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Indiana Jones & The Great Circle and Prince of Persia is good again! - Add To Party 01.18.2024
4 Plays11 months ago
This week we recap the Xbox dev direct, Ubisoft move to subscription based services, the halo battle royale getting cancelled, and reviews for prince of persia: the lost crown
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Transcript
Introduction and Casual Chat
00:00:14
Speaker
Welcome to Add to Party, a friendship simulator masquerading as a new show. I'm your host, James Hartwell, and I'm joined by Andy K. And I'm joined by Derek Costiha.
00:00:27
Speaker
Good evening, gentlemen. I have an important question for you.
Disappointing Meals and Dining Experiences
00:00:32
Speaker
Ooh, I want to know, tell us, ask us rather. Okay. What was the most recent meal you had that was disappointing? Ooh. Now, Derek, you were just eating.
00:00:44
Speaker
Is it the most recent one? Because it might be sad. Well, no, no, I just had lasagna and it was delicious. Although I sort of wish I made lasagna soup because it would have been done much faster than an hour and I wouldn't have been late today. Lasagna soup? Oh, yeah, you weren't on the socials like two years ago.
00:01:04
Speaker
It's just a tomato base for Coda. You cut up those onion noodles instead of having them as big sheets. And it looks good. I've never had it. Huh. OK. Hmm. But disappointing meals. I. Oh, oh, I think. Wait, give me a second. OK. I.
00:01:23
Speaker
Okay, it was a place we ordered from. God, what is it? It was called, I know it as suspiciously cheap wings because it's like, you get like 12 wings and fries for like $8. And there's no way any of that is above the board. But I just had it recently. And normally it's what you, you get what you get. But the last time it was just, it was just blah.
00:01:52
Speaker
But for that many dollars, God, what is the name of that place? I don't know. But that much food should not be eight dollars. That that just doesn't feel right. OK, I finally remember like that stood out dim sum takeout we had in Seattle last time where I got the mavo tofu from a dim sum place that I should not have done that, but I was craving it.
00:02:14
Speaker
but the most recent where I was really disappointed was a very close local sushi place. They've been going downhill lately. And the last time I went, all of their front house staff, you know, I'm not trying to be racist here, but they were all white. Oh, I see. Yeah. I should have just walked away, turned right around when that saw
Snack Preferences and Opinions
00:02:39
Speaker
that.
00:02:40
Speaker
but I was there with two other people. We were all disappointed with our meal, getting regular stuff that we get every time we go there. It was just the quality was not there. No. I don't know.
00:02:53
Speaker
That's disappointing. We're carrying a lot of trauma. James, what happened to you? I made bad box mac and cheese. How do you make bad box mac and cheese? Well, it wasn't Kraft. Oh, was it Annie's? I heard that's one of the worst ones. No, Annie's. Well, I will not support them after the injuries they had at their canning facilities and lack of worker support. Oh, their mac and cheese is better than Kraft dinner.
00:03:23
Speaker
Oh, you're wrong, but that's OK. I watch people on YouTube say it was worse. Are you going to tell YouTube they're wrong? Yes. What did you make? Did you make like Kroger brand? Did you say? No, it was it's this brand called Goodles. Oh, yeah, I love Goodles. Yeah, but it was like their Cacio Pepe mac and cheese. And it was just like very fake Parmesan. And they're all like.
00:03:51
Speaker
Cacio Pepe is a very like one of the four most popular noodle dishes nowadays, I think that's fair to say. Parmesan cream and pepper. That sounds delicious. It is. Oh, and lots of fresh black pepper. Catch a catch a pep. Catch you. Catch you. Catch you. See a CEO. OK. Pepe Pepe.
00:04:15
Speaker
Looks tasty. Cool. I'm glad I haven't taken the gamble because they twist my parm and their hats, chili one are solid. Why the twist my parm, if it's the same flavors that I don't think it is solid. I had their normal mac and cheese and I was like, okay, this is fine. Still not as good as Kraft mac and cheese. Okay. You're eating chickpea flour pasta so that it's less unhealthy. No, I mean. Give it a little bit of leeway.
00:04:45
Speaker
Like, I mean, the pasta is fine. I don't have any specific index. I had no issue with the pasta. It's the sauce. Oh, oh, this is certainly more than a dollar. Holy moly. I think it's like 250 or something. It wasn't like that bad. I also in trying to disappoint myself, there was like a Cheeto Mac and cheese that also a box that I also got. OK, that one. That one is kind of good.
00:05:14
Speaker
Oh, you've had it? Yeah, because it was like on turbo clearance, which made me think it would be terrible. It was like 50 cents. And I was like, oh, they're just trying to get rid of this. And then I had it and I was like, oh, that's kind of cheesy. Let's go. You know, it's just sometimes you're like, there's no way this is good. Let's get it and see how disappointed. Yeah. I mean, for that price, I didn't mind trying it out. So did you get the regular or the flamin hot?
00:05:38
Speaker
Uh, just regular, regular. I don't like flaming hot Cheetos, which makes it, which makes me the wrong one, but that's okay. No, no, you're not wrong because it's the best flaming hot or the flaming hot Funyuns. The Cheetos are just a poor vehicle for any powder.
00:05:54
Speaker
To be fair, I ate a bad Cheeto in sixth grade and I've avoided them ever since. Well, are you a puff man or a crunchy Cheeto man? Oh, I am puff all day. Just it was the crunchy Cheetos. I don't know what I had, but it literally it was one of the I don't know, but it sticks with me and I don't like eating Cheetos or the hard Cheetos. I'm a crunchy Cheeto guy. OK.
00:06:19
Speaker
Well, you've never been cursed in sixth grade. It just feels it feels like I'm eating styrofoam when I eat the puffs. Oh, I don't know why I like it. I don't know. It's nice that we're completely balanced as as a group because I will not be caught with Cheetos of either variety. Whoa, you take personal offense.
00:06:40
Speaker
I just don't like them. They did nothing wrong like Amy's or any of the other people I don't consume from. Oh, I'm sure they did something wrong. We just have to... Yeah, Frito-Lay has blood on their hands. Yeah. But I just don't like either one. Well, you're a connoisseur, Derek. You do snack across the world.
00:07:01
Speaker
Yes, but you can also give companies money and do the same. Well, what is your if you turn your nose, OK, to American classics like Cheetos variations, what do you go to? Where do you run? Who holds you?
00:07:16
Speaker
So I'm partial to the latest batch of Pringles. They so they are being very sneaky. They're like labeling like, oh, it's regular Pringles mixed with sweet potato or mixed with whole grain. Oh, no, they switched up and added a lot of cornmeal. OK. This is me off because I like them so much better than regular Pringles. The cornmeal ones? Yes. Or the sweet potato ones? Both.
00:07:45
Speaker
Like they just snuck in a bunch of corn into my little snack. And I, when I got home and read it, I was so upset and then I opened it and made it and they were so good. Number one, I commend you for reading the list of ingredients, Derek. Okay.
00:08:01
Speaker
You're a good person. I never look at it. Now, are these the harvest blends you're talking about? Yes. Yes, it is. Harvest blends. I didn't even know this is a thing. Wait, what's harvest blend? The harvest blend Pringles. Isn't that, wait, that's sunships though. Do they, are they putting that on? It's a crossover? I don't know. No, it's, uh, it's harvest blends. So, uh,
00:08:28
Speaker
Let's see, they've got some that are multigrain sweet potato, one of the two, and also corn is the first ingredient now. Have you had Mexican Pringles? I have not. It's Pringles that the can is entirely written in Spanish. It's called habanero maras maras.
00:08:51
Speaker
and it's like spicy with lime. Oh, it's so good. I've never heard of this. Well, they actually serve that in Texas that's on shelves, the Fuego Limon. It's different than the Fuego Limon. Okay. I don't snack, apparently. I don't eat anything except ruffles. You got to hit up the 7-Eleven, Andy.
00:09:15
Speaker
Oh, I don't go to convenience stores. Oh, is this where this, this, this myriad of options are? I guess, where do the stoners go? Hold on. So you'll just fill up your tank of gas and not a single time thing to go in and support the good people who are providing that to you. Literally. Because the margins on gasoline are actually, well, most of the time and historically have been raised the razor thin and make a lot of money on the inside.
00:09:44
Speaker
Really? I didn't know that. I only go into the gas station if I'm on a road trip. I feel like nowadays, it's probably gouging everyone because everyone is gouging the consumers. But when I first heard about it, that was the truth as far as I know.
00:10:02
Speaker
I'm supposed to get snacks. And you're
Cooking Habits and Resolutions
00:10:05
Speaker
telling me that I need to get snacks if I want to be a good person, if I want to shop local. Actually, the Pringles are like a guilty pleasure, like once every three or four months. The real snacks are the Costco almond bags or nutbags. What would they not be if it's not a bag?
00:10:23
Speaker
If they weren't what? I thought you said not the almond bags. They have almonds, cashews, peanuts. But those, I always have my pantry. You guys, you have such diverse palettes and the motivation to fulfill them.
00:10:43
Speaker
I don't like that one. Life is nothing without adventure, Andy. I apparently can't do it. Literally, my special treat is ruffles. I love ruffles so much. And that's about it. That's about it. But I sit here embarrassed and you don't get the you don't get the sour cream cheddar ruffles. No. Mm hmm. Andy, Andy, maybe you treat yourself not with treats that today, but with good meals. Mm hmm. Of course not.
00:11:13
Speaker
Well, I haven't done HelloFresh for a while. I have about a month worth of box meal or meal prep in my freezer because I kept gathering them. And then I was like, I just can't. And I just threw it all in the freezer. So.
00:11:30
Speaker
That'll be that's, I guess, February. That was my New Year's resolution is like, look at me,
Xbox Developer Direct Insights
00:11:35
Speaker
I'm gonna start cooking again. And then I didn't. And then it was just a lot of mac and cheese, which is why I'm surprised you messed it up. James, how do you mess up mac and cheese? I don't even use water or milk. I just use water. That's disgusting.
00:11:49
Speaker
Well, sometimes I use the starchy water. I don't know if it makes a difference. The starchy water does make a difference. Yeah. But it's also a lot of sodium in that bad boy. There is. But I'm disappointed in you. Maybe I got to make the cachet of Pepe. I don't know what it is. I wouldn't recommend it.
00:12:07
Speaker
But you know what I would recommend? I want to know. Tell me. Guide me. Change me. That's all the content from the Xbox Developer Direct that aired earlier today. All the content was our snacks? Yeah, that too. OK. No. So today, January 18, Xbox held the Developer Direct.
00:12:28
Speaker
Focused on, what was it? Five studios, I believe. We got to see everything. We got to see Avowed from Obsidian Attainment. We got to see more on Senua Saga, Hellblade II from Ninja Theory. Square Enix popped up and came and showed Visions of Mana. Weird. And not 14. Visions of Mana. Yeah.
00:12:50
Speaker
and our history and told by oxide games. That's the, we talked about them last week. It's the, uh, for axis legacy and the first look at Indiana Jones and the great circle by machine head games. Um, it was a, before we dive into the individual ones, I just want to talk about it as an overall. And I'm like, I think this is a nice little direct.
00:13:10
Speaker
Like it was, they didn't, you know, it was, it was very much developer focused. Um, but it didn't, didn't linger too long. Like, you know, sometimes they have those developer docs and you're like, yes, I get it. You're very passionate about this. You know, I was actually going in with the opposite take from it. I appreciate that they gave them so much time, but obsidian and, uh, sinua's saga, like both of those just felt like the developers just.
00:13:40
Speaker
going on and on about like their culture and their efforts. Yeah, but I don't feel like they did it for too long. Like it was, it was like, you know, maybe like five to maybe 10 minutes of it, which is, I'm like, wasn't enough for me to get tired of it. And usually they intersplaced it with gameplay. That is true.
00:14:02
Speaker
But yeah, so let's talk about Senua Saga. One of the big known is Senua Saga Got Its Date. It's coming out May 21st, which is soon. They also announced, they might have done this after the direct, but they also announced that this will be a digital only release and it will be $49.99 because it's going to be a shorter narrative experience.
00:14:32
Speaker
at $50? Yeah. I like the lower price, but no physical options at all. It's sort of a red flag to me. Well, I mean, it saves them money because it costs money to print discs.
00:14:49
Speaker
Yeah. And it's every store that sells them takes their cut. So, I mean, of course, Steam is going to take their 20, 30 percent. Well, I don't think I don't know if it'll be on Steam, but Xbox also takes a cut as well. Well, they're an Xbox studio. So, well, yeah, that's true. Yeah, it's coming. It's coming to PC, Xbox consoles and Game Pass. So even even then, you don't even have to buy 50 dollars. You just have to have Game Pass.
00:15:18
Speaker
Oh, wow. It's just game pass. Yeah. Gosh darn it. Game pass. Yeah. Um, it is profitable, I think. Right. I mean, it's, it's their future business plan. So sure it is. You know, I was reading a little bit about, so I haven't played the first one. Have you guys? I have played a little bit of it. Um, it's very much like a story about experiencing mental illness.
00:15:49
Speaker
Yeah, maybe that's not always the vibe. Well, that vibe seems to be a focus in this one as well, but with completely revamped combat, which I'm interested in.
00:16:03
Speaker
Which I think, like, I think that's pretty cool. And I bring it up because I was reading the comments and some people were talking about how they experienced the first one. And they were talking about how you absolutely have to wear headphones. You have to wear headphones. Yeah, because it's a surround experience. And that got me super interested in it, too. And then one guy. I think someone said it's the closest to experiencing schizophrenia. You know what? I wonder if they have a trigger warning. And I mean that seriously, like.
00:16:32
Speaker
That can be a dark place to go. But one person was like, yeah, I loved it. It was a great experience. I enjoyed it on my 150-inch outdoor theater in the rain. And I was like, what is that experience? What is that life? How big is 150-inch TV? That's got to be it. He was probably a projector.
00:16:54
Speaker
150 inch to feet. How big is that? That's 12 feet diagonally. Yeah, I was going to say probably like 12 feet. Yeah. 12 feet diagonal. I just can't understand it in the rain. So they have like a you're outside in the rain. I guess it's covered, but you still get kind of wet. I don't know. What? Uh, either of you have anything else about Hellblade?
00:17:19
Speaker
I just want to know what this luxury. I think it's gorgeous from what it is. Ninja Theory knows what they're doing in terms of like visual and audio. Yeah, that's their jam. I'm down next. The first one to try. I think I own it, actually. Oh, we do. I should check next. Next up avowed, which is the the obsidian entertainments swing at doing a Skyrim.
00:17:48
Speaker
Uh, so, you know, they, they made fought new Vegas. They made the outer worlds. Um, now they're doing avowed and they showed a little gameplay of it. And you know what, man, it looks like better combat Skyrim. Um, okay. I mean, I don't even want to, uh, like, yeah, you might, that might be a good representation.
00:18:09
Speaker
So the combat allows you to mix and match and have presets that you can switch between, like on the fly in combat, you can have one or two wands in hand, a wand and a sword. Yeah, dual wand, dual guns. What does that mean? Because you have two wands.
00:18:28
Speaker
They just have special effects instead of just pure damage like the guns. Like you could freeze them and then shatter them. And that looked cool. That is cool. And the combat was what kept my attention. And then they went to the narrative part and I sort of stopped. Like they went into like a little sub quest and dialogue with this group. And I get that that's good that they're being open about what your gameplay is going to be like. But if. Was it no bear romance?
00:18:58
Speaker
I mean, the writing was kind of a little, I don't know, stiff. It's like this guy called me a baby or something like that. No, the one that got me was, oh, you're just a bunch of thugs. Although I'm not one to talk. It's like, come on. Actually, no, that's the one line where I rolled my eyes and then stopped paying attention.
00:19:22
Speaker
But they did confirm branching dialogue trees, you know, very, very much, you know, fallout-esque, where, you know, you can have choices depending on the narrative, probably depending on your class or your stats, you know, a kind of classic fallout style. And hopefully they learned from the past five years of make the choices matter, make the choices impact the results.
00:19:48
Speaker
Well, I got a suck for them with Baldur's Gate. Yeah, this really does like really, really kind of put the narrative choice making like that's rough. I don't think literally anyone can live up to that. I don't know if anybody's going to be able to know. It'll be a while. I understand there's a lot of different endings in my