroom, ah which was shit just a huge surprise. An ode to PlayStation. ah Just but Easter eggs galore.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Great.
neocharge: Incredible. Showed off the console's technological prowess. And man, it was just a five hour amazing experience. And then what did we get last year? Holy shit.
Leon Lionheartly: Game the Year.
neocharge: They made a whole game of the year. Picked this bad boy up when we didn't even know the title of it on the draft. um And we got a banger platformer. front And it was called Astro Bot.
neocharge: And we're still playing it, right? They still keep supporting it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): great For free.
neocharge: ah We talked about on the last episode.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They keep giving us free shit and it's all it's awesome.
neocharge: Yeah, that's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's so fun. it's so fun
neocharge: Yeah. And the the last two bots that were released, we're not going to spoil it. Unlike people that spoiled it like one fucking second after they they were released.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: and I got it spoiled for me and it was the bots that I was waiting on. ah We got the bots. the I mean, we got pretty much everyone's there now, except there's... there're except a few which are notable, but I guess licensing and stuff. But yeah, Astro Bot, third-person platformer, little guy, is the pretty much the new mascot of PlayStation Team Asobi, man.
neocharge: they ah They picked them up, and ah they've been doing wonders. I'm i'm sure they're working on Astro Bot 2. I'm sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): right I would hope so.
neocharge: and They turn that around pretty quickly or another, another, uh, IP, but dude, it's going to be Astro bot.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They did.
neocharge: We're getting Astro bot.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, I'm curious to see what they do with it. Like, hear me out, gentlemen. Instead of the little like hub and spoke world for Astro Bot, what if it was a like a la 64, Mario 64, but what if it was more true open world just running around as Astro Bot?
Leon Lionheartly: Throwing it out there, enjoy it.
neocharge: I like level based.
Leon Lionheartly: Chew on it. I know. I'm just thinking about it.
neocharge: I like the level based.
Leon Lionheartly: i
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: i agree. I don't disagree with you. How about that, right?
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: But it would be really cool to see a biome
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The only...
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: of like uncharted, the lost legacy next to horizon next to something else. Like the actual, instead of being true biomes that are almost seamless, I think it'd be kind of cool.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: I think it's worth a chance.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The only thing... they Because they touched on the entire history of PlayStation, which was so cool.
neocharge: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sorry, guys. That's a spoiler for Astro about the platform, but I guess. But they they really did... justice. And the only way I can see, I feel like team of Sobi is like, well, we have to wait until there's four more consoles because we don't know what else we don't know what else to do.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The other thought, I honestly, i think that they should be given a chance to let the creative team do what they want.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): If they want to do more Astro, if they want to do another platformer, whatever, that's cool. But I feel like they've earned the right to to try their, try whatever else they want to do.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): If they said, hey, we kind of like Sabotage with The Messenger and then The Sea of Stars, two very different genres.
neocharge: True.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But the team said, we feel passionate about this.
neocharge: That's true.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): We want to do this. I think that they've earned the goodwill. And I really, really, ah what they've done with both Astro's Playroom and Astro Bot have given me, they have no matter what they release next, I'm there.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay, unless it's a live service game.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Fuck that. But if it's not a live service game, I will give them a chance.
neocharge: Ah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Even if I think it looks like dog water, I am excited about it because they were they just knocked it out of the park twice.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: Ooh, Astro Bot RPG where like each individual bot and check ah plot and they can change classes la Final Fantasy Tactics.
neocharge: Oh, yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): like
neocharge: Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Give me all that, please.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah Give me that.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: yes Uh, yeah, they also made Astro Bot Rescue Mission for VR. I hope that comes to actual consoles so I can play it because I never played it in VR, but I think it has a lot of mechanics that are specific to VR, but that was kind of their breakout game. And then they put them on the little Astro's, uh, playroom. And then we got, i think a little Astro thing with the PlayStation four camera.
neocharge: Uh, there was like a little Astro game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: So, uh, yeah,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's right. I forgot about that.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: I played it a little bit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, and like they came out of the camera and you like sucked them up with a controller, I think.
neocharge: um VR Playroom. Astro's VR Playroom.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was kind of goofy, but yeah.
neocharge: Yep. Yeah. They're always a studio that can showcase like the new technology. Because, I mean, Astro Bot takes advantage of the DualSense more than any other game I've ever played, for sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Play more Death Stranding 2.
neocharge: So, I intend to.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Drive around and let your controller die very quickly. It's a roller
neocharge: Right. Oh, yeah. Right. ah Let's see. Next one. Bend. Bend Studio. ah They gave us classes like Siphon Filter. And of course, recently, Days Gone. I mean, recently, I say, but it was what?
neocharge: 2018? I don't know. It was on the PS4. A new IP. PS4 had so many new IPs. Loved it. Loved it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They did.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They swung.
neocharge: But they...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. PS4. I mean, dude, so many new ones. ah But Ben Studio, um they are working on a new open-world sci-fi IP. And it's not Days Gone 2.
neocharge: So I love Days Gone. I would have loved the Days Gone 2. ah But I'll love a new IP from them. they They showed me that I should care. And I mean, Siphon Filter was one of the classics.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure.
neocharge: ah Talk about ah games that need remade, right? Um, yeah, I love days gone. I'm excited to see what they're working on. Might see it later this year, maybe next year, who knows, but they updated their logo for a more like sci-fi look. So we'll see.
neocharge: We'll see what they're working on.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You know, it's it's kind of a bummer because I wish not to.
neocharge: Did you guys like days gone?
neocharge: Yeah, sure.
Leon Lionheartly: um
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'll answer your Days Gone thing in a second. But when it's a new open world IP, my first thought was if it weren't a new IP, I would love an open world siphon filter like the Batman Arkham series games.
neocharge: Sure.
neocharge: o Ooh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That would be so fucking cool.
neocharge: Ooh. Now you're talking.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I feel like because it's a new IP, that's not it.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah i just Man, if they they did that with the siphon filter intellectual property, I would be a very happy man.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But to answer your question, I appreciated Days Gone. I liked it. It wasn't my favorite. i felt well In my mind, it was like a solid 84, which is still very good.
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Just in my head, my biggest problem with it, I thought it was a little too long in the tooth.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah I just, I feel like they could have edited out some some of the fat and and in the mid-game. But otherwise, what's his name? Sam Witwer, the guy who's the main character.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He is...
neocharge: Deacon St. John?
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, the voice actor and the and the actor Sam Witwer.
neocharge: Oh, oh, yeah. i was Okay, yeah, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): His real name is Sam Witwer. ah He played Crashdown in the Battlestar Galactic remake ah reboot in 2004.
neocharge: Yes.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He was in... in...
Leon Lionheartly: Holy shit, that's right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah he was
Leon Lionheartly: I love looking behind. I can see.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, yeah, you did you did.
Leon Lionheartly: you should yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, but he was Crash. He was Crashdown. So I knew him from that before I knew him from anything else. And then the Star Wars... um ah but
neocharge: Force Awakens? Or no, not Force Unleashed.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Force Unleashed. Yeah, he played the lead and in the Force Unleashed games.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: ye
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And he did it...
neocharge: And he's a huge Star Wars fan, by the way.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): loves Star Wars and he voices Darth Maul in the Clone Wars animated series and and Rebels and basically he's Maul if he's animated.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Hell, he might even be Maul now in spoilers for the Solo movie, the three seconds that he shows up on a hologram.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. Post credits.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It might be him. I actually don't know if it is, but he is very, very good at what he does.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And so Deacon St. John, I liked as a character very much. I liked his story. I just thought they kind of treaded water a little too long and they got me excited about some of the sci-fi elements or the whatever was going on in the game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then did a heel turn somewhere else and basically told me, well, to find out more, you're going to play the sequel that we're never going to fucking make because we took too long.
neocharge: right
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that's my problem. That's really, if I'm being super critical about it, I liked Days Gone. I didn't love it. I loved Uncharted 2. I loved Uncharted 4. I thought that they had their own unique stories while keeping the world the same.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I know it's a different studio, but as far as games that tell a story that way, I just felt like Days Gone... It's like the creative director had this great idea for a start, this great idea for the end,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): then in the middle, he thought, what can we do to make this game longer? And I don't think that's what you need to do. You need to tell the story you want to tell. The gameplay will speak for itself. It was fun to play.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just didn't like driving.
neocharge: Oh, yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): do Death Stranding, I'll drive for six hours and not give a fuck. But in Days Gone, i getting on the motorcycle and driving halfway across the country and not really, well, not really the country, but you know what I'm saying.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I just thought I need more than this. It was just it was missing something for me.
neocharge: The Pacific Northwest.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, how about you, Bob? What did what did you feel about Days Did you ever play her?
Leon Lionheartly: See, yeah, well, yeah, absolutely.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: but um did this So Days Gone was the game that I specifically remember ah it getting trashed in the review segments. And I gave it like a month or two because ah I had something else going on.
Leon Lionheartly: It came out in 2019, so I'd have to go back and look at that game list, but it's another packed year.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Might have been Death Stranded.
neocharge: Well, they released they released a broken copy to reviewers, and which was dumb.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes. that dick that's exactly it. But when I did jump into it, because nobody none of my other friends that I knew ah had at the time were playing Days Gone, I legitimately enjoyed it. Did I think it was a 10 out of 10 Death Stranding 2 game?
Leon Lionheartly: No. But I found there was a certain level of... ah I enjoyment with just riding charm.
neocharge: Charm.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, that's a good way to put it, Matt, with charm, which is riding and customizing your your your your motorcycle and going through the Pacific Northwest and just kind of going through. And then when you hit those spots where there's like, there's little, and i think you put it best, Caleb. There's little pieces and nuggets of this game that are brilliant. And there's some pieces together. like, it doesn't come...
Leon Lionheartly: together very well.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and
Leon Lionheartly: um Because like what they did with the with the zombie camps and the hordes, if you will, I think is amazing. I still think about i still think about the lumberyard.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): <unk>s Cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, oh that was that was cool. It was awesome sequence.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, that's amazing in the way they worked that.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: um I like Deacon St. John as a character. um I'm so glad they realized now, I don't know why I didn't hear it, why who the voice actor is, because I have ah love Battlestar Galactica reimagined.
Leon Lionheartly: um so crash And Crashdown was an amazing character. um So it's really weird to, and and I'm kind of sad. You put it best. I'm sad about Days Gone because it teased more lore that we're never going to get, which kind of sucks because if you look at Siphon Filter 1, 2, and 3, and you look like the gameplay, I played them on the the PlayStation Classics.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm sorry, folks. I'm going to say it. Siphon Filter sucks in the gameplay department in Modern Sprinter. But the story is good.
neocharge: Needs some work.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: It needs to work. But that's get bent on that, right? um ah But the story is good.
neocharge: Right?
Leon Lionheartly: So I'm kind of sad that there's not more to it because kind of wish there was.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i was I was all in on the on the science fiction elements, the the zombie horde.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What was going on in the world?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: ah they
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): What caused this?
neocharge: They're called freakers. They're called freakers. They're not zombies.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That was your nickname in college, Freaker.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but But yeah, I was genuinely interested in how the world got to this state.
neocharge: No.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then we didn't get enough of that. And it really felt like they had the sequel-itis that they were baked in, where we're going to make this seven games and we're never going to tell you, no, tell me.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and then keep telling me more after that. That's what makes a good show.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's what makes a good movie. That's what makes some of the best games that I've ever played in my life. it's that You're not afraid to tell me what's going or show me what's going on and let me experience it.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And as a gamer that's played for over 30 years, it's I need that and that.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But again, I still gave it like an 84 myself. i did i did it I did enjoy it.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't want to sound like I'm shitting on it.
neocharge: High 80s for me.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just... Comparatively at the time, i it was fine. it It was a little above a little above fine, let's say, for me
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, it could have been a Death Stranding 1, and if they had we truly got a sequel, I think we could have gotten a Death Stranding 2 equivalent where they refined everything, and it would have been an amazing game.
neocharge: True.
Leon Lionheartly: But, uh, sad.
neocharge: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Matt, do you remember the joke we made ah when, I don't remember if this happened to you or if I just told you it happened to a buddy of mine, where he lost his save file because of a they had they had patched it in Days Gone.
neocharge: wait
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They had patched it. And he's like, I've been playing for like 48 hours. And I said, that's why it's called Days Gone. Those days you spent on it are gone.
neocharge: Oh no, that's so bad.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So mean, but yeah, that's the truth.
neocharge: Damn.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: No, i I don't remember that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah Maybe it wasn't you then.
neocharge: Yeah, the... the
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was somebody else.
neocharge: Maybe that's funny though. It's terrible, but funny. The creative director was doing an interview and the guy was like, okay, so there's zombies in this game. And he's like, ah, they're freakers.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I forgot that.
neocharge: They're not zombies.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): so
neocharge: This isn't a zombie game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's right.
neocharge: This they're freakers. But yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I did forget that. i Thank you for clarifying that.
neocharge: Uh, yep. Yep. Yeah. Uh, that's funny though. And, uh, also not funny because losing saves is bad.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It sucks. Why would a patch break that?
neocharge: Oh, right. Right. But who knows what their, what this new game is going to be. We'll probably find out this year or next. So we'll see. Uh, media molecule, little big planet dreams founded 2006.
neocharge: two thousand and six This has been a developer that's been in PlayStation's wheelhouse for a while. Um, They're doing ah another project, current unannounced experimental creative project. So I never played Dreams.
neocharge: I played LittleBigPlanet a little bit. I'm not too into the I want to make the game. um I'm rather like, hey, you guys make the game and I'll play it. I'm not even into a choice based game. Like, I don't even want to make the choices like, hey, you guys make the game and I'm going to play it. You guys create the characters and I'm going play them.
neocharge: I don't want to create my character. I don't want to. like story tell my own game. And that's just me. So I'm not big into what media molecule you cool does. A little big planet was fun though.
neocharge: All three of them.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, a lot of respect for them. they They're great developer.
neocharge: Yeah, of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I thought LittleBigPlanet was really good, but I'm exactly like you in that vein where I want to just play the game.
neocharge: Very creative for sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't want to...
neocharge: he
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): If I wanted to create games, I would have tried to become a developer and make a big-ass game myself.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And no disrespect for people that love that.
neocharge: Exactly.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think that it's awesome for people to have those tools who might want to develop games and not go to school for billions or millions of dollars and then not make it
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think it's awesome that we have the games like the Minecrafts of the world or little big planets and such, even Roblox.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): We could talk about Roblox forever, but it it does touch on that making games.
neocharge: No.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But ah yeah, i feel I feel you on that.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): it's I wish Media Molecule could just kind of do a game that they made from start to finish that wasn't an end game.
neocharge: Yep. Didn't they make Tearaway too?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think they did, and I very much like Tearaway.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah. I love Tearaway.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Tearaway awesome.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): was very good.
neocharge: So yeah. What are your thoughts, Bob?
Leon Lionheartly: i
neocharge: Bobbo.
Leon Lionheartly: Bobo. ah That's an old nickname. I haven't heard that one in 20 years. ah hey No, you're right. So that's what I hate about, like or that's what I find disappointing, should I say, about Dreams.
Leon Lionheartly: um Because you you hit the nail on the head with like Roblox, and then you look at like Minecraft. There's no story. It's just a sandbox, and then people develop their own stories and their own narratives and everything else.
Leon Lionheartly: um ah Not to mention Roblox, but then you think about like my kids growing up watching I know some of of them are now bad people and they've been ousted, but you look at like, uh, Dan TDM from the Minecraft world. You look at stampy cat.
Leon Lionheartly: If you guys know what I'm talking about, you don't, you have, if see, if you know what I'm talking about, you have kids.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Nope.
neocharge: no
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Not fucking clue.
neocharge: No.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: If not, you're like, who the fuck are them? Those are people that literally built their careers and have more money than we will ever just from playing Minecraft and telling a story inside of the Minecraft sandbox world.
Leon Lionheartly: Um,
neocharge: Dude, all ah all I know is my YouTube algorithm is off and my watch history is off because I don't like the algorithm feeding stuff to me. And so if I go into the gaming category, it just shows me what's the most popular.
neocharge: It is all Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite. And I'm just like, we're doomed.
Leon Lionheartly: and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, it sucks.
neocharge: We're fucking doomed.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's very frustrating. My TV does the same thing, and I'm like, I don't give a fuck about this.
neocharge: It's the worst. Yeah. Fuck that algorithm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And then Monster Hunter Wilds will show up, and I'm like, now we're talking.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Now we're cooking.
neocharge: Yeah, exactly.
Leon Lionheartly: So your guys' this stuff is broken. Mine's fixed. or i don't It's not broken, should I say. not Fixed.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: That's wrong. That implies it was originally broken. It's all RPG. Classic RPG. Video game packs.
neocharge: Well, that's because your algorithm.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: It knows you. We have our algorithm off and our watch history off.
Leon Lionheartly: He knows me.
Leon Lionheartly: Fuck that.
neocharge: So, yeah, no, I know.
Leon Lionheartly: I do not need to it. I do not even want to, I do not even want to see close to Stampy Cat or whatever, PewDiePie, Ugly, whatever his name is.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but Maybe you should start.
neocharge: I know.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: I don't need to even see it on my front page. Why would I, yeah they can have that history because I'm not exactly watching adult films on YouTube.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: All right. You could,
neocharge: No, no, neither am I. I just don't like the algorithm feeding shit to me. It's too convenient. And I'll go down rabbit holes. It'll be like, oh, my strange addiction. What's this? and yeah
Leon Lionheartly: oh
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Alright, that's fair. But I learn a lot of my video game facts and like the weird, obscure things. And I find new channels. like There's channels that'll tell the entire unabridged lore of the video game and stuff like that.
Leon Lionheartly: And they'll pull the books.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: I love it. I'll feed the algorithm all day long. But that's mostly because I play the algorithm when I'm doing dishes.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Okay.
neocharge: Yeah. My YouTube is like, oh, you like street fights? Here's ah like thousands of street fight videos. Oh, you like Karen videos? Here's a bunch of... Oh, my God.
neocharge: I had to turn that shit off. It was getting to be a problem. It would just be like, you might like... Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Hey kids, do you like watching kids falling off bikes?
neocharge: right You might like this fail video.
Leon Lionheartly: it spell
neocharge: You're goddamn right I do, YouTube. It's very concerning how well you know me.
Leon Lionheartly: oh How did we get...
neocharge: Now I'm going to watch this for four hours.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, I know how we got here. Sorry, I'm thinking of medium molecule.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: My last thought.
Leon Lionheartly: so but ah Little Big Planet. Am I the only one that sees kind of sees the Strand genre bleeding in a little bit? Because you think like people have their own stuff and it's influencing your world and stuff in your their levels?
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
neocharge: I can see that.
Leon Lionheartly: Look at Caleb. He's he's processing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah!
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, now i want that's a crossover I didn't know I wanted.
neocharge: Hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): want Kojima to make Little Big Planet 4 that's just Little Big Chiral Network or something.
neocharge: That needs to happen.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah!
Leon Lionheartly: no
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i
Leon Lionheartly: You know, knowing Kojima, you could probably have Sackboy, like, hanging along San Porter Bridges on his backpater so ah backpack.
neocharge: Oh, I bet we'll see that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You're not on Chapter 14 yet.
neocharge: And speaking of sack boy.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, i'm just kidding.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: oh my God.
Leon Lionheartly: oh
neocharge: man. Sackboy, Sackboy, a big adventure. Shout out to that. we We got that from XDev and Sumo Digital. ah They took Sackboy from Media Molecule. it was That was our mascot for a while, and now it's Astro Bot.
neocharge: so
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): sure
neocharge: Yeah, Media Molecule, very creative studio. If you're a creative individual that likes creating things, ah those games are for you, for sure.
Leon Lionheartly: and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): definitely oh me too
neocharge: Love Tearaway. ah This next one I'm a huge fan of. And yeah, they recently kind of ah started going into a different direction with their IPs with Returnal. Of course, I'm talking about Housemarque.
neocharge: I've always been a fan of Housemarque since Resogun, Matterfall, Nex Machina, Dude, ah incredible arcade ah bullet hell shooters. And then they recently did the third person shooter that was a bullet hell. ah Very story driven, very narrative driven.
neocharge: ah And that's Returnal. So there I think...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So good, so good.
neocharge: Oh my God, so good. It was a PS5 launch window title. ah And I was a huge fan. So they are working Soros. ah And this is kind of in the same vein as Returnal. Third person, I'd Bullet Hell. Looks like narrative driven and I'm all in.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm all in too, yeah.
neocharge: Give it to me. Yeah, yeah. We'll probably see this at the end of the year.
Leon Lionheartly: Okay.
neocharge: They said we're going to see more at the end of the year. Maybe Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, Game Awards. Who knows? ah But i want to I want to know more about this. I'm 100% sold.
neocharge: ah ah As long as it's not a multiplayer online.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: um But I don't think it will be. So I love the shit out of Returnal. And I would love to see more of that gameplay and that style and that very story driven experience from this incredible studio that used to make very arcade heavy games. They made what else did they make? Did they make Dead Nation?
neocharge: No, that was X-Dev.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, it was.
Leon Lionheartly: No, that was them.
neocharge: Yeah, that was them. Was it?
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, it was
neocharge: No, I don't know. It was Alien Nation and Dead Nation. I think that was X-Dev. They made Nex Machina, Rezogun, Matterfall, all games I love.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): those are all
neocharge: Super fucking hard platinums. If you have the platinum on any of those games, you're a fucking god. um And yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah I remember you challenged me back. You said, can you need to get a platinum in Matterfall and Devil May Cry 5.
neocharge: Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: No.
neocharge: Yeah, you got Devil May Cry 5.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm not going to lie. I forgot about Matterfall.
Leon Lionheartly: Did it...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I never did go back. and I guess I should try and do that.
neocharge: Do it. Get it in XMarkina, too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
Leon Lionheartly: Did they get ah absorbed by Housemarque? Because I'm telling you right now, i everything I'm finding and everything I remember, Housemarque is behind Dead Nation and Alienation.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, fuck me, because those are both really fun.
neocharge: Okay. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): so yeah
neocharge: They're amazing. Maybe XDev helped them, but they were like co-developed or something.
Leon Lionheartly: Maybe they were a support studio.
neocharge: I mean, they're in their style. So...
Leon Lionheartly: maybe maybe there were a support studio
neocharge: Yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's possible, sure.
neocharge: yeah Yeah. ah that That's their style of game. So yeah, Housemarque, dude, Soros is ah basically a spiritual successor to Returnal, it looks like.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but
neocharge: We haven't seen any gameplay.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Amazing. I think that's what we're going to get at the end of the year.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think we're going to get, um my guess would be the Game Awards.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think we're going to get a gameplay trailer.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Maybe not a release window.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't know. i did it
neocharge: Maybe a window. Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They're really good developers, so they're probably further along than we think, but I wouldn't be disappointed.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just feel like we're going to get an actual trailer. and And actually, we'll probably get a trailer that says information coming June of 2026 or seven or whatever, know, whatever that would be.
neocharge: Right. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That would be my guess. I'm hopeful though.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That game looks like returnal meets interstellar meets my happy place.
neocharge: Fuck yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just, I think it looks awesome.
neocharge: Yeah. Raul Coley. I don't know if I'm saying it right, but a very well-known actor. He's in it and it yeah I think it looks really good.
neocharge: I'm excited for it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It does. It really does.
neocharge: I'm all in. Uh, let's see these next two. I mean, house marks in my top five, I'd say these next two, ah I don't really play a lot of their games.
neocharge: San Diego studio, MLB, the show.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, depend it depends on what you like.
neocharge: Exactly, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: It's just not for me. It's not that they're bad studios. MLB The Show is a ah hit every year. ah But yeah, San Diego Studio founded 2001. MLB The Show, ah that's what they make. And they're they're multi-platform now.
neocharge: Recently did that. ah So they're working on MLB The Show 26.
neocharge: And MLB that's what they're on.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. but The Mark of Cree was the first thing I ever noticed them from or cry, however you pronounce it.
neocharge: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But I remember playing that back in the day and and being happy enough.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was it was fun. It was a fun game. And that's the only reason that I know who they are, other than MLB the show.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I couldn't tell you another game that they made, though. like I couldn't.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I have no idea.
neocharge: Hey, if you like baseball, it's it's ah is go play their game.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah Yeah, it's 45 baseball games, and they're all very good if you like baseball games.
neocharge: Oh yeah. Yeah. Technically impressive. And yeah, it's, it's, I, I know a lot of our listeners, maybe a few of our listeners, or I don't know how many listeners like MLB the show, but it's a very popular game. And if you like baseball, you'll like MLB the show.
neocharge: ah If you like racing, you'll like the next one. Poliphany digital.
Leon Lionheartly: man
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, yeah.
neocharge: Of course they're famous for the Gran Turismo series. And I mean, They just keep working on Gran Turismo. The last game was Gran Turismo 7, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: ah Yes, GT7.
neocharge: yeah Yeah. g t seven Yeah. So the ah talk about technically impressive. Some of the the gameplay we've seen, it looks like real life, honestly. And yeah I don't play them. I'm not big into sim racers.
neocharge: I like arcade racers. A big fan of Need for Speed. i Big fan of... Man, remember Blur?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I loved Blur. Blur was an underappreciated game.
neocharge: Yeah!
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That game was so awesome and nobody fucking played it.
neocharge: ah Agreed. Burnout.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But you and me apparently.
neocharge: Oh, I played it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: I love Blur.
Leon Lionheartly: you
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Blur was good.
neocharge: It was like Need for Speed meets Mario Kart.
Leon Lionheartly: you
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It really was.
Leon Lionheartly: You guys are talking about the wrong racing game. It's all... Excuse me, sorry about that. Frog in my throat. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Team Let's Frog.
neocharge: LFG.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah Oh, Road Rash. It's all about Road Rash.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Road Rash was good.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Cruisin', Cruisin', USA.
Leon Lionheartly: but yeah more Road Rash, as I like to call it, Mario Kart for adults.
neocharge: Nice.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I do. I actually have to say, I think the best arcade racer ever is Forza Horizon.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah, Forza.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I know it was an Xbox exclusive for the longest time, and fors of Horizon 5 just recently came to PlayStation.
Leon Lionheartly: Really?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): For those of you that like arcade racers, give it a shot.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I have...
neocharge: I thought it was more sim.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i It's both.
neocharge: Okay, it's hybrid.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's both. So yeah, you can you can drive around the open world, open world area, let's say, and just kind of fuck around if you want.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's great.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): um Or you can go into the real races. But there's things that you can do, such as jump this big, long thing. You have to get 2,000 meters or yeah whatever. They're all different jumps and all different things that you can do.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's a sandbox.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): there you drive around in and you can change all your cars for things that you buy or that you earn.
neocharge: Very cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): um It's really good. I think I have around 2000 gamer score in my Forza Horizon 5, which is basically a platinum plus the DLC.
Leon Lionheartly: all.
neocharge: Dang.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I did everything in the base game and for that, that's Fucking stupid. It's actually silly. It really is.
neocharge: That's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But they're a lot of fun. And and they're a lot of fun. I know it sounds weird to say. When we would host Thanksgiving with my family and my wife's family, an extended family, I actually – nobody came cared about games at all except maybe my brother-in-law, me.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): the the the our generation. But I even got my dad to give it a shot, who, remember what I said off cast about Banjo-Kazooie to you guys?
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah he i He said, can I drive around in a Ford Pinto? I opted a Ford Pinto, and sure enough, you can. It's a piece of shit. It goes really slow, but it didn't matter, because it was he just drove around, ah I guess, I think five is in Mexico.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Pretty sure it's in Mexico. as I played since three.
neocharge: Nice.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I played three, four, and five, so...
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah Yeah, four was in in the UK and then five was Mexico. But he was driving around a Ford Pinto and he was like, okay, all right, this is kind of, this is kind of a kind to get it.
neocharge: that
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but But it was, yeah, it was kind of cool just to be able to share that small experience with my dad because he's a big car lover and I love the game.
neocharge: He saw the light.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So, I actually do recommend people try out Forza Horizon 5. It is years old now, but it's new on the PlayStation. And it's I can't speak to how it runs the PS5, but it ran well on the Xbox.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So I bet it runs better on the PS5, honestly.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: And that's that's one of the main three Xbox exclusives that we've gotten.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: We've gotten two of the three. We just need that meat.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That big old, that master...
neocharge: We just need that meat.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: We got the veggies and the potatoes. Yeah, yeah, we'll get it. We'll get it.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: But yeah, but Polyphony, Forza and GT Gran Turismo are usually like neck and neck.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: um So Polyphony makes Gran Turismo. They're working on the next Gran Turismo.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Absolutely.
neocharge: Let's be honest.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah yeah
neocharge: Yeah, yeah. um So I lied. Housemarque is my sixth favorite studio because these next five are my top five.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, they're all great.
neocharge: ah Let's see. Oh, yeah, exactly. ah Starting with, of course, it's Horizon is in my my top five games of all time.
Leon Lionheartly: you
neocharge: Guerrilla Games. ah Very famous for... of course, Killzone. ah and But they recently, with the PS4, I wouldn't say recently, ah with the PS4, they created a new IP, Horizon Zero Dawn.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Okay.
neocharge: And man, the first time I saw this trailer, i was like, what the fuck is this? I'm in. I'm just i'm sold. Give it to me. i Horizon Zero Dawn was incredible. Horizon Forbidden West was was even more incredible, but her horizon still kind of holds a place in my heart because of how awesome it was as a new IP and just the story, uh, in the way that story was like way unexpected, like, Oh shit. Okay.
neocharge: Um, but yeah, gorilla games are working on horizon three. Let's be honest.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Actually, they're working on this game called Light of Motiram. and don't know if you've heard of it.
neocharge: yeah Oh my God. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Fucking troll.
Leon Lionheartly: That's so mean.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm so sorry.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: No, no, yeah, no. sue the shit out of them. Tencent, like Tencent needs buried.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: um theyre God, they got their tentacles all over the game industry. But yeah, that's a... ah topic for a whole other podcast um apparently they might be working on a multiplayer horizon project which i'm not i'm not upset about it i would totally like do a hell divers uh-esque uh hunt down machine dinosaurs with bow and arrows with my friends
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm not against.
neocharge: I think I'd be in on that. It depends on how much microtransactions and, oh, come on, Bob, you'd be in You love Horizon.
Leon Lionheartly: No, i I like Horizon, but I like Horizon for what it is.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It'd be...
Leon Lionheartly: I like Elden Ring.
neocharge: oh no, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: i don't like I have no interest in Night Ring. My point is, yeah i love what Guerrilla did, especially when you go from Killzone into Horizon, we're being but we're getting fatigued like with The Last of Us.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: you It's your ex now. You need to move the fuck on.
neocharge: Oh, trust me. I don't want it, but if it comes out, I would have my eye on it. I love...
Leon Lionheartly: Nope.
neocharge: no i hope they're just working on the the sequel. I hope they're working on a Horizon 3, the desolate north. I don't know. um But what if it's called that? That'd be so cool.
Leon Lionheartly: You heard it here first, folks.
neocharge: Uh...
Leon Lionheartly: Okay.
neocharge: Yes, exactly. Because, ah I mean, i'm I'm not going to spoil anything, but the next game is going to be North. Let's just say that. ah Because it was the the DLC kind of pointed us in that direction.
neocharge: They pointed in that direction, eh? um So, we'll...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just want, if they're going to do a multiplayer, I think anytime any player has focus mode, it should slow the game down for everybody.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Oh, shit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It'd just be a pain in the ass. Like, what the hell?
Leon Lionheartly: playing it like 15 frames a second the whole time.
neocharge: That's right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Your frame drops because that guy's going to shoot you in the head and you can't do anything about it.
neocharge: Oh, no.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Awesome.
neocharge: I don't want a multiplayer from this studio. I really don't. But this is one of the few that I, I don't know, hunting down machine dinosaurs with with the bow and arrow.
neocharge: i think it'd be, I think it'd be all right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): See, i think they should I think they should flip it.
neocharge: I think it'd be all right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think you should be the machine dinosaurs trying to cleanse the people.
neocharge: Ooh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think that would actually make for a more interesting multiplayer game because you're just...
neocharge: Right. Like an asymmetric.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, you think about it. I don't know. I don't want to but throw in Jurassic Park, but velociraptors hunt packs, right?
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So you could have a pack of those types of machines that are trying to attack a village. And so you're fighting 60 people, 60 people in a village, and you're just three dinosaurs.
neocharge: Right. Oh, my god. No. No.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): you're just going in and destroying shit.
neocharge: No.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I feel like it would be the Rampage or the the ah Primal Rage type. I could see that working out.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. yeah Evolve.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I know that's, well, kind of, but in the Horizon IP, I don't want it, but I would pay attention to it if they did something that flipped it on its head.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: Mm-mm.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I could get excited about that, but.
neocharge: I don't want any of this. I want Horizon 3.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes, me too.
neocharge: that's let let me Let me be clear.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, yeah.
neocharge: I want Horizon 3. Horizon Forbidden West was a world's ah better, honestly, than Zero or ah yeah than zero Dawn, technically. It's one of the prettiest games I've ever seen, other than Death Stranding 2, of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Just running too.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Took that mantle.
Leon Lionheartly: i heard
neocharge: But there's a lot more going on. like you There's a lot like of more sci-fi elements, right? Death Stranding is... It's sci-fi for sure, but you know what I mean.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: So...
Leon Lionheartly: It's sci-fi, but there's this sense of intrigue and adventure and discovery.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: And Ashley Birch is and i probably a very wonderful woman, but Aloy is kind of flat-toned.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Sorry, I had to do it. But my point is this. You're going so hard off the rails with the genre and the way it fits.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: like yeah it's ah You guys ever seen the movie Heavyweights?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: never put never put Twinkies on your pizza.
neocharge: Classic.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: That's what I think of when I think of an ah ah any kind of multiplayer online Horizon. Do not put It sounds good until you try it and you're going to get a, you're going to take all of what was great and truly wonderful about Horizon and turn it around.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: So I, I don't want to do that because I like, I like guerrilla games, but if they were to come out and say, Hey, we're doing a multiplayer something, other horizon, I would skip it because there are 15 other games that have my interest more and you need to send that message to the developers.
neocharge: I don't want it
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure.
neocharge: Yep.
neocharge: theres Yeah, there's a rumor that fire sprites on that multiplayer game too. But, ah you know, I'd just give us Horizon 3. So, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you. That's all I want.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, for sure.
Leon Lionheartly: A?
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Agreed.
neocharge: Yeah. Guerrilla Games is an oldie ah in the PlayStation first party studios. It was founded in 2000. And they've they've made all the Killzone games.
neocharge: ah So they are one of the greats. Another one of the greats.
Leon Lionheartly: Yep.
neocharge: And we're getting a game from them in October. the legendary Sucker Punch productions.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): oh yes
neocharge: Sucker Punch productions. um Infamous, right? Infamous 1 and 2. Infamous Second Son. Infamous First Light, kind of a spinoff. ah But then they created a new IP on the PS4 called Ghost of Tsushima.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): oh so good
neocharge: and ah why Amazing. Amazing, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): <unk>
neocharge: ah Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): played in Japanese. So every time I think of the game, I think of when he's about to do a samurai standoff and he says, and it's great every time.
neocharge: Jin... Our boy...
neocharge: Yeah. Nice.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I just, I love that.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh, shit. I never did that. You you played in Japanese?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, I only played it Japanese.
neocharge: Of course.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Only in Japanese. The first time...
neocharge: Beautiful.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): because i for the For Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, I did English first just because there's a lot going on. Not that there isn't in Ghost, but I was i was like, I'm going to be... I might be killed right away because I don't know what the fuck is going on, but...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): the immersion worked perfectly for me immediately. I was just... The whole game I played in Japanese, and it was ah it was a masterclass for me.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I know for people...
neocharge: Did you do Kira Sawa mode?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, not the whole time. I bounced around because i I kind of wanted to see what they offered. But the voice acting, while it was very good in English, because I did play some of it in English after I beat it just to see.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The English was great, but the Japanese was how that game, in my opinion, was meant to be played.
neocharge: Very cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was so good. Loved it. Loved it. loved it Turned it back in the DLC. Because when the DLC came out, I had it still in my English.
neocharge: Oh, Iki Island was amazing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I had to turn it back to Japanese because it just wasn't right for me. The characters were were not quite what they needed to be.
neocharge: Right. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I would recommend it. If no if somebody has time, because time, you should play it in Japanese.
neocharge: Hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's awesome. It's so good.
neocharge: I went back through it on the PS5. And then I did the Iki Island DLC. It was awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So good.
neocharge: Amazing game. Yeah. Sucker Punch Productions, also famous in the 90s for a 3D action platformer, Sly Cooper, which you recently played, Bob.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Thetis Raccoonus.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes. Yes. Uh, sucker punches. Uh, I, I don't want to, I know I'm to out myself here. I'm sorry, guys. I'm not a complete PlayStation guy.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, my God.
Leon Lionheartly: Um, I knew, I knew of Sly Cooper.
neocharge: What the hell?
Leon Lionheartly: I know a lot of the story infamous. I bought second son and, uh, dying light and second son.
neocharge: for First light?
Leon Lionheartly: Um,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but First light. First light.
Leon Lionheartly: First light, I bought both of them, but I got distracted.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Ghost of Tsushima, when it came out, was my game of the year. So that kind of was my...
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: When I heard Ghost of Yotei being and announced, I was kind of like, right, let me go back to the roots of Sucker Punch to kind of see, you know, how did how did it come to...
Leon Lionheartly: And, I mean... All of that to say, ah Sly Cooper still holds up very well today. if you
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Very good.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: If you have your PlayStation, I'm going to say plus extra, but don't quote me, um you can go play it in the Classics catalog. So it's probably premium. But go play in the Classics catalog. It takes you 15 hours to do everything, which includes Platinum.
Leon Lionheartly: um It is a great 3D platformer collect-a-thon with zany ass characters and even zanier court, uh, uh, voice acting.
Leon Lionheartly: Um, but there's a certain level of charm to it. Um, so go check it out.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, they're good.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): They're really good. they They are a product of their time, but they're solid games. They're a lot of fun.
Leon Lionheartly: Hmm.
neocharge: You got to play Infamous, though, Bob. Second Son is amazing. The powers you get.
Leon Lionheartly: When
neocharge: The powers you get is crazy. Right. No, I know. I know. Trust me.
Leon Lionheartly: I,
neocharge: I really hope they do a trilogy, like with Cole and Delson.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
neocharge: That'd be cool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Give that to me.
Leon Lionheartly: it's funny It's funny you mention that, is because i would have to go look back at the timelines, but um in my mind, ah Infamous was the parallel to another game that I played.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: And i I know it's... a I'm going to get the... i'm gonna get You guys are going to throw freaking burning stakes at me, but Prototype.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): prototype.
neocharge: Prototype?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You son of a bitch.
neocharge: Yeah, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: God damn it!
neocharge: Goddammit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I knew it.
Leon Lionheartly: God damn it!
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): was good. It was good.
Leon Lionheartly: Because I like and liked Prototype.
neocharge: We knew.
Leon Lionheartly: i played go I played it.
neocharge: played It's fun.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): is the good it was good
Leon Lionheartly: And then I never got around to Infamous because I was like, alright, I played a game in that kind of wheelhouse somewhat tangentially and got distracted by other things.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): There are two types of gamers in this world.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): There are Infamous gamers and there are Prototype gamers.
neocharge: you
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I thought Bob and I had an understanding, but I've just found out that he's a Prototype.
Leon Lionheartly: Ah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, Prototype was good.
neocharge: God.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It actually, it was very good.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh.
neocharge: It was great.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I personally thought Infamous was done better and it got more love eventually. Of course, it got some sequels that I think Prototype actually should have been brought back in today's standards.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I really think that Xbox, really?
neocharge: There's a rumor we're getting a third one.
Leon Lionheartly: I would be down for that.
neocharge: Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: Because...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I would too.
neocharge: Me too.
Leon Lionheartly: now that you mentioned that, yeah, do you know what? Maybe Infamous is something I will have to try. When, but I will try to go back to. Because i I fundamentally really did like the prototype games.
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Fun fact, Second Son was one of the first games to implement HDR.
Leon Lionheartly: oh
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And they, oh, they did it so well too.
Leon Lionheartly: Oh...
neocharge: When I first saw it, I was like, where'd the colors go? But then the depth, I like got used to the depth, and I'm like, holy shit. So Horizon Zero Dawn and Infamous Second Son were some of the first.
neocharge: So, yep. Second Son's amazing. But Sucker Punch Productions, man, ah incredible. So these these next three are like the podium, the the one, two, and three of first-party studios.
neocharge: First we had...
Leon Lionheartly: Let me eat potato and veggies.
neocharge: Absolutely.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And dessert.
neocharge: We got Santa Monica Studio.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): little bit of a dessert too.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: Mm-hmm.
neocharge: Oh, yeah. Old Cherry on top. Hmm. ah Santa Monica Studio, God of War. buts Let's be real.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Never heard of it.
neocharge: God of War 3 is ah in my top 10, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Never heard of it.
neocharge: And then on the PS4, not a new IP, but they really flipped the script on what God of War was. And we got God of War 2018 2016. Which one was don't know.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I thought it was six.
neocharge: twenty eight
Leon Lionheartly: God damn it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Now, now, now I don't know.
Leon Lionheartly: that damn
neocharge: twenty eight The six and the eight are mixed up, man. Anyway, the new God of War follows Kratos in the Norse mythology stuff. ah Amazing.
neocharge: Incredible game. And the the God of Wars before that, some of my favorites, God of War 3, top 10 for me. ah Kratos is an awesome character. They, they fleshed them out very well in the God of War, the new God of War. And then we got God of War Ragnarok on PS five. I think there's a PS four version too.
neocharge: Uh, yeah, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I believe so. Yeah.
neocharge: But, oh man, what they're, what they're doing next. We were kind of talking about it. We recent, the last thing we got from them was the nice little treat, the, the free, uh, DLC, if you will, God of War Valhalla.
neocharge: And that was kind of like God of War meets Hades.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was good.
neocharge: Uh, and yeah, no, I liked it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i had fun with it.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: It's like a 10 hour thing. Very fun. um But dude, Ragnarok, yeah one of the best games on PS5. And they yeah they they were going to make that a trilogy, but they made it two games. And the next one, they might we might have a little bridge, kind of like we got Miles Morales with Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. We might get a little bridge with Atreus in there. I don't know. But dude, they got to go to the next mythology.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: And I really hope it's Egyptian.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
neocharge: ah give it to me.
Leon Lionheartly: ah yeah I've heard that, but you know what? I want him to i want him to go to true Eastern mythology.
neocharge: Yeah, it can be one of three, right? Because, I mean, maybe... I don't know. and Not a spoiler, but in Valhalla, they kind of foreshadow either one of three.
Leon Lionheartly: I'm just...
neocharge: We're getting either Japanese Eastern mythology, Celtic... ah What is it? Like, I don't know, Celtic mythology?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): he Yeah, I don't know either.
neocharge: And then... Well, where at? Like, it's in Ireland, right? um And then Egyptian mythology in Egypt. So... Egypt is going to be the the biggest one, I think, right? Japanese would be big too.
Leon Lionheartly: i love that I love that. Could you imagine Kratos just beating the fuck out of some kaiju creature?
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: ah Imagine this. create God of War mixing with Neo. You see, all this? Come on, man. ah The Kappa.
Leon Lionheartly: Just God of War beating down a Kappa.
neocharge: Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: Senseless, spinning him around.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: ah like I'd be all for it.
neocharge: Or Kratos beating the face of Sekhmet in.
Leon Lionheartly: Ooh, that be another good one.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah I personally vote for Egyptian because it's also a new locale.
neocharge: Or Anubis. Me too. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): the what yeah We got Ancient Greece in the first three and even a little bit in these ones where with flashbacks and stuff. Spoilers, but not really.
neocharge: Yeah,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): We know that they've existed. And then, of course, in this Norse mythology, you have You have hills, you have trees, you have a lot of green, you have snow, you have mountainous areas.
neocharge: yeah Norway. Norway.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But in Egypt, not that it's all sand, but it's just a different color palette.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's a different set of gods that are a lot more unique in Egypt. they stand more on their own i think nothing against japanese eastern mythology or even chinese mythology it's a little bit i guess flightier would be the word i would use just it's harder to follow i think egyptian mythology is a little bit more clear-cut there's there's a good god there's bad gods there's gods in between there's the nuanced stuff and i think that's what god of war does best personally is the new especially now with my so you talk about ragnarok being one of the best games on the ps5
neocharge: who
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Actually, my favorite in the entire series is God of War, the first one on PS4.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I think that game was just it kind of I don't wanna say it came out of nowhere, but I remember when the trailer first started, I kind of rolled my eyes because I thought we've been through Kratos. I don't need this.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He's chopping down a tree. Like, what the fuck is this? I just I didn't really get it.
neocharge: yes
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I fully admit that I did not get it
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I thought it looked beautiful. I was going to give it a chance because I loved the IP, but I did not expect to love it as much as I die thought, holy fuck, you guys reimagined this in such a way that it evolved.
neocharge: Uh-huh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's new. It's fresh. This character who was, let's face it, in the original trilogy, while interesting, Greek tragedy through and through, was kind of, he was, yeah, you just, I'm angry and I fucking, ah, like that was Kratos.
neocharge: little one-dimensional.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And now he's one of my favorite game characters ever. He's just, he's grown, he's but he's still got that that part of him in the past ah that he carries with him at all times.
neocharge: Boy.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that's, honestly, that's that's growth. And that you can't really do that well. I thought that they were biting off more than they could chew. And I was so glad to be wrong. i That was actually my favorite game of the system.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but Favorite first party first party game system.
Leon Lionheartly: Boy.
neocharge: yeah nice it
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah Horizon Zero Dawn would be my second favorite first party game system.
neocharge: That was my first.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: God of War was probably my... Well, no, Uncharted 4. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But i could I can make an argument either way for for my top two. It's just God of War.
neocharge: Oh
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, this studio is great. that's i' I'm going off on a tangent.
neocharge: one of the best.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): This studio fucking rules. So, yeah. yeah
neocharge: One of the best, one of the best. And I'm excited to see what they're making next. Uh, rumors are it's kind of like a bridge game. Uh, maybe like a smaller one, like miles Morales we got, uh, with the trades.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'll take it.
neocharge: Oh, well, yeah, I'll take it too. So hopefully we hear more soon. Uh, the next one also, uh, King, uh, one of the Kings, uh, insomniac, right.
neocharge: Uh, They, what haven't they done? Right. It is Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, Resistance, ah Spider-Man, another new IP on PS4.
Leon Lionheartly: you
neocharge: They, i mean, I'm a huge Ratchet and Clank fan, loved Rift Apart, loved A Crack in Time. I'd say I, man, I'm a huge Spider-Man fan, but and Ratchet and Clank is like, oh, that's so hard. Spider-Man is so good.
neocharge: And the original was so good too. But yeah, this this studio is awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: Of course, they're making a new Marvel IP.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): oh i am so excited for this i am just
neocharge: ah Wolverine. i I don't... They've... This studio has been ah the victim of a lot of leaks, unfortunately. So I think this is what's delaying stuff a little bit. But I don't know when we're going to see Wolverine. um If you went and looked at the early concepts and and bitched about it, you're a terrible person.
neocharge: And you don't know how um game development works.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah
neocharge: And just shut the fuck up. How about that?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Why are his feet going through the floor?
neocharge: Shut the fuck up.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Shut your mouth.
neocharge: It's pre-alpha. Like, Jesus.
Leon Lionheartly: as they play ah Fallout 3 again.
neocharge: The... Remember when GTA 6 was leaked and everyone's like, this looks terrible. it's like, dude, do you know how video games are developed? Or are you just a chode?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Nobody wants to know how the sausage is made until, or they do, they want to know until they see it and then they just shit all over it.
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: um love that analogy.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and It's okay then that maybe you don't eat sausage anymore. Fuck you. You don't deserve this meat. to Get out of here.
neocharge: Exactly.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): that's That's how I look at it.
Leon Lionheartly: ah that That is brilliant.
neocharge: Exactly.
Leon Lionheartly: I like that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Hey, thanks.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah. um Video games take a long time to make. They take a lot of revisions. They take a lot of development and creative process. They take a lot of people to make them and a lot of time. So Insomniac is working on Marvel's Wolverine.
neocharge: They're working on a Wolverine Yeah. Hey, bub. Hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Ah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I can smell it.
neocharge: um
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Like, I'm just so excited for it.
neocharge: yeah a bu
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He's, he actually was my second favorite X-Man. My first favorite is a, joe it's Morph for people that know.
neocharge: really
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I really loved Morph when I was younger.
neocharge: Oh, God.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He is not, I mean, Wolverine is, is he just was always my guy.
neocharge: Nice.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah Morph was different, so it doesn't really count, but I'm, I'm beyond excited for this Wolverine game.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
neocharge: Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: Second time this episode, Caleb, you and I are not on the same wavelength.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: i am not ah I was never on the Wolverine camp.
neocharge: Ah.
Leon Lionheartly: I was on the other side of that camp, which you probably already already know where I'm going with this.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Cyclops, you motherfucker.
Leon Lionheartly: No, no, no, no, no.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh. this
Leon Lionheartly: wolverines and the the Wolverine's partner in crime, if you will, but sometimes kind of enemy for enemy.
neocharge: Magneto.
neocharge: Deadpool.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, that. Okay.
Leon Lionheartly: Gambit.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Oh, I thought you were to say Sabretooth and I was going to say what?
neocharge: Gambit.
Leon Lionheartly: No, no, no, no.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): No, Gambit's great. Gambit was awesome. He was just underutilized, I felt. ah my My big thing in Wolverine is he's a big Japanese.
neocharge: So...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): He loves Japanese ah culture and stuff.
neocharge: e
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): that's That's a lot of his.
neocharge: Samurai.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So that's why for me.
Leon Lionheartly: ah that that Oh, I totally get that. Alright, cool. So in that sad case, Insomniac, get Wolverine out the door and then you can give me a Gambit game, please.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I want Gambit to be in it.
neocharge: Apparently...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That'd be awesome.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, alright.
neocharge: Apparently, this is building to an actual X-Men game. So this is building to it.
Leon Lionheartly: Give me another Alliance.
neocharge: Another thing they're supposedly working on, of course, the next Ratchet & Clank, but also a Venom game. Venom Lethal Protector. So, I mean, Spider-Man 2, not getting into any spoilers, um but that was a good game.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: I can't really say anything.
Leon Lionheartly: beyond that yeah
neocharge: ah
Leon Lionheartly: ah
neocharge: I can't really go into that, can I? um Go play Spider-Man 2 if you haven't.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): no
neocharge: That's made by Insomniac Games, and it's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, we knew he was in the marketing.
neocharge: Okay, he was in the marketing, but he was a there he was in the marketing.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): are venom, like that whole thing.
neocharge: Yes. No, Venom was in the marketing, but the...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: Yeah. So go play Spider-Man 2 if you haven't. It's incredible. That was their latest project. And ah they are working on Wolverine, which should go into a X-Men game in 2030.
neocharge: Who knows?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: But take your time. i We'll probably hear about this maybe next year. I don't know if we're going to hear about it this year. Maybe with the state of play or something. Might release next year. I don't know.
neocharge: I don't know where they are in that development.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't either. i
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm waiting for him, though. I'm waiting i'm happily happy to wait.
neocharge: Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): there're But it's been ah it's been some years.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): they They do need to shit or get off the pot, as it were.
neocharge: It has.
neocharge: Right. Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Wolverine doesn't age as well as fast as we do.
neocharge: and
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): So, like, he's got time, but we don't.
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
neocharge: i PlayStation bought these guys, what, Insomniac for like very, very little money. And dude, their ah ROI on this thing is just just nuts. like They've been pumping out games left and right.
neocharge: One of PlayStation's best first-party studios, in my opinion. ah And I can't see ah can't wait to see what they're going to do with Wolverine. The next Ratchet and Clank.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): what's a It's another one of those that they let them do what they want to do.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, they might give them a few options.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i I don't know all the ins and outs of it, but I know when marvel when the Marvel IP train was going, i when they approached... Actually, I think... Didn't Insomniac say, holy shit, let us do it?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): like with I think they wanted to do it. I might be wrong about that, but it sounds...
neocharge: Yeah, Marvel went to Xbox first, and Xbox was like, eh, no.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Yeah.
neocharge: and And they went to PlayStation and Somniacs. No, we we got this. Because they they developed a game ah exclusively for Xbox 360 that was in the vein of Traversal.
neocharge: Remember that game?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yes yes sunset overdrive was actually a lot more fun than people gave it credit for i i thought it was good uh
neocharge: Remember? Yeah. Sunset Overdrive.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: Oh, yeah. Microsoft unfortunately still owns that IP, but you know maybe if we're sharing everything, just give it back to Insomniac. Let's see ah Sunset Overdrive 2, but not before Wolverine or all the other games.
neocharge: That'd be cool. But a lot of what's in Spider-Man, the traversal in Spider-Man is a lot of it. You see like Sunset Overdrive walked before Spider-Man could run.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Before Spider-Man could thwip.
neocharge: Yeah, Thwip. Before Spider-Man could web-sling.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah you're yeah but Matt's right that was that was exactly if I'm not if my memory is sort correct they came to and Insomniac said dude we would fucking love to do a Spider-Man game and then and it kind of came
neocharge: so Yeah.
neocharge: And they they nailed it. they they They hit it out of the park.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: Spider-Man for PS4? Fucking awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Tony said it's yours.
neocharge: The sequel?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Have fun. It's great.
neocharge: Yeah. The sequel, amazing. Just, yeah. i I can't wait. I don't know what what's up with the DLC. We got DLC for the first one, but I think the DLC was canceled.
neocharge: I think we're getting ah DLC of specific characters that I don't want to spoil if you haven't played the game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: Fuck, spoiling not spoiling stuff is so hard. um But I think that DLC was scrapped. So they'll probably put it in the third game or maybe the Venom game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Sure.
neocharge: Who knows? ah It would make sense in the Venom game.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): sir
neocharge: Let's just say that. The Kings, the next one, ah ah founded in the 80s, of course, where they made Crash Bandicoot.
neocharge: We were just talking about it. Jak and Daxter, right?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That was my personal favorite from them early on was Jak and Daxter. I was a Jak and Daxter guy instead of ah Ratchet and Clank.
neocharge: Hell yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I love Ratchet and Clank, but I loved Jak and Daxter more earlier.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Ratchet and Clank games were arguably better. I understand that. i just There was something special about Jak and Daxter too.
neocharge: I'm big Ratchet & Clank fan, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i loved it.
neocharge: Oh yeah. ah Speaking of another trilogy that needs to be be remade. Hmm. Uh, my personal favorite from this studio, Uncharted. It's above the last of us for me.
neocharge: Uncharted 4, just peak in my opinion.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was so good.
neocharge: Uh, but yeah, of course they made the last of us and, uh, this is naughty dog, right? Not it's the PlayStation is probably best studio of all time, honestly. And, uh, I couldn't be more excited for what they're working on next. Um,
neocharge: They are going to another new IP. They haven't done a new IP in a while. The last new IP they did was The Last of Us on PS3, the end of PS3. And we're getting Intergalactic, the heretic prophet.
neocharge: ah Neil Druckmann of Naughty Dog said this game is inspired by ah two IPs in the sci-fi world, Guardians of the Galaxy and Akira.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): give it to me give that to me so good i um
neocharge: Yes. Oh, and Cowboy Bebop. I was like, what? Yes. All the things ah we've we've seen. i don't.
neocharge: Was it in game? Did they confirm it was in game?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): an engine uh i don't know i'm not confident to say yes or no i don't know
neocharge: Yeah. And engine.
Leon Lionheartly: I
neocharge: Yeah. We've seen a trailer. This trailer ended the game awards last year, which makes me very excited for the game awards this year. And ah man Yeah, Naughty Dog.
neocharge: What can I say? Uncharted 4 is one of my favorite games on the the system. ah The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2 are classics. ah Last of Us for me is is my favorite of The the Last of Us series.
neocharge: And then Left Behind. They were working on factions, but that got scrapped. So that's a lot of assets wasted, unfortunately. But you're playing The Last of Us Part 2. Kind of put it down.
neocharge: Gonna finish it, Bob?
Leon Lionheartly: ah I'll get around to it. I'll finish it at some point. actually I'm probably, i I don't know how far i am. I have to look, but I'm pretty confident I might, depending on how long it takes for me to finish this God game called Death Stranding 2.
Leon Lionheartly: I don't know you've heard of it.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): heard of it.
Leon Lionheartly: um
neocharge: Right. Yep.
Leon Lionheartly: But once I'm done with that, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): never heard of it
Leon Lionheartly: ah my My next focus is probably going to be Metal Gear Solid Delta. um So that that should give me time to play back, catch up on a lot of things.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Like I want to i want to catch out Lunar.
neocharge: yeah
Leon Lionheartly: i want to catch finish last ah Last of Us Part II. But yes, it is on my list. I'm getting through it. i probably won't platinum it, but i we'd love to finish it because I think it's a very unique and interesting game.
Leon Lionheartly: And its ah it's a great it's a great how we got this IP that came before it with, ah you know, you get your Jack and Daxters and then now we're going into Intergalactic.
neocharge: yeah
Leon Lionheartly: You said Akira and Cowboy Bebop. I immediately was like, I'm sold.
neocharge: Uh-huh. Yeah, the jacket's straight from Akira.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I know the trailer got a lot lot of flack from the internet because the internet hates everything.
Leon Lionheartly: Yes, it is.
neocharge: The internet's the internet.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I was very excited about it from the get-go.
neocharge: Me too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): they They know how to make worlds. and and all i mean It's in the trailer. She's in a ship in space. Don't know what the fuck's going on beyond that.
neocharge: Yep.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I'm invested. I'm very invested in what this means.
neocharge: Oh.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): could it be Could it be terrible?
neocharge: Very ninety s
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Anything can be terrible. Anything can be bad. It's always possible. I don't think it will be.
Leon Lionheartly: Uh-huh.
neocharge: No, it's...
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i think it's going to be awesome. But I'm just saying for people to hate on the internet.
neocharge: Their track record, though, like, it makes
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, exactly. They they know what's up
neocharge: Yeah. So, yeah, they they're just the kings of of gameplay. they They polish.
Leon Lionheartly: and
neocharge: the Every game they make is just perfected. And they they're very detail-oriented. And just, man, there they're a master of their craft, for sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I will say, i I would add one little caveat to what you said.
neocharge: Naughty Dog is one of the greats.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I agree. I think they're masters of cinematic gameplay, not masters of gameplay.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): There are so many games that you pick up a game and it's really, really fun, really solid, but it has no story. It's still got really good gameplay. I think what Naughty Dog excels at is their narrative-driven cinematic gameplay. Because anytime, using The Last of Us 1 as a reference,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): When you're about three or four hours into the game and you're really at your first actual gunfight or whatever you want to call it, you might not have a gun, you might have a but two by four, right?
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Almost everything you do is cinematic and you're controlling the experience. A lot of games suffered not being able to do that. Even the earlier Mass Effect game, they focused on cinematics.
neocharge: right
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): The gameplay itself wasn't as cinematic until two and three, but The Last of Us came out, brand new IP, and every shot you could argue was shot. It was like a movie or a series. It just looked beautiful.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And i I come from the film and television background enough
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I don't know how the fuck they did that while you could also control. i mean, the over the shoulder camera helps. That's that's the the three point perspective is is part of that. But I don't know how they do it. I really don't.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's it's sorcery every time.
neocharge: Right. And the dynamic stuff, right? Like I'm leaning on a wall.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yes.
neocharge: It's just a lot of dynamic things. Like depending on where you are is what animations the character does.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): hmm.
neocharge: And it's, it's really fucking awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Well, nothing is perfect. I mean, even movies have plenty of problems, but a lot they it's damn near perfect.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): How how they do how they somebody bumps into a wall and they just kind of do this with their hand, or they they're leaning, and they or they're ducking for cover, and they just kind of crouch, and the lighting hits them the right way.
neocharge: Yeah.
neocharge: Mm hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Looks like a shot out of a film. It's crazy how good that's done.
neocharge: Yep. Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You were going to say something, Bob. what I saw that look in your eyes.
Leon Lionheartly: No, no, no, no. i just It got me thinking about ah when you when you said Naughty Dog is cinematic. um I think back to, I don't want to drag us too far back down the rabbit hole, but I think it goes to Tsushima, and I think of so of ah Sly Cooper.
Leon Lionheartly: That's environmental storytelling.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah ah Definitely, definitely.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: So it just it really got my wheels spinning in that regard.
neocharge: Music.
Leon Lionheartly: So I apologize, folks. I have ADHD. Yeah.
neocharge: These are, yeah, these are like PlayStation's, uh, top studios, right? They're masters of their craft. Like I said, like they make the games that, uh, are critical successes.
neocharge: And some of my favorites, they, they just PlayStation honestly just makes the best experiences.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: They, they curate their, their titles and they, they take care of their developers and uh, i I don't know. They take care of their teams, right? They don't they didn't used to buy a lot of people. They they partnered with Insomniac like for years.
neocharge: And then they're like, okay, well we'll purchase you. We think you're a good fit. And it it really shows. They give their developers creative freedom. And like even Kojima second party, of course, but like Kojima went to ah Xbox is make an OD. But like PlayStation was like, no, we need to get Kojima. And Andrew House at the time was like, no, we're we're getting Kojima. And Kojima is like, yeah, I want to be with you guys. ah You you get it and you understand what makes great game development and what makes a great, i you know, development studio and
neocharge: PlayStation is just like, you have all these ideas, you make the game and we'll financially support you and we'll market you. And we know if you have that creative freedom, you're going to make us a fucking awesome title.
neocharge: And but I mean, what? the The games get 90s plus, like critical successes, amazing games, fun to play. Just, I mean, I'm a huge PlayStation fan. I'm a little biased, right?
neocharge: But you got to admit, man, they are top tier ah developers and teams and on the the ranks of Nintendo first party, in my opinion.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, the only the only bummer for people, your average gamer, some people that don't necessarily want to play games for that narrative-driven thing.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah.
neocharge: Right. They think they're boring, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, and and that's, I'm not going to say you're wrong because you're entitled to your opinion. I personally think a person can learn a lot. but From a lot of these games, it the the themes that are in these games, The Last of Us, The Last of Us Part II with revenge, begetting revenge.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's a whole conversation that we could have for six hours if we wanted to.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): even Even without Bob finishing it, he he knows that where he is in the game. And he has yet to experience even more of of how important that conversation is.
neocharge: Oh,
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Uncharted is all about adventure. It's like an Indiana Jones thing.
neocharge: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And in in God of War, yeah we argued back when God of War was coming out on the PS4, how is this guy who is just an angry dude bro, rips people in half and and just, you know, he had a sad, tragic life, but how's that going to get interesting?
neocharge: so good.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And it turns into a father and son adventure expedition that offers all this emotional closure. I mean, that's shit that you can't really find anywhere else.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And if you're not into that for games, then maybe PlayStation first party studios aren't for you, but there is almost always something for everybody in these.
neocharge: It's okay.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I really think it's a bummer that we are in this, this mini drought where a lot of the live service games that were being made over the last, what, five years now, probably four or five years, ah eight,
neocharge: Right.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
neocharge: v Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): 80% of them were canceled. I think that was the right call. It might suck right now because we're not getting as many of the first party bangers as were we were used to.
neocharge: Oh, me too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): we were Let's be honest, with the PS4, we were spoiled. There was always, man, next first party game right around the corner.
neocharge: The best.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And the next
neocharge: So many new IPs too.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, and and we are still getting a little bit of that. It's just game development is a lot harder than it used to be. You've talked about this plenty of times in your earlier casts that we used to get games six months to every year and a half, maybe.
Leon Lionheartly: Mm-hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): But that's because we were working in the 8-bit, 16-bit era, even the 32-bit era that had the FMVs. You didn't have mocap actors doing all this voice work and all this shit that they then had to put in the game, that they had to make different animation. It's so complex.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And part of what I think is so cool about that crossing the bridge between cinematic and storytelling and gameplay. They've married it so well that that PlayStation has married it so well. Third-party developers have also started to do that. You've got CD Projekt Red. You've got Square Enix. I don't know if they actually do full mocap for the voice actors. I'm assuming that they do, but I don't know that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): As much as I love Square, I don't know that. I know they have... battle ah mocap. So like the girl who plays, who does Tifa for her martial arts, it's the same girl that's been around.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): She's fucking awesome.
neocharge: You watched that, didn't you?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I, I studied it. no I just, I think, I think it's, it's a, it really is fascinating and amazing how they can make that animation work in combat, in
neocharge: ha ha!
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah. or
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Let's it's real time. yeah i would call it semi real time, but it's real time. And that we didn't do that shit back when Street Fighter came out.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It was just that a guy who drew somebody kicking. And now you've actually got a person who can do 90 percent of these things. It's so cool to see.
neocharge: right
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And so I think if people turn away from PlayStation first party because I'm not interested in the story, if you've never given it a chance. I would just argue, find find one of these games that's 10 to 15 hours long. You don't have to get into the 50-hour ones. You don't have to do that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Give it a chance because you might learn something. You might feel something that you didn't know. Like, I don't have kids. Bob, you have children. When I played God of War, PS4, I think I told you guys this on maybe Offcast weeks ago.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): One of my friends has been bugging me. He's like, why don't you have kids? Why don't you and Lisa have kids? And there's so many reasons that we don't. But... I was never completely against that. It just wasn't wasn't something we were going to do.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I played God of War for PS4, and I told him, because he hadn't played it, and I recommend games to that friend group, and I said, let me put it this way.
neocharge: Sure.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): This game made me really consider trying to have a son. Because just the the relationship they had, good and bad, Atreus is a little shit half the time in that game. That's not a spoiler. He's an asshole because he's a kid. Children are going to do that.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And I thought that they nailed that. Corey Barlog nailed that so well that even somebody like me who doesn't have children felt it. I knew Kratos' frustration, but I also knew Atreus' frustration he was, I don't even remember how old he was in the first game. Was he like seven to 10 years old or something?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): um
neocharge: Yeah, I think so.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): and And he, I remember being seven to 10. I remember being a little asshole. It's just like that happened because we're all individual and unique.
Leon Lionheartly: here
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah But they they did such a good job with that. And i I guess my question for you, Bob, is as a person who has children, did Did you appreciate that when you played God of War? Did you recognize that? Or did it feel authentic to you? Or am I just, am I smelling my own shit? yeah my Am I crazy? Is is what I'm asking.
Leon Lionheartly: Um, ah so I can tell you this much. i don't, I don't think you're smelling your own shit, but I can't say ah a hundred percent. Um, and the, and the reason, the reason I say that is, um, so there's having kids and then there's the dynamics that come associated with like the parental dynamics that come up with be being part of that.
Leon Lionheartly: So, yeah you know, the mom, dad, and then the child and everything else. So, so Kratos is a, He's a single, he's a widower.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: He's not a widow, but he's a widower father trying to raise his son um who carries a lot of burdens. um That part I kind of get is the whole trying to raise, that part I get from that angle, which is trying to raise your kids while carrying a lot of dark burdens of your past.
Leon Lionheartly: um And a lot of scars and then teaching you're trying to teach your children, hey, this is the kind of stuff you don't want to do because I made those mistakes. But you can't you can't ah you can't ah you can only get the message across so much. Right.
Leon Lionheartly: um I think the greatest line i I like to use is there are some lessons that can that can never be taught. They can only be learned.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah, it's a great line. It's great.
Leon Lionheartly: ah and that's And that's kind of one of those situations. um they the But that being said, is the second half of that is I didn't quite understand the whole widower problem ah angle, um but from a trying to teach your kid and trying to ah trying to help him avoid them ah try to help them avoid the mistakes of your past and then watching Kratos' frustration, but he can't express that frustration um because he has to be the stoic father that leads.
neocharge: I did.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Mm hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: Kind of did hit hit pretty good. I will give you that much.
neocharge: See, that's the crazy thing because the that the other thing hit me, the widower thing. I've never been married, but some other thing happened to what happened to Kratos and like the whole game. i don't know if it's a spoiler, but there theyre they want to spread the ashes of his mother on top of the mountains in Jotunheim.
neocharge: Uh, and I fucking recently had done that with, uh, someone that I cared very much for. So, uh, that part hit me pretty heavy. The, the parenting part, not so much, but I was just like you, uh, Caleb. I was like, man, I, I kind of want a son now.
neocharge: Uh, but then I was like, yeah, right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Which is weird. It's so weird to think, why do you why did you have a child? Oh, I played this video game where the original protagonist ripped people in half and screamed, no sinaries!
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): That's fucking nonsense. But when you really experience it from the beginning, the middle, the end, or where the end to where we are where we were at the time, that's something that I don't think...
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): anything but good game development can offer. You can watch a movie and you can feel that way, but you're not experiencing it the same.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I mean, unless you have a really, really good director.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): ah But in in game development for these, what what Sony does really well, in my opinion, and always has, is found those things that are important, whether to people who have already felt it or they can let people who haven't felt it feel it.
neocharge: Right.
neocharge: Mm hmm.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): i I'm fortunate that I've been with my high school sweetheart. We're still going.
neocharge: It's awesome.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): It's great. She's awesome. um Literal love of my life, duh.
Leon Lionheartly: Thank you.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): When I played God of War, I was concerned about becoming a widow. I mean, that was just holy shit. I can't imagine what people go through, but this is the closest that I can get.
neocharge: Right.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): And that's well, the closest I want to get. I don't want to get any closer than that. But it's it does put a lot of things into perspective. Games games can do that. And and that's I just think that's super cool.
neocharge: Mm-hmm.
Leon Lionheartly: I will tell you. So I'm going to, how am I going to say this? Because you're right. You're 100% right. That's what they do well. And i'm going to bring this all the way back to to Naughty Dog, okay? I'm going to try to do this as best as I can without spoilers for the audience here, okay?
Leon Lionheartly: But, and I don't want to be too tragic, but let's just say I'm without a certain parent since I was a young child due to tragedy. A sequel of a certain game that has now been made into a TV show There, you see where I'm going with this?
Leon Lionheartly: That kind of thing is one of those moments where you go, oh, there's, i can feel this, and then there's that hit so close to home, and it almost makes it uncomfortable, and I think that's what good, great, great game design can do.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): definitely
neocharge: Yeah, I go into video games like a good book. Like I want to experience them. I want to immerse myself and I just want to dive into the story. So I get some people don't like the game, so they might be boring.
Leon Lionheartly: Mm-hmm.
neocharge: There might be too many cut scenes. and Go play Kojima game. ah But yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: yeah
neocharge: But yeah, it's just the the ultimate storytelling and PlayStation does it best, in my opinion. So that's... ah let's let's What do you say we get the hell out of here?
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah.
Leon Lionheartly: Yeah, let's call it a day. Or night in this case.
neocharge: Yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): You guys knew what you were getting into when you asked me to join this episode again.
neocharge: Oh, yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Yeah. Well, thanks again.
neocharge: Well, I mean, PlayStation a big part of us and it it holds a special place in our heart.
Leon Lionheartly: ah
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): yeah
neocharge: And I know it does for you. And I knew you would be the perfect person to bring on to talk about this kind of stuff. So Bob and I are huge PlayStation fans.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): but thanks again
neocharge: Yeah, of course. ah Glad to have you. And thanks for joining. So ah what is what's what's your guys' favorite first party developer for PlayStation? What's your favorite game? What hits you in the in the heart?
neocharge: or in, you know, yourre what what what game hits you? Like, I mean, dude, the beginning of The Last of Us, right? Like, just incredible storytelling here. And I don't know how many times I've cried playing a lot of, all games really, but PlayStation First Party does it the best. And we wanted to talk about the state of PlayStation First Party developers, wrapping up our four-part series.
neocharge: ah So this is the ah the last one, and we wanted to end it with a bang with PlayStation. So... ah Thanks so much for everyone listening and hop on the discord, talk about it.
neocharge: That's so why we're doing this conversation about video games and what they mean to us and how they touch us in in our funny places.
Leon Lionheartly: oo
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): I'm glad that we went for the heartfelt God of War and Last of Us to how they touch us in our funny places.
neocharge: But yeah.
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): Goddamn.
neocharge: how they touch us and how we relate with them on a personal level. So um thanks so much for listening. You guys have a great evening.
Leon Lionheartly: Keep on expanding that chiral network.
neocharge: or
Caleb (AdmiralMerps): god
