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The Dating Sim Iceburg with MadamePixieStix
18 Plays8 days ago
This week in the Game Lounge Tony is joined by Twitch Affiliate and Streamer MadamePixieStix! The two recap Final Fantasy 14's Fan Fest Announcements, the Star Fox Surprise Direct, and Stranger Than Heaven Xbox Showcase. They also talk Visual Novels, Dating Sims and what makes them stand out, and JRPG's, as well as cover the upcoming game releases and recap the last 2 weeks of gaming headlines!
Follow Tony: https://www.twitch.tv/tonysgamelounge
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TonysGameLounge
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Follow Madame: https://www.twitch.tv/madamepixiestix
X: https://x.com/MadamePixieStix
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This Weeks Episode was Edited by Mike: https://www.instagram.com/heyitsmikeye/
Join the Official Tony's Game Lounge Discord: https://discord.gg/xXyvjaCsXp
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Transcript
Introduction to Tony's Game Lounge
00:00:00
Speaker
Disclaimer, all views expressed on this podcast represent the host and his guest and not the companies or agencies they are associated with.
00:00:11
Speaker
Welcome to Tony's Game Lounge, a bi-weekly podcast that covers everything in the world of video games, TCG, tabletop, and
Meet the Guest: MadamPixieStix
00:00:18
Speaker
more. Here's your host, Tony 14. Hello, everybody, and welcome to a brand new episode of the Tony's Game Lounge podcast. I am your host, who's a little sick right now, Tony 14.
00:00:28
Speaker
And joining us this week is Twitch streamer, Twitch affiliate, MadamPixieStix. Hello. welcome MadamPixieStix.
00:00:40
Speaker
Thank you for having me. Thank you for having me. Thank you for coming on. Thank you for saying yes to a random cold call discord message as I do with most people I get on this podcast. You know, because that's all I've got left.
00:00:55
Speaker
I've gone through all my friends like multiple times. I need to i need new blood. And thank you for saying yes.
Favorite Games and Characters
00:01:00
Speaker
Yes, of course. I appreciate you asking me. This is my first podcast. Excellent.
00:01:06
Speaker
Well, because you are brand new here, we get to start with our intro segments, are the loading screen and hot takes and starting it off with the loading screen. Pixie, what is your favorite game, game character and game soundtrack?
00:01:19
Speaker
My favorite game is Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask, which is the first game that I really got into. um My favorite character is probably going to be Kratos from Tales of Symphonia.
00:01:32
Speaker
And then OST, I want to say it's either Ace Attorney or the Professor Layton series as a whole. Like those OSTs are just very good. i mean, I could say I can vouch for the Ace Attorney once because I've played through all of them.
00:01:48
Speaker
say same i have not played i have only played the first professor layton though right well the professor layton versus uh ace attorney game has a very good ost very very good highly recommend i play that eventually but i have to play through the rest of the light games first right i'll get there eventually I'll get there eventually. Famous last words, which I also say maybe someday someday. Exactly.
00:02:21
Speaker
Kratos being your favorite character. I've briefly played Tales of Symphonia briefly, very briefly. and but I think I got, got to the first dungeon and then I had my ass kicked by a mimic, I think.
00:02:36
Speaker
Yeah, the mimic always gets people because it's right there and you're just like, la la, looking for chess. And then that one's extremely hard to beat, even at that level. So it just insta-kills you if you just don't know what you're doing. It sucks. And that was it. That's as far as I got in... oh man yeah and i was playing on original hardware too like i was playing it on my gamecube in my college dorm room oh wow so uh yeah yeah i definitely yes yes
00:03:08
Speaker
I think originally I played it on the GameCube because I got it because I believe I was 12 and I was just looking for like that was in my peak high. Like I'm new to anime. I want to play more anime things or do more anime things. So that was like the big one and nobody had played it before. So I bought it and then I beat it And then i think in college I beat it again. and then I bought it two
Final Fantasy XIV FanFest Highlights
00:03:33
Speaker
more times because they had a re-release and then they had on the PC as well. And I actually streamed it on here.
00:03:39
Speaker
um So it is one of my favorite games of all time. It's just so, so good. And Kratos, I think, is such a very, very good character. He just, without spoiling it, he just shows that there are lots of dimensions to people. And a lot of people will sometimes do crazy things for people they care about.
00:03:56
Speaker
Yes, definitely. All right. Moving on to hot takes. What is your hottest video game take? I think that male characters should also be sexy like female characters. I want more sexy clothes for male characters. I want cod pieces. I want more chests out. I want it.
00:04:17
Speaker
Just in general. Just in general. as we do I mean, we do technically have that in the form of love in deep space, I think is what it's called. Which I play.
00:04:32
Speaker
But they did have it in Grand Blue as well. They have a character that's also like he literally just has underwear and then like this leather jacket with like feathers and stuff. So I like that, too. I just yeah oh i know who you're talking about too because I always i forget his name. Is it Belial?
00:04:50
Speaker
but is it a while I think so, but yeah i i mean i love him. My my boy, the Trashman, would be disappointed if I don't remember his name because i I've played a bit of Granblue, so I should kind of know the core shit of that, and I'm going to go with that.
00:05:08
Speaker
so yeah ah But no, that that i i can't you know what? I agree with that take. That that take is very valid. h i agree with that odd take.
00:05:19
Speaker
As a bisexual woman, i like women in sexy clothes, but I also like men in sexy clothes. So I want like, have them like just equal. You want what both worlds. You want.
00:05:34
Speaker
Absolutely. as a straight man myself, I understand. Yes. I understand. All right. Well, now that that's our intro is through, it's time for us to dive into our headline of the week, which I did say in the last episode, we were going to cover FanFest, a Final Fantasy XIV FanFest this episode. And hey, we are.
00:05:53
Speaker
a lot of stuff got announced. Holy shit. Oh my God. I... As I told my friends ah when I saw everything, the initial trailer, i so i told them this. i busted.
00:06:10
Speaker
God damn. ah So or you recap. as As a lot of things did happen, as there was a concert from Iron Mouse, she performed three songs.
00:06:21
Speaker
which was amazing. There was, of course, the primals concert, ah which is always great. There was Q&A panel with Yoshi P who asked fan questions.
00:06:32
Speaker
um He may or may not have said that they we might get butt sliders soon. Who knows? um the But, you know, he's ah he started questioning life after he saw that one. Not gonna lie.
00:06:45
Speaker
Soji Fox had his own panel. And a few people are mad because he made an AI joke and like use generative, generative AI to make the joke because, uh, you know, it was to mock, uh, square Enix's CEO. I think that was fine because it was to do it in spite of their fucking CEO. So like, honestly, like people who are mad about that are are blowing things out of the water.
00:07:10
Speaker
Uh, but we are going to recap the keynote as I, as where all the big details are, uh, whenever it comes to a fan fest. And to kick it off, we got the trailer for the brand new expansion coming out next January, Evercold, where we will be traveling to the fourth reflection of ah the world.
00:07:31
Speaker
This will be the set the third time that we visit a reflection of the source, as we did it the first time in Shadowbringers, one of the most beloved expansions, and recently in Dawn Trail, um the post-Dawn Trail stuff, really, where we actually get to go to the reflection of the ninth,
00:07:48
Speaker
and deal with some of that stuff as well uh the subtitle of the expansion is wanderer of the silver and because uh believe it or not if you've never seen a fan fest before the t-shirt yoshi p the director of the game wears is very important because it teases what the next classes are going to be Oh, I didn't know that actually. Yeah. Last year he wore a shirt of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
00:08:18
Speaker
ah And that was to promote Pictomancer because they're named after artists. Oh, yeah, yeah, And I can't remember what the shirt he wore for Viper was because i honestly just don't remember.
00:08:32
Speaker
ah But the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle one is pretty pretty straightforward to remember. um So his shirt this time was of Ratatan Sasarvina, who was a villain in the ah Realm Reborn expansion, of the first essentially the first part of the game ever since 1.0 was nuked because the original developer fucked it up so bad they had to bring in a whole other team to fix everything.
00:08:54
Speaker
if you don't If you don't know the story about Final Fantasy 1.0, go look it up. It's a really cool story of how it was bad. And then Yoshi P and Creative ah Suite 3 saved Final Fantasy 14 and brought it to the massive MMO that it is today.
00:09:11
Speaker
Go look and go check it out There multiple video essays about that is really cool. Anyway, we're tight. He's wearing a retarded shirt. He reveals that the two new classes are going to be one tank and one physical range DPS.
00:09:24
Speaker
So theories going around are it's probably going to be like gun shields for the tank because that's what Titan used. ah which would make the most sense. And then probably something gun based like a musketeer or some sort for the DPS one. But we won't know a hint for that one until the European fan fest in July.
00:09:49
Speaker
They are calling this expansion, the start of the Godless realms saga, as we have now wrapped up the Hydaelyn Zodiac saga. We got a first look at the artwork. A lot of it very Nordic. A lot of Nordic themes with this. o We're also going to get a cat creature.
00:10:10
Speaker
its so It's like a cat in overalls with the photo that we saw. And who needs more than that? That's the pinnacle. um We learned that that the player base for Final Fantasy XIV is sitting at a whopping 35 million.
00:10:28
Speaker
Holy shit. Okay. And then we get to see all the changes that are going to be coming with Evercold. We're getting an adventure activity screen because going to start changing the way tombstones and item level works and the limit and your cap. They're going to swap from like a daily thing to a weekly thing where you'll do missions every week.
00:10:52
Speaker
um And by earning points through that, you'll be able to do that a week, every week, and to make it more like easily like time-based. you can focus You don't have to sink as much time into it daily, and you can just focus weekly more on it.
00:11:11
Speaker
um There's going to be new ways to raise the item level. They're going to start seasons and seasonal rewards from the sound of things where the season will last every two patches. So 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, etc.
00:11:28
Speaker
etc They're going to start focusing on the characters, like a character focus design. So we're getting a new armory system update where your highest item level can transfer down to your other classes that aren't that item level to make the grind for gear less excruciatingly painful. Okay. ah You can customize your character actions ah by selecting animmate different animations.
00:11:59
Speaker
And then we're going just get a a lot more character customization options. We're finally getting a color picker for our hair, eyes, and skin tones instead of just the palette that they have. So we can actually now get like...
00:12:14
Speaker
If you know the RGB code you want to use for it, you can use that now. Face paint layering, more eyes, more lips, eye shadow, toggling armor pieces on on and off with your glamours.
00:12:27
Speaker
They're going to improve the public fields. Probably we're going to see an update to face and how those work and also a quality of of life features and also more world events, maybe more worthwhile world events.
00:12:40
Speaker
A third difficulty will be coming to eight man raids, a middle tier. What that will be called? We don't know. And obviously more battle content as well. ah The biggest thing, one of the biggest things, and it's going to be coming a later this year instead is same region player matching.
00:12:59
Speaker
Oh, this is so, so nice. Basically, ah in the game, you can only match with people on your data center. And there are four North American data centers. Acer, Crystal, Primal, and Dynamis.
00:13:16
Speaker
h we're finally able to, it's just going to be one matching process with all of those, with the regions. So now it's just going to be an American region ah for, for, for matching ah with the, the party finders. They're still going to have the individual service. Cause obviously there are player limits and congestion issues that they have to deal with, but we can do it like this.
00:13:38
Speaker
That sounds exciting, though. I'm glad that it's like they're kind of like combining and put everything onto one thing instead of like four multiple things, if that makes sense. Yes. No, it is great because Aether is also like the raiding servers.
00:13:52
Speaker
And so like having it be crossworld means that like people from Crystal and Dynamis can actually raid with them without having to go to Aether. which is very, very nice.
00:14:05
Speaker
Oh, nice. Yeah. Cause I think, um when this was happening, uh, I had a friend who was at fan fest and then all my other friends were just kind of talking about it as the news was coming out. They were just mad posting stuff.
00:14:19
Speaker
So, Yes. um We are getting a new job system called evolved mode. ah Basically the legacy, the, the, the version of the jobs will be tied retitled to reborn mode.
00:14:34
Speaker
All the current jobs in the game are going to have that, but everything new past this point, we'll have an evolved mode. Except for um limited jobs like Blue Mage and Beastmaster. Everything else is going to get in evolved mode. It's basically from what I get an updated reborn mode. is just with fewer inputs, a different rotation.
00:14:53
Speaker
Nothing super, super crazy that it should it shouldn't be too, too bad. The level cap is going up to 110. Treasure hunts, fates and hunts are getting updated. we're getting new dungeons, new gear, new trials.
00:15:05
Speaker
The raid series will be revealed in the European Fan Fest. ah Do you support? We'll support more than just one player doing it now. So if you just have two people, but you want to run the dungeon with NPCs, you can now.
00:15:19
Speaker
Oh, good, good. The big 24-man alliance raid series is a collaboration with Evangelion. That was crazy to me when it because it seems like Evangelion is in like everything now, because first it started with Nier, a Nier collab thing that Yoko Taro is actually doing. And then now it's ah now it's Evangelion Final Fantasy. So, yeah.
00:15:48
Speaker
I mean, we we we had Nier in Final Fantasy as well. like There was a Nier Alliance raid back in Shadowbringers. On Trails, Alliance raid was Final Fantasy XI crossover.
00:15:59
Speaker
Now we're getting Evangelion. It's titled Ghosts of Desire, and the Evangelion producer is overseeing the entire thing as well. Oh, good, good. That should be exciting. I'm curious to see what the gear and stuff they're going to offer looks like. Yes. I wonder if I wonder if we're going to get an Eva as a mount.
00:16:16
Speaker
It's going to be interesting. It's going to be goofy like the Yo-Kai Watch one, which I love Yo-Kai Watch, by the way. But the Yo-Kai Watch a event is hell. It's I know I heard. i heard it's like, look, it's cool and all, but I don't want to do face for five fucking hours ever again to get all those minions and weapons and mounts. I've done it once. I'm glad it's I'm glad I've done it because I don't have do it again now.
00:16:43
Speaker
sorry There are no system requirement upgrades, but PS4 support will be ending around 8.3 just because of size of the game and limitations.
00:16:55
Speaker
So the PS4 will be losing its service to Final Fantasy 14 by 8.3. um So about two years from now, realistically, isn't and then they ended it off by recapping a couple 7.5 things Beastmaster Dancing Mad Ultimate and the free trial expansion Shadowbringers is now included in the Final Fantasy 14 free trial so you can now play the game up to level 80 for a limited play time ah insert coffee pasta here it's now even longer than it was before woohoo
00:17:30
Speaker
so As for a timeline on the rest of the updates for 7.5, 7.51 comes out June 2nd. will be adding the new Cosmic Exploration moon, UMAD, which is what the internet has collectively decided to call Dancing Mad Ultimate, and the new Custom Delivery NPC.
00:17:49
Speaker
The EU Fan Fest will happen on July 25th and 26th. Then 7.55 will release on the 28th, releasing the new Hildebrand missions, ah the Occult Crescent North Horn, and the last step of the current Relic weapons. 7.56 will release on September 8th, adding the Beastmaster Limited Class and the final MSQ for Dawn Trail. And then the Japan Fan Fest will happen from October 31st to November 1st.
00:18:18
Speaker
And then lastly, final Fantasy 14 will be coming to the Switch 2 in August. ah you will a what If you have a sub, ah sorry, sorry, you will get one month of early the early access period. That's free for everybody.
00:18:34
Speaker
ah And then if you want to play the Switch 2 version, it is an entirely different sub that you need to have. So if you have an account on FF14, you will have to pay for a sub on the Switch 2 version. However, if you currently have one, you can get it for half off.
00:18:49
Speaker
So if you already have an account and you try to do it on another console, do they transfer, I guess, in certain cases or no? ah Like if you have an account and you want to play on console two, you can link that just fine. I think it's just switch to you need to have a this switch to 14 sub to play it. OK, got it. Just making sure.
00:19:13
Speaker
And that was everything that was announced at FanFest. A lot. I'm very excited for it. I've been playing 14 for a couple of years now. I think I'm on my fifth year or something like that.
00:19:24
Speaker
Oh, going into my fifth year. I think I started in 2022. Oh, yeah. I have friends that have played since it came out. So I i totally get it. i have a lot of friends that are super into it. It's yeah it's it's a very fun game. I would highly recommend with Shadowbringers being included in the free trial very soon because I don't think it's out quite yet. I think it's out soon ah with the free trial update. I would highly recommend if you're interested, play the free trial. I know that there are memes that say it's like 100 hours to get to the good part.
00:19:54
Speaker
There are people who love A Realm of Born. ah it is going to be dry at times, but it is really is such like ah ah a very good long burn of a story.
00:20:05
Speaker
that I would highly recommend it. Um, and you don't have to like play consistently to get through everything either. You like to take your time with the game. That's all what I'll say.
00:20:17
Speaker
Oh yeah, absolutely. i have heard a lot of friends who have stopped playing for, you know, whatever reason, like they couldn't pay for it anymore or something like that. Um, but typically they have mentioned that the story is very, very good. Mm-hmm.
00:20:31
Speaker
uh shadow bringers specifically is are arguably one of the best so okay you wrap up at like such a great point and then like you're about to go into end walker and with how and like it make it how they're doing it with this is like ah they'll get more subs out of this so because it'll be a big cliffhanger and they're like i have to a little know a little bit a little bit But that was our headline
Week in Review: Gaming News
00:20:57
Speaker
of the week. It's now time for us to dive into everything else that happened to these past few weeks in the week in review. Recapping the major stories of video games and the world of tabletop, looking over recent releases and reports from the Game Lounge crew, it's the week in review.
00:21:12
Speaker
Starting off, some of the major game releases that came out. We have Sweating Game and Early Access, finally, the full game, the full mountain, all the secrets to find. Uh, it's, it's so much fun. I've already sunk like 20 ish hours in, I think now.
00:21:29
Speaker
That one looked really fun. i was looking at that one. So I definitely do want to try it eventually. i just haven't, uh, made the time to do it just yet, but that one is a very cheap game as well. Like, yeah. Yeah.
00:21:42
Speaker
Far, Far West also released Invincible versus the fighting game for the Invincible series. Saros mixtape is out now and also Dead as Disco, the new rhythm combat fighting game.
00:21:58
Speaker
ah Very hi-fi rush coded. Incredible. Like, It is really good. it's right i i really want to play Dead as Disco as well as Soros as well. Soros just looks really, really good. I like I'm picky about sci-fi stuff, but when you mix in like the horror element and like body horror and stuff, I get very, very interested. you play Returnal?
00:22:24
Speaker
I haven't, but I need to play that as well before I play Sorrows. Yeah, I heard so. But it's like you don't have to, but it's like to know kind of what Housemarque was doing is like how to how a Housemarque game goes with like these this era of their games. Yes, definitely give Returnal a shot.
00:22:41
Speaker
I definitely want to. It is very much again, like we talked about earlier. It's on my list of maybe some day. My last thing I'll say about dead as disco. ah They have a cover of holding out for a hero that might be slightly better than the fairy godmother in Shrek 2. Oh,
00:22:58
Speaker
oh That is a bold claim. Bold claim, I know. it's really, really good. And I really hope when the character who does that cover is introduced in the game for their boss fight, I really hope that's the song that's used for their boss fight because it's really, really good.
00:23:18
Speaker
Right. It's just really good. ah i've been playing the game like nonstop basically since that one came out because it's just a lot of fun. I love rhythm games. Me too. I love rhythm have put in an ungodly amount of hours into Project Diva.
00:23:35
Speaker
Oh, I need to get better at Project Diva because that it's the button system. It always confuses me, but I'm still like I'm not bad at it, but like trying to do it. It's like, oh, meanwhile, my favorite rhythm games are the Persona games. Oh, the Persona dancing games. Yeah. Those are those are fun. They're very.
00:23:54
Speaker
easy it's like once you get the yeah once you get the feel of it they're not that bad i will say this though the persona 5 dancing one has some of the worst remixes they've ever created a facts big facts also persona brain dancing has some real stinkers in there too like the fucking what's the the one that ken dances to that that mass destruction remix oh my god that is so ass oh my god it stresses me out i'm like i don't even hear the rhythm where is it where is the rhythm drger do doter do do
00:24:25
Speaker
It's just like, the wire is lotus juice wrapping over this. I can't handle it. Right. I'm overstimulated. That's how I am. I'm like, oh, oh. Yeah, no, I feel that. I feel that. I've platinumed all three of those. I feel that. Same.
00:24:43
Speaker
same same. In the world of video game news, we had a surprise Star Fox direct out of nowhere. Miyamoto's like, hey, guys, ah Star Fox. And everyone clapped.
00:24:54
Speaker
Yay! They started off by referencing, hey guys, remember in the Mario Galaxy movie when Fox McCloud appeared, voiced by Glenn Powell? Well, we're making Star Fox 64 again for the fourth time.
00:25:07
Speaker
ah yeah And he doesn't have robotic feet. He has his fox feet, which is... a little unsettling yeah so the game is titled star and not to confuse anybody but the game is just titled starfox um it's nintendo switch 2 exclusive the entire cast has been redesigned to be more as furry i mean like realist realist furry not like fursuit furry just to clarify
00:25:37
Speaker
Right. And we did get to see a gameplay showcase. ah There are fully voiced cut scenes. We get to be in the R wing, the land master tank, the blue Marine submarine. ah It works just like all the other star Fox games, where if you complete or fail certain objectives, your path to the next mission will change.
00:25:56
Speaker
It's going to follow the exact same plot line that every Star Fox follows. Unless you're named Star Fox Adventure, Star Fox Assault or Star Fox Command. Those are the only three games aside from like the first two Star Fox games. because Those are a little different.
00:26:12
Speaker
but those are like the, the only three games that ever since star Fox 64 came out, got an original story. Um, there's going challenge mode with stage replayability with different objectives to pick from and do. Uh, there's a four V four dog fight mode in a battle mode. Uh, half it star Fox V star wolf.
00:26:32
Speaker
Uh, the game does, we'll have game share. So you can, uh, share it to other, switches so they can play with you there's mouse control targeting that you can have and also co-op pilot gunner split if you want to do that as well the game comes out june 25th this year oh my god that is so soon it has uh support for the usb n64 controller that nintendo officially released nice and also if they're doing
00:27:03
Speaker
You can be a VTuber now as well. Because there's a um voice chat avatars. We're basically using um the face. If you have like a so a supported camera,
00:27:19
Speaker
For the game chat, you can select a filter and you become Star Fox or Slippy or Peppy or Falco and it tracks your face and everything to for that to appear in as your avatar in your camera feed instead of just your face.
00:27:39
Speaker
That's incredible, actually. I would buy the game just for that. Just for that. That part is, I think, just getting added into the voice, the the Switch voice chat thing. right I don't think you need the game to do that. I think they're just doing that.
00:27:52
Speaker
I love it. I love that. i i would still buy the game, though, for like the co-op. I think the co-op would be really fun. um If you have the right or wrong person, it would be good either way. um it also looks like the game is going to be $50 US s as well, so it's like on the cheaper side of things. I was about to say, it's lower than some of the other games Nintendo has released in the last year or two, so that's that's not bad. That's not bad.
00:28:19
Speaker
Now, granted, it is just s Star Fox 64 again, but... I digress. Yeah. What what are you what can you do? Yeah. Yeah. $50 being cheap over the 70 US normal.
00:28:31
Speaker
like Right. Like it's it's it's that's that list it's cheap folks. I'm sorry. That's the the cheap games are. Granted, this is a game that would might go on sale, but then again, it is Nintendo. So like, I don't know.
00:28:45
Speaker
At least for like major developer like games, like it'll be cheap. Yeah. Compared to like, you know, indie titles or any of those things. Yeah, obviously. ah Then Xbox had a showcase, which we knew about ah from their like partner directs that they had months ago.
00:29:04
Speaker
We finally have real details about Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios next entry, Stranger Than Heaven. the only game that'll matter for the next several months to me. yeah
00:29:18
Speaker
RGG, release the main demon streaming platforms now. Please. Please. Please put it in my hands. Just just give it to me. In my hands. Give it to us. So the brand new trailer.
00:29:35
Speaker
We learned this. It's in the Yakuza franchise because it's the the birth of the Tojo clan. Woo. The game takes place over 50 years. Five cities, five eras. 1915 Kokoro Fukuoka, Kure Hiroshima, 1965 Kamurocho Shinjuku. Oh, dude.
00:29:58
Speaker
nineteen fifty one atani shiuwoka at nineteen sixty five cabaoo shinjuku oh be so good I'm excited to see a 1965 version of Kamurocho. Not going to lie. that's I know Same. That's kind of nice. And then the fact that we are going to Osaka too is also very nice. Uh, I, I'm excited because I like Osaka in the Yakuza games. It's a nice location. Oh, me too. Yeah. Especially with like the Majima segments, like at the beginning was zero and stuff.
00:30:29
Speaker
I love it. Love it. and Akiyama in four or five Akiyama in five oh yeah ya yama and Haruka in five that's what I meant because that's when they're in Osaka not in four four is just a taba rocha what am I talking about i it's easy to it's it's easy to get to like forget details like that because there's so many games and it's so much content at one time depending on which one you play so it's it's easy to get mixed up yes ah We also got a cast reveal.
00:31:00
Speaker
ah Yu Shirota, he'll be playing the main protagonist, Makoto Daito. ah Dean Fujioka, he plays Makoto's friend and essentially like rival, but also like right hand man. Like essentially like I would say the co-protag Yu Shinjo. Dean Fujioka, if that name sounds familiar to you and you watched Yuri on Ice, that's the guy who sung the opening to that. Woohoo!
00:31:27
Speaker
We got Snoop Doggy Dog voicing the character known as Orpheus, an international smuggler. He's also the reason you and Makoto are brought to Japan.
00:31:39
Speaker
Boyka Hoshi, Tori Kelly, Akio Autsuka, Tokuba Nishioka, Satoshi Fujihara, Cortell Brodus, Otto. Yes. The Otto, the singer, the one that everyone loves go goes crazy over. You might've discovered her first when you played lost judgment, uh, possibly cause she was one of the vocalists for that, that opening theme.
00:32:03
Speaker
Uh, that's how I got into her. All these people who got into her after ah fake fans. I was there first. I was there first. I'm very casual, but my roommate really, really likes her. So that's how I know of her. Very talented artist.
00:32:20
Speaker
And then butta ah the late Bouta Sugawara as well, as they got a permission from the Sugawara estate to if but by using his image from older media, they built a model based on that ah to bring this character to life, being voiced by Takashi Ukaji.
00:32:39
Speaker
Oh, wow. As well. ah now Do I know who that is? no I don't. I'm sure, though, that it that is a very big deal for people who enjoy Japanese ah media and might know who that is, as Sugawara's son did pass away ten over 10 years ago.
00:32:55
Speaker
But ah they're able to use his likeness in the game as well. For who he's playing, we don't know. um Other characters that we got to know, um Takashi, who acts as an assistant to Makoto and sings and plays piano. And also Susie, Tori Kelly's character, who ah we we meet her in the Atami.
00:33:14
Speaker
we go ah as for what some of the things we'll get to do in the game is this game seems to heavily focus on music and being a showman a bit as that's kind of like the front that we put on when we're not doing the Yakuza um we're collecting like sounds from just like things we hear in the world when we're fighting an enemy if their hammer gets stuck in the grated floor oh that's inspiration right there and we're building these like live shows and performances who i would assume generate income but we're also like creating these original pieces of music with all this stuff h which seems very cool
00:33:55
Speaker
the We're getting a whole brand new combat that system ah where the left and the right sides are controlled independently. So the left trigger, right, left bumper are your left.
00:34:09
Speaker
If you have played Tekken, it's Tekken. Oh, okay. Got it. Got it. Then it'll be. So your left side. Yeah. Your electric like left trigger, left bumper is your left side, right trigger, right bumper, your right side.
00:34:22
Speaker
ah there It's good. at We definitely need to see more on this. Because what they did show was cool, ah but they really only showed a lot of like one of you one encounters and not like, what if there's like a group of enemies? What then?
00:34:38
Speaker
I do want to see more of that. um They're doing a lot more with ah weapons, with obtaining them, upgrading them and just the amount that are in this game. We have a release window of winter 2026.
00:34:53
Speaker
ah And the main theme is in the game is done by Tori Kelly, Snoop Dogg, and Otto. which it's really fucking good if you haven't heard it, by the way. Yeah, don go just go watch the trailer. it'll bell You'll be stuck in your head for literallyly days and days. And RGG, release the goddamn MP4.
00:35:11
Speaker
Release it to the world. I need the soundtrack yesterday. Appreciate the masses, RGG. Because guess what? Gang of Dragon won't be able to hold us over anymore because that shit's canceled.
00:35:22
Speaker
Oh my God, don't even get me started. oh yeah us Right. i'm still so sad about that i'm so sad yeah ah big sad uh that was the r the rgg direct uh moving on to just regular ass headlines now reports have emerged that gamestop is considering an acquisition of ebay o oh Yeah, so the Wall Street Journal reported that on May 1st, GameStop has been quietly buying eBay shares and is currently preparing an offer to acquire eBay ah for a round, which eBay, by the way, is currently, ah their market value is about $46 billion. dollars
00:36:10
Speaker
hu and uh if the the reason gamestop wants to do this according to an interview or like a statement is to compete with amazon that's it wow i i don't think ebay's gonna appreciate that at all i think ebay's like get away from me don't speak to me yeah Arc System Works has dropped a new trailer for Marvel token on fighting souls Hulk and Black Panther are confirmed to be in the roster however it's not um the T'Challa Black Panther it's the Shuri Black Panther that they're using oh
00:36:49
Speaker
That's interesting. I wonder why they went that direction. Not a bad direction. I just Not a bad direction at all. It's honestly, it's with with how they've done, with how, who the people that they've shown, the variations that they've chosen for Tokan, it's very interesting to see that, but looks fun still.
00:37:07
Speaker
Oh yeah. I'm still going play the hell out of it when it comes out. Yeah, I don't think, but it still looks interesting. uh, and continuing in fighting game news, a new melty blood game was also announced, uh, melty blood, a twy Illumina, which is coming out in 2027. And all I've got to say, where's the funny cat? Where's Neco art?
00:37:27
Speaker
I want to see the, yeah. gangna gang Yeah. And for those who know, don't know of melty blood, melty blood is done by, it's done by the same people who did fate.
00:37:40
Speaker
it's yeah is it's it's a parallel thing there was a whole crossover anime I believe about that with with ah where the two worlds it's like one of those like fucking comedy animes too oh it was like it's like a multi-blooded there was also like a third series that they've done as well and it's a crossover thing Neko Arx in that yeah you it's it's just funny cat lady Funny cat. You gotta have funny cat always. You have funny cat because I only named Neckowark.
00:38:12
Speaker
I only named Neckowark. Welp. And I guess failing games, but like not quitting on it news. Night Street Games, which is the studio founded by the Imagine Dragons lead singer Dan Reynolds and his brother.
00:38:28
Speaker
Well, they recently put out a statement about the future for its currently underperforming multiplayer shooter Last Flag that came out. They said in a statement that they'll be focusing on community support and unlike other underperforming shooters will not be shutting down.
00:38:43
Speaker
I keep forgetting that he did a video game. Yeah, so did i I. keep forgetting like most of the rest of the world because, you know, the magic dragons kind of fell off. Not going to a lie.
00:38:55
Speaker
That's true. ah The original version of the outer worlds is going to be delisted on PC and current and generation consoles on May 27th. However, the game is still to be available because ah it's not going away completely because the outer worlds spacers choice edition will be available still. And it's also going to receive some new updates as well.
00:39:17
Speaker
So what's the difference between the two? is it just that it comes with all the DLCs? Okay. That's what I was going to be my question. All right. Got it. Just curious. Yeah. Pacopia has started its brand new event, Stabilize Gem Hunt, where you help Stabilize collect red crystal fragments to exchange for treasures, just like ah the Hoppip event.
00:39:40
Speaker
ah You could get camping decor, all that stuff to flourish up your island. The event ends on May 14th. ah Also, looking at chat right now, that reminds me, there is a new Phasmophobia thing that's coming out soon featuring Alan Wake.
00:39:56
Speaker
Oh! I don't remember the exact date that it's coming out, but Alan Wake is coming to Phasmophobia very soon. And from the sound of it, there it's going to be a canon event.
00:40:09
Speaker
i Listen, just playing the game and hearing Alan Wake like narrating is going to be the funniest shit. Oh my God, I didn't even think of that. You're just walking around and he's like... I was walking in the school alone, except I wasn't alone.
00:40:25
Speaker
There was Oni right behind me. And then it's just so funny to think about him being like, oh, and there I was walking through once again with my friends.
00:40:37
Speaker
But who know? But what they didn't know is that I would be the only one to survive this encounter. Little did they know Scratch was already taking a hold of me and I would kill every last one of them in some horrid way, shape or form. Or literally.
00:40:55
Speaker
<unk> give me a low here i love I love the Remedyverse so much. like i Legitimately, i played through every Remedy game this year because I replayed Island Lake 1 to Platinum It. I was playing through Control. I started it last year, but finished it this year to Platinum It.
00:41:13
Speaker
I played Island Lake 2 for the first time and Platinum to that. oh I guess I did play American Nightmare this year. I played that years ago, but really, you don't have to replay American Nightmare. That's what I've heard. That's what I've heard.
00:41:25
Speaker
And I played through quantum break as well this year. Fantastic game. Underrated gem from remedy, by the way, i highly recommend playing quantum break, even though it has no ties to the remedy verse. Technically there is still like, it's like, if you play that game, you'll understand why a couple casting choices in Alan's Lake two, a bit more.
00:41:46
Speaker
okay. Because the main character, Jack Joyce is played by Sh. The Ashmore twin. The Ashmore twin. that the the The one that that's in the rookie. Whichever one hit he is. Oh got it. got it Yeah. yeah yeah yeah um because He's also the sheriff in Allen Lake too.
00:42:05
Speaker
Oh interesting. That's cool. That's Sean Ashmore. i hold I'm going to Google this because there's Sean and there's Aaron. Let me. Ashmore twins.
00:42:18
Speaker
I know I played the first one. That's the one. h That's the one. okay but That's the one. I am glad we solved the mystery. yeah ah But I look at, I'm also highly looking forward to a control resident.
00:42:32
Speaker
ah That is like my most interesting game for the summer right now. I am very excited for that. ah To see how it continues the control story of things. Back to the the headlines. ah The next round of Power Wash Simulator 2 crossover DLC was announced and it's a Star Wars collaboration.
00:42:52
Speaker
It's going to cost like $10. It'll feature jobs on Tatooine, ah the Lars Homestead, the Rebel Alliance based on Hoth, and a bridge of the Super Star Destroyer. Ooh.
00:43:05
Speaker
i do like Power Wash Simulator now. I i am a fan of both Power Wash Sim games. I platinumed both of them. I am crazy. Nice.
00:43:15
Speaker
I'm still on the first one, but I'm just taking my time. Be sure you get the the Final Fantasy seven and Tomb Raider DLCs before they're delisted. Yes, absolutely. Yep.
00:43:26
Speaker
Because their partnership with Square ends because they're going self-published. We
00:43:35
Speaker
could be a good and bad thing. little bit of both. Yeah. ah Sega and Creative Assembly finally shared a brief teaser for the long-winded sequel to Alien Isolation to celebrate Alien Day 2026. Woohoo!
00:43:48
Speaker
Except that was, they didn't share it like any real details. It was just like, kind of spooky hallway. It's still very exciting. Listen, I'm excited for that. It'll be a lot of fun i'll I'll be excited to see my boy Ryan play through that.
00:44:04
Speaker
side Oh, yeah. Oh, I love horror games. I love horror games a lot. And the topic of how scummy can EA get ah EA now lets you preorder the battle pass for Battlefield six for exclusive role of rewards.
00:44:18
Speaker
Huh? Yeah, you got to preorder that battle pass now to get exclusive rewards. You don't miss out. Why? i don't know. Fucking EA's capitalism has no boundaries anymore. don't know.
00:44:34
Speaker
Yuck. Yuck. In games, getting a TV adaptation, Adam Fall is being adapted into a TV show. It's going to be developed in a partnership between Rebellion and British TV production company Two Brothers, who are best known for award-winning series the Missing and Fleabag. Hmm.
00:44:55
Speaker
Interesting. The division resurgence, a free to play mobile take on the division from ah ah Tom Clancy books or video games.
00:45:05
Speaker
ah Got a shadow drop on PC. Oh, it's it's out. It's on PC now. Yeah. You can play it on steam. Huh?
00:45:16
Speaker
Interesting. So if you want play another mobile game on steam, there you go. Okay, great. Love that for me. Yeah. ah The fighting game community has a lot of rumors going around and Tekken fans are upset because it's not looking good for them because allegedly one of the next DLC fighters for Street Fighter 6 is season three could potentially be Tifa Lockhart.
00:45:46
Speaker
Ooh. And this is upsetting to Tekken fans everywhere because they've always said Tifa would be a perfect fit for Tekken. It's just like they say Cosmic Kiryu. Which would be crazy if it does. Oh man, we'll just have to see.
00:46:00
Speaker
we'll just have to see how it goes. We got Clive. Yeah. yeah yeah have That's the whole reason I played Tekken 8 was because of Clive Rossfield.
00:46:11
Speaker
Oh my god, he's immaculate. That's the reason I played Tekken 8 and I got the platinum in that game. And it's all because of Clive.
00:46:21
Speaker
ah
00:46:24
Speaker
In streamer YouTuber news, legendary, iconic ah YouTuber and gamer and streamer man, Chilled Chaos is retiring. His last stream and event will be at the end of May. Afterwards, he plans on turning his live channels into twenty four seven content repeat channels where he'll just replay old VODs or ah YouTube videos of his twenty four seven Did he say why he was retiring? i didn't actually see why he was retiring. Just the next step of his life. He's been doing this for 20 years.
00:46:58
Speaker
So it's time, which honestly. hair Yeah. Understandable. Understandable. gets He's almost 40, he said. And he's ready to move on to his next chapter with his wife.
00:47:11
Speaker
I think he has a kid. Oh, well, I wish him the best whenever he wants to do. um Truly end of an era since he's been streaming that long. Yeah, he's also like one of the the last people that I remember from those early Seedenters videos that did games with him. And I'm like, man, that's a fucking part of my childhood.
00:47:33
Speaker
And there goes. It's going away forever, I guess. Yeah. Uh, valves new steam controller went on sale and immediately sold out in 30 minutes.
00:47:43
Speaker
And then it went back on sale and sold out. They went back on sale and sold out and kind of just went on sale in intervals and just sold out continuously for a little bit. i don't know if it's, I don't know currently if there's a ending available or if it's sold out at the moment.
00:47:59
Speaker
Uh, so yeah, uh, that, that, that's so people, people really want that. I had a friend who actually got a pre-order for that.
00:48:09
Speaker
He was very lucky. um I believe in the first wave he got one. I personally think the controller, because I have smaller hands, it looks awkward for my small hands. But again, i haven't held one. I've never used a Steam controller, so I could be entirely wrong on that.
00:48:30
Speaker
Fair. Fair. nearly six years after announcing the fallout 4 inspired statue collectibles maker gaming heads are finally ready to ship out the fallout nuka girl statue in quarter three of this year ooh o That'll be cute. That's finally ready to go. in more Xbox news, the Xbox CEO, Asha Sharma, Asha Sharma has tapped at least four of her former core AI fellows for key roles in Xbox leadership.
00:49:05
Speaker
Uh, after of course, uh, Xbox ended putting, uh, the co-co-pilot AI on their consoles and with their system and whatnot. Uh, ah So Jared Palmer, who was formerly the vice president of CoreAI, is the new vice president of engineering at Xbox.
00:49:20
Speaker
Tim Allen is the senior vice president of the former senior vice president of CoreAI Design, is now the lead to design at Xbox. And David Schloss, who was previously the senior director of product growth at Instacart, is now head of subscriptions and cloud at Xbox.
00:49:37
Speaker
I'm okay with this because it's less AI people and more on the other things. Yes. But also anything AI kind of makes me nervous yeah depending on what it is. So it's more of a wait and see for me to see how it goes.
00:49:53
Speaker
Yep. no And that's absolutely fair. And lastly, in headlines, Gabe and... He's back. He made a surprise appearance in an ad for the yacht company he bought last year, just riding around in his $500 million dollars boat.
00:50:08
Speaker
Love that for him. Truly. I love that for him. The funny thing is I was reading into this. I'm like, what do you mean? He owns a yacht company. Yeah. It turns out he liked this yacht so much. He just bought the company.
00:50:20
Speaker
that's some crazy rich people shit that you hear about in like Richie Rich. He was also diving in that ad. That's funny. Oh my God. That's amazing.
00:50:32
Speaker
That's great. That's great. ah In the world of ongoing game news in Fortnite and Epic Games, Epic Games has said it will offer immediate immediate self-service refunds to players who purchase Fortnite cosmetics and jam tracks linked to the singer David Burke.
00:50:49
Speaker
Also known as David with a four where the A is, who was recently charged with first degree murder. Yeah, I actually heard about that today. i was watching a video about it and it's it's really bad. i won't get into the details, but i I just wish the best for the victim's family. And I hope he gets what he deserves.
00:51:11
Speaker
Yep. Fortnite players requested refunds for David related items as far back as September 2025 are reportedly receiving those refunds now. Good. Good. Good. They should.
00:51:23
Speaker
Absolutely. In the world of TCG, starting with Pokemon, the Mega Evolution Chaos a Rising set releases on May 22nd. In Yu-Gi-Oh! Chaos Origins drops June 5th, and the Battle of Legend Glorious Gallery also drops on the 5th of June.
00:51:39
Speaker
In Magic the Gathering, Marvel Super Heroes releases on June 26th. The Hobbit on August 14th. Reality Fracture on October 2nd. Star Trek on November 20th. In Lorcanum releases, Wilds Unknown releases May 15th, Attack of the Vines in quarter three, and Coco and more in quarter four. And in the Digimon TCG, Dual Revolution on May 15th, and the Data Squad and Beat Break Starter decks also on May 15th.
00:52:07
Speaker
We don't talk about the One Piece trading card series here because I've got enough on my plate. That's understandable. And that is everything in the week in review. Do you have any other comments to make on any of those stories, pixie Um, only that I am very excited for, um, the, again, I know we talked about it earlier. Um, the stranger than heaven. i am very excited for all of that. All of it.
00:52:33
Speaker
There's no notes. I am. I am very excited. i am curious where the story is going to go and i will be buying everything that they give me. All of it My theory is we won't see more of it until possibly games. Come opening night live in August. I think is when that happens. Or possibly E3 that they usually have where all the game companies do stuff. I don't know if we'll see anything for it at Summer Game Fest.
00:52:59
Speaker
its true you It might be something brief at the Xbox show, but I don't. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like what they showed us is what they have. They may show a more gameplay style trailer or something like if they you give us like a combat overview trailer. That would be, I think, the next ideal thing. Yes, yes, exactly. So I think we'll get that. And then anything else will, like you said, we'll wait until like Gamescom or whatever.
00:53:24
Speaker
Even their own, like, they'll be like, hey, it's an RGG summit like they have once a year. Yeah, true. We might also see more at the summit ah later this year if they do another one early of later this year.
00:53:36
Speaker
So we'll just have to wait and see. Yes. With that, it's now time to look ahead to the games that are coming out. Here is what should be on your radar from May 11th to 22nd.
00:53:47
Speaker
From AAA titles, indie hits, hidden gems, and hot pieces of garbage, here are the games coming out that should be on your radar. All right. Now, starting off, I'm going to give a quick disclaimer of things ah because can't.
00:54:02
Speaker
Every time we do this, I say a lot of words. So I have decided to abbreviate whenever a game is coming out for PlayStation five, the series X and PC. I am now calling that a core release because those are like the big three now.
00:54:17
Speaker
ah Obviously, whenever I say all, it means it's coming on every console, every version, every console and PC. um Just to clarify that, because we're starting this this week.
00:54:27
Speaker
um So I'm just clarifying that to people because it saves me a a lot of words. OK, sounds good to me. Starting off on the 11th, Battlestar Galactica Scattered Hopes releases for the PC and Outbound comes out on the Series X and PC.
00:54:42
Speaker
On the 12th, Call of the Elder Gods comes to the core core releases and Switch 2. Clockwork Ambrosia comes to the PC. Directive 8020 comes to the core releases.
00:54:53
Speaker
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes to Switch 2. Nothing on the 13th, but on the 14th, Outbound gets its PS5 and Switch 1 and 2 release. Sektory comes the Switch 2 and Subnautica 2 comes to early access on the Series X and PC.
00:55:10
Speaker
Woohoo! On the 15th, Rugrats Retro Rewind comes to the PS5 and Switch. On the 18th, Thrifty Business comes to PC.
00:55:22
Speaker
On the 19th, Farming Simulator 26 comes to Switch and Mobile. Forza Horizon 6 comes to Series X and PC. On the 20th, Atmosfar comes to Early Access on the PC as well as Deep cro deep Rock Galactic Rogue Corps.
00:55:37
Speaker
And Thick as Thieves gets its PC release as well. yeah On the 21st, Bistro gets released on the core platforms. Coffee Talk Tokyo comes to the core platforms in Switch.
00:55:49
Speaker
King of Tokyo comes to the core platforms in Switch as well. Luna Abyss comes to the core platforms. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book comes the Switch 2. Zero Parades for Dead Spies comes to the PS5 and PC.
00:56:01
Speaker
Bubsy 4D comes out on everything. Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight comes to the core releases and Tales of Arise Beyond the Dawn edition comes to the Switch 2 and those are all your big releases coming out in the next two weeks um as for the ones that I'm excited for Outbound I've had my eyes on for a long while now this is the survival-esque crafting cozy game where you're in like a van
00:56:32
Speaker
And you drive around. o me it It looks cool. i good I'm probably going to pick that up. i am excited for Yoshi in the my and the Mysterious Books. I love Yoshi games.
00:56:44
Speaker
I think Yoshi games are so fun. It's also the latest Yoshi game to come out. so And you can't die in it. There's no dying in the Yoshi game. Of course not. it's all It's all Yoshi time all the time. Yoshi time all the time it.
00:57:01
Speaker
And Lego Batman. Yeah. Lego Batman, the legacy of the dark night, the next big game from Lego, uh, basically the equivalent to the Skywalker saga, but for Batman.
00:57:12
Speaker
It looks so good. And it looks like it has like a similar system to like the Arkham games, which yes I love. I love it so much. I'm so excited. Yes. No, it looks really cool. I don't know if I'll pick that one up or not, just because of time constraints with other games I have.
00:57:29
Speaker
Call of the Elder Gods, I'm actually looking forward to. If you've played Call of the Sea, this is the direct sequel to that. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I was told this was a really, really good game.
00:57:41
Speaker
um I have not played it myself, but I have heard that game is pretty solid. Yeah, I played it. I played it because it's an easy platinum. It's a walking sim. That's all it is. um It's pretty cool, though. It's a cool story.
00:57:54
Speaker
um What else? What else? Forza Horizon 6. That's a big deal for ah the Forza fans. Biggest Thieves I'm actually excited for because they changed how this game was going to be because it was originally like marketed as a thief v. Thief type thing, but now it's like no we're making it a co-op thing where you and your friends go rob the rich.
00:58:22
Speaker
I love that. so That sounds fun. Coffee Talk Tokyo, the next entry of the Coffee Talk series. Very cozy games. um Zero Parades for Dead Spies. This is the next game from the creators of Disco Elysium.
00:58:36
Speaker
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right. That is that game. Okay. ah So that's another big release. And the Tales of Arise Beyond the Dawn for the Switch 2. That's, I think, the That's just really they're just how it Tales of Arise being released on the Switch too.
00:58:54
Speaker
Yep. And it has the the Beyond the Dawn DLC, which if you like fetch quests or you're really into the Tales of Arise story, you'll really like it. If you're not, you're not going to like that DLC at all.
00:59:09
Speaker
So just a warning. Good to know.
Visual Novels and Dating Sims
00:59:14
Speaker
All right. ah Well, with all of that said and done, it's now time for us to dive into our main focus this week. Here is what we're talking about this week in the Game Lounge.
00:59:24
Speaker
Conversations of past and future games, the state of the gaming industry, how big decisions affect gamers and anything else that's important to us. Here's what's going down this week in the game lounge. And our first topic of the day, visual novels and dating sims.
00:59:39
Speaker
Yay. I love a good visual novel and I've only ever played one dating sim. Before we continue, you are appearing robotic on the Zencaster side of things.
00:59:54
Speaker
o That's weird. Am I still that way? Interesting. Oh, there it goes. It's gone now. Oh, that was weird. Sorry about that. We're good. We're good now. So that's all I care about.
01:00:07
Speaker
ah So Big C, first question for you. What got you into visual novels and dating sims? So honestly, I do want to say it was um for visual novels specifically, i believe as because I was looking at these questions over before we started and i was like, what was the first visual novel I played? Because I've just played so many at this point that's hard to remember. um But my favorite and like my first one was the Ace Attorney series. Oh, so you started with Ace Attorney. OK. Yeah. I know it's Ace Attorney much later. um my I started with Danganronpa.
01:00:41
Speaker
Oh, also a good one. Also my favorite. um But Ace Attorney, I started in middle school um when it was on the DS. And it was when my mom would take me to the game store and she bought me for my birthday. I said, oh, it's the first Ace Attorney.
01:00:59
Speaker
Find out that it was the second Ace Attorney because the person that had sold it was in the first box, but it was the second game. So I was extremely confused. I'm like,
01:01:11
Speaker
but What's happening? Where is not a karma, bitch? And why is she Why is she whipping me all the time? i know. So I was just really confused. And then we tried to return it and they said, no, that's how it was sold to us. So we can't take it back.
01:01:25
Speaker
damn. And I'm like, ah great. Okay. So then i started playing it and I did beat it before I played the first one. Eventually over the years, I did track down like the rest of them as well as bought them for myself. So I really, really enjoyed it um for, you know, what Ace Attorney is.
01:01:43
Speaker
but Have you played all 10 entries in the Ace Attorney? I have played all of the DS and 3DS ones, including the Edgeworth games. Okay, so you've done okay so you've done the ah the Enix Wright trilogy, the Apollo Justice trilogy, and the Edgeworth duology. Yes. The only thing I haven't played, which I do own it, is the Great Ace Attorney. Those are the They are the best. It is, by far, it is the best god the best entries in the goddamn franchise. It looks so good. And when I heard that they were like, well, at first they were like, oh, we're not going to bring it over because it's there's too many factors.
01:02:21
Speaker
I'm like, what do you mean there's too many factors? Just translate it and bring it over here. Like, what what else is there? Well, he did with the first one. The first one did get translated and then brought over on 3DS, but the second one never did.
01:02:34
Speaker
Yeah, and I'm just like, what what's the problem? But... You know, I don't know. I'm not working at the company. I don't know. But dating sim wise, I actually didn't play dating sims until way later in life um just because I didn't know it was a thing that I could do um until i was in college.
01:02:54
Speaker
um I can play in a video game? Oh my God! Basically. So I started playing with probably the worst one you could start with, which was Dramatical Murder. And that is a... What? What?
01:03:10
Speaker
Because that's a date. what How is a name like that? A dating? Why? So it is a very complicated and kind of it is very adult. ah So when I was in college, I was going through a lot of stress. um My husband at the time was in you know, in the military. and I was by myself trying to do school by myself at the last semester at my house. So I found this game on Tumblr.
01:03:40
Speaker
ah Because people had fan art of it. yeah So, so I literally did. It wasn't, i had to do it in nefarious ways to get it to work because it wasn't available yet, which I have it now. i have a physical copy now. um And I had to get it to work. I spent hours trying to get the translations to work. And it is probably one of the best things.
01:04:01
Speaker
visual like dating sim storylines i've ever played it is the story of and it is a it is bl uh but it's basically a game where the main character uh alba it's boys love so it's uh oh okay so it's strictly strictly boys love love i thought it was something worse No, no, no. So yeah if there's some stuff in the game that's worse. um Basically, you play as Elba who lives on this island with his grandma and he works at a repair shop. And he one day...
01:04:40
Speaker
you know, gets this run in with his friend who is in a gang and finds out that there's all these murders happening around the island. Um, and that he has to, with his cohorts that he meets, which are your love interests, um, he finds out what's really going on on this island.
01:04:59
Speaker
Uh, so, It is a very 18 plus game. ah There is a lot of body horror in the game, ah but it's also a very touching game. Like he basically, you basically have, your main character has powers that are able to connect with other people. You're able to see inside their brain, like who they are. And if they have some kind of life is strange in a sense. Yeah. Like basically he can see their trauma and he is able to help them.
01:05:28
Speaker
with that trauma and one of the characters who's still my favorite character to this day reminded me of my husband at the time and it brought me like a weird sense of comfort in a way so I've played that story on not on stream because it's on the ban list of twitch of games you cannot play on stream Oh, it's bad. So I played it on Discord with my my other ah members and they've watched me play it before. And i except for like one aspect of the game, one character, i really, really enjoyed it. It really hit me in my soul. And I even got to meet one of the voice actors for the game ah last year.
01:06:11
Speaker
Uh, at a convention, I like cosplayed his character and I told him, you know, I really love this game. You know, your character was very important to me, things like that. And he was very touched, uh, by that. So I am really grateful to that game for a lot of reasons, but it opened the door to dating sims for me.
01:06:30
Speaker
Oh, When you said it's a very touching game, but my mind immediately went touching what? Oh, you mean like touching the feeling? Oh, ah that's a physical. It's both.
01:06:43
Speaker
It is both. It is both. ah Especially because you need to, the company that licensed it was Jass USA, which does a lot of like, porn-ish games or like dating sims or old dating sims that have never been brought over to the States. So they even have it on Steam where you have to buy a patch because otherwise everything's going to be censored.
01:07:06
Speaker
That's how it is. Yeah, you have to. i think it's like two dollars. You have to pay like two dollars for a patch. two about Two dollars to see penis. Gotcha. Exactly. But I just content warning. If you don't like body horror and certain things like that don't buy the game. It's you're not going to have a good time. But if you don't mind that you should buy it and you should talk to me about it because I love that game.
01:07:32
Speaker
up Okay. ah Good to know. ah Going back to regular VNs before we get back into the topic of dating Sims for you. What are the like aside from Ace Attorney? What are the other standout VNs that you have played?
01:07:49
Speaker
ah So Dog and Rupa ruined my life. It also made my life better. i am Are you ready for it to ruin your life again when two by two comes out? Oh my god!
01:07:59
Speaker
know I have to buy it, but... The thing is, I streamed all my... I played all four games on stream. Oh my god. have only played one on stream. I am planning to play more. But I remember... I don't know if you were aware of this. A lot of people weren't. Before Danganronpa came to the States, there was a guy a random forum... that literally would just hand translate and upload everything in the first Danganronpa and the second one from Japanese. I did not know this. So this man, he had full forum posts of just him translating everything in the game, including all the interactions with all the characters, like the side interactions in full. And then he also posted like his unlisted videos or something. He posted all of the executions online.
01:08:51
Speaker
all of the videos that would happen in the game from at the time his PSP or Vita or something. And that's how I found out about Danganronpa was I literally sat there until five in the morning reading these entries. And he was like, oh, I don't think it's ever going to go to the US. So I'm just going to translate it.
01:09:12
Speaker
Well, joke's on you, sir. It is everywhere now. yeah I, I first, I mean, I knew of Danganronpa, but like I got, I first like really learned about it when the game went on sale. Like I got one to reload. It was like 10 bucks or something. ah Yeah. It's, it's criminally low. Sometimes I have, I think almost every special edition of Danganronpa that there is.
01:09:35
Speaker
i have so many versions. I think that is there I have a random, is there a special edition of Ultra to Despair Girls? So Ultra Despair Girls. Yes, there is. oh God damn it. And I have it. It actually comes with.
01:09:51
Speaker
ah So the Monokuma that has a tie and a badge, it actually comes with that. in the box okay and it actually is like an art book and a soundtrack it was only on and n nis america so unless you saw it there you wouldn't have gotten it like it's all their special editions have been on nis america and i think the last one i bought v3 i believe was through amazon same with uh when I same with decadence as well, when I bought that, which was just like a steel book. Oh yeah. I keep forgetting decadence is a game because it's just the mini game from V3 expanded. Yes.
01:10:29
Speaker
And I bought that. shit I hate that. Fucking. It's so bad. It's one of the reasons I haven't platinum to V3. I platinum reloaded just fine. I bought a multi despair girls just fine. V3's platinum is a bitch compared to all of that. I agree. i agree. So, but but but I have played at least all of them thus far.
01:10:50
Speaker
um And now I'm going to play two again. ah The other vm that We got to play it twice. Oh Despaired. My trigger words going to come back to haunt me. I know, right? um' It's worse for me because I'm... I really like Komaeda. And then I went out in person and saw the other people that were fans Komaeda and I went...
01:11:12
Speaker
Oh, no. no. I can't. I just don't associate with fan bases. I do sometimes for like photos. like Look, look, here's the thing. I have one. thing I have one statement. I will die by Chiaki is best girl. And that's it.
01:11:30
Speaker
I love Chiaki. I do. i also my favorite character is Junko Inoshima. So. You're problem. I am. But I've cosplayed her several times. So I've i've cosplayed her. I've cosplayed. oh my God. What's his name? The guy from two who is the ah he has the whistle and he has the black hair. He also says, I got a shit.
01:11:58
Speaker
Nekamaru? Yeah, Nekamaru. I've cosplayed Nekamaru before. ah But I haven't cosplayed Danganronpa in a while. I would like to cosplay more characters, but I just haven't had the time or the finances to do it.
01:12:10
Speaker
um Another good VN is Deathmark. Deathmark is really good. have not heard of that one. It is a horror one. It is very much a point and click like visual novel adventure thing.
01:12:22
Speaker
ah Basically, you go through the game and you are this guy who... is trying to meet with other people who are also cursed by a ghost or some kind of poltergeist. And you are trying to find who cursed you because you have no idea um for the main character. And there's two games. I'm still playing the first one and it can be pretty hard. um There are like bad endings and good endings with it. hmm.
01:12:49
Speaker
um But it's a lot of like, you know, old school, like point andc click detective work. Like, OK, I have to put this item together to get through this door. But I also have to figure out how I can get through this gate because I don't have the item or anything. And the the ambiance, especially with headphones, it's so spooky. It's very creepy.
01:13:11
Speaker
And sometimes the game will just have little jump scares like someone will show up in a window It's so good. It's very well paced, very well done. And it's very, very good story. I highly recommend that one as well.
01:13:24
Speaker
I usually ask this to like Danganronpa fans. Have you played any of the other Spike Chunsoft VNs in a series? Oh, I'm trying to think. I own Steins Gate. I've never played it. They the Steins Gate once too. I did not know that.
01:13:41
Speaker
Uh, so they have Steinskate VNs. It's actually what the anime is based off of. Uh, I knew that. I knew that much. I didn't know that Spike Chunsoft were the ones that did the VNs for them.
01:13:53
Speaker
I thought they did, but if I'm wrong, i am very sorry. I'm very sorry. ah but yeah, typically right now I can't think of it, but I'm sure I have.
01:14:03
Speaker
I just cannot remember for the life of me. Um, I do want to play, uh, I believe i do have, uh, cause I was just looking it up here. I do have 428 Shibuya Scramble. I heard that game's pretty good.
01:14:19
Speaker
Um, that is a live action game. So it's still a point and click, but it all has like, it's like you're watching a movie and doing like little things with real actors. but they're, all but they are very strict about streaming. They don't want anyone to stream the game because they don't want anyone to know what happens because Japanese companies tend to yeah be like that.
01:14:41
Speaker
Um, also have wanted to try anonymous code as well. I don't know much about it. Otherwise I give you a spiel, but, um, yeah, mostly it's been dog and Rampa, uh, for spike tune soft. Any desire to do zero escape or, uh, the eye, the zombie of files ones. That's right. So I've somnid of files I own. I do want to play it. I have played every zero escape game.
01:15:04
Speaker
oh you Oh, okay. you' and If you've played every zero escape, you'll like either Sondium files because it's the same creators. Yes, yes, exactly. And that's why I want to play it. I will say this. I love all three. I, the Sondium file entries.
01:15:17
Speaker
They, the first one phenomenal. The sequel is really, really good. The third one's okay, but it's also very short and it's very, the third one is much more zero escapee than the other two.
01:15:31
Speaker
I will say. Because you're just doing escape rooms. Oh, valid. I will say the only thing about zero escape that drives me nuts is love the story. Love that it's challenging. Some of the puzzles make no goddamn sense and they're not logical in any, especially the math stuff.
01:15:49
Speaker
I'm like, what are you talking about? They're like, oh, the square root or something like that. I forget what they call it, but it's like a square root thing. And I'm like, I hate this. i I failed in math. I cannot do this.
01:16:03
Speaker
Like, it's just... They expect gamers to do math? What the fuck? Why do you think we play video games? It's to not do the math, guys. I know. I'm like, please! Like, especially the dart game in fucking ah the second one.
01:16:16
Speaker
Oh my god. i spent so long doing that. And I was like, it didn't even make sense when I looked up the answer because I just gave up. And I was like, that makes... No sense at all.
01:16:29
Speaker
That makes no sense. i should I should not tell you about the dart puzzle and blueprints then. Oh, I want to play blueprints, but also. It's really good. It's such, it's a great, it's a great puzzle game. Here's the thing with me and puzzle games.
01:16:42
Speaker
I love puzzle games, but I'm a little stupid. So I can't, I can't figure things out like other people. Like there have been times where I've played Professor Layton on here and I've sat there like,
01:16:55
Speaker
Hmm. That's valid though. Cause some of those latent puzzles are fucking ridiculous. And then I'll go, okay. i'll do this whole roundabout way to solve it. And then they'll show me how to solve it. And it literally was two steps. And I'm like, Oh, oof Oh, I see. overthink again. That's how they get you. That's how they get you. Right. Um,
01:17:19
Speaker
another spike chance off the one I'll ask you about is the, I guess their latest one, the hundredth line defense academy. So I am streaming that. Um, we have not finished the first so that's one.
01:17:32
Speaker
So I love it. I, it has. So as my man has said, there is a hundred endings. I will not be doing all those on stream, but I will be getting them all because I'm a crazy person.
01:17:45
Speaker
Um, So far, as I have watched it and reacted, by the way, i do all the voice acting myself. The best of my ability.
01:17:56
Speaker
Yes. As a streamer who plays a visual novel, it's a requirement. Yeah. So I try to, you know, and I can't. have very feminine voice. So sometimes I can't do male voices and I just try my best. wow I can't do female. I cannot do feminine. do You hear about give my voices. I cannot do feminine voices to save life.
01:18:15
Speaker
I've been getting better at it, but sometimes it's hard, um especially if you're voicing 16 characters or some shit. But i I personally, we're right at the end. We have about 10 days left until we get to day 100.
01:18:29
Speaker
I really love it. i Really, really enjoy the combat. I like how it makes me kind of tactical think like, okay, I have to place these people here. They have this ability. I can only do this much in this turn. oh yeah. Cause it's a tactics, ah a grid based tactics game is the main like a gameplay loop ish part of it. It's not the original novel.
01:18:50
Speaker
And the game is extremely forgiving. Like, say you lose, you can just reload with like ah all your bars maxed out and you can use your specials right away. that's nice. So it is it is very forgiving. um There is a mode where your character will die permanently.
01:19:06
Speaker
If you do want to do that, I will not. but because they do So they do have the Fire Emblem difficulty setting. Lovely. Yes, yes. But you don't have to do that to experience the game in as a whole.
01:19:18
Speaker
I personally. So based on what I've been told by people that I know who have played the game, the first ending you are locked in. You cannot get any other ending. And then there are two other endings that you need that are main story. The rest are just, you know, you don't need them. So gotcha. So three endings actually matter. that The other 97 don't. Right. And I know the guy has said that ah ah freaking Kodako was like, yeah, I want to make more content. I want to make like anime and movies and all this other stuff on hundred line. I'm like, that is 100 episodes of 100 line defense Academy where each episode covers a different ending. Oh my God. i would scream. that
01:19:59
Speaker
I was like, bro, please. 500 cigarettes. five And I really, i really do enjoy it. Storyline wise. It's very good. um There's a lot of things that have happened that I genuinely did not expect what happened.
01:20:15
Speaker
But granted, I'm also one of those people that doesn't pick up on signals very quickly in stories. um Yes. But I genuinely... Really, really love the story. I love most of the characters. Obviously, in every kind of game that he makes, there's always like one or two that you really don't like, um at least for me.
01:20:34
Speaker
ah But like, it's a very, very good game. It is definitely worth the price tag and your time. um If you want to be patient enough to go through it, um especially if you're doing it by yourself, I'm sure you can get through it a lot faster.
01:20:48
Speaker
But I have logged many, many, many hours already. At least hundred. Yes. God. But I'm almost at the end and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
01:21:02
Speaker
There was one point where it was a back to back to back boss fight. It was just one after the other. And I was like, okay, I'm done streaming. No. There's another boss fight. And I'm just... ah Let me go. I want to live. so i want to be free. Let me be free. Please, Gabe. Please.
01:21:23
Speaker
Please. I want to live. I want to live. So, but... I suffered through that and my chat was like, oh, just, just pause. It'll be fine. Cause it does auto saving for everything. Oh, okay. That's nice. But I'm like, no, I have to finish what I started.
01:21:40
Speaker
I have to finish this. this So also the mascot's cute. I like the mascots for the game. What's the mascot's name? ah Oh my God. What is his name? Cause his,
01:21:51
Speaker
He kind of like jumps in and around in the game. He's not as present as like Monokuma is. Okay. So he comes in and out. um But it's Shirei is how they pronounce it, but it's spelled S-I-R-E-I.
01:22:07
Speaker
are e i oh Oh, so it's ah the Irish. show Yes. And then there's another one that appears later, but he is the main mascot. He looks like a little ghost and he has hat. Yes. I know what he looks like i've done because I've seen him. I'm just like, oh, this is what's what's his fucking name? It's not Monoblob, is it? No, it's Shirei. And God, I forget his voice actor name for his Japanese voice actor, but he's like in everything. He's like the best.
01:22:38
Speaker
pinnacle old man voice and I cannot remember his name right now. Okay. But he, if you heard him, you'd be like, oh, okay, that guy. But I honestly cannot remember who his voice actor is.
01:22:52
Speaker
Gotcha. I guess one VN I would recommend that's like similar style to the Tactics Grid ah is Digimon Survive, if you're into Digimon at all. Oh, yeah. I've been wanting to play that. My ah my roommate is a giant Digimon fan, so it's been on my list for some time. I love Digimon. I recently just finished up Time Stranger earlier this year. Oh, what'd you think?
01:23:17
Speaker
What'd you think? It was it it almost was my game of the year last year. it would have been if Claire Obscure didn't come out. Oh, valid. Uh-huh. But I love Time Stranger a lot. I mean, I love the Cyber Sleuth games. I like the OG Cyber Sleuth over hackers memory a bit more. Uh-huh. But I love I'm a huge Digimon nerd.
01:23:40
Speaker
yeah understandable digimon's a good franchise listen it is a great franchise what would you say are some of the bad or bad vs that you have played Uh, so probably from the girlies, um, I am going to say good. So these are more because I've played more dating Sims and stuff. It's going more dating sim oriented. Um, so the good ones, obviously Dramatical Murder, loster pro Monster Monster Prom really good, especially with more people. It's a lot of fun.
01:24:13
Speaker
Cupid Parasite and Dog and Rampa are my good ones. uh mid is Hakuoki the entire Hakuoki series I'm sorry it is a for anyone who doesn't know what that is it is a one of the most famous dating sims ever franchises it's huge the first game has been redone with more content like five times at least uh but It's based on historical Japan. It's based on the Shinsengumi.
01:24:48
Speaker
So you date the Shinsengumi. ah Oh, but andever I know how you make that better. she All the Shinsengumi models to their like ah dragon eian models egg we're a Right. So, but, and I'm like, Oh, this is very interesting. This is a cool concept. And it it's been out since 2004.
01:25:14
Speaker
That was when the first game came out. And now it's had several spinoffs, several iterations. ah And it's it's honestly a very beloved game. The reason I find it mid is because, and I don't know if it's just a me problem, a lot of it is very boring.
01:25:30
Speaker
A lot of it is very boring. The main character is very like, oh I'm a war wife. Oh, when will my husband come back from the war? oh you know what I mean? Like, it's just not, it's not, she doesn't really have her own agency or like, she tries to do things for herself sometimes. And in that, in that 2004, 2008 era, a lot of times the main girl was always looking for her father.
01:25:59
Speaker
She's like, oh, well, my father is missing. My father is's a scientist. god I know. My father was a doctor and now he's run off and nobody's seen him in like 10 years. Like, so it's similar in Hakaoki.
01:26:14
Speaker
And then she finds her dad and spoiler alert, he's evil. Oh, who would have guessed? Who would have guessed? So it's always like that. and then ah literally all the choices are very, which I'm not judging people.
01:26:27
Speaker
I'm just a freak. A lot of people, a lot of the choices are very vanilla. They're very like, oh I'm going to kiss your hand and we're going to get married. And it's like, okay. God, dog, I want you to fucking...
01:26:42
Speaker
yeah Like, you know, I want you to do more. I want you to be. Do do more. Take off your pants. God damn it. Right. And the thing about Otome games is they, Otome games are different from like 18 plus games because They don't do that.
01:27:00
Speaker
Atome games are meant for women and they are only supposed to be like these kind of softer games. So they didn't really do any of that. And if they did insinuate it, it was like one panel and it would be like arms or like them holding them down or that's it.
01:27:20
Speaker
That would be it. Yeah. so where does love at deep space fall in this? Right. So deep space, it definitely did not go that far as love in deep space. Cause love in deep space is definitely more hardcore than I think older games. So, and that's why they make all that money every year. So, but it just, I've been playing it for I think so the first game is so large because of everything they've added.
01:27:50
Speaker
It is now. I want to say 80 hours per part. So the first game is now split up on Steam into two parts. So you get the first one, which is, i believe, the um i think it's Kyoto Wins and then Hakuoge Edo Blossoms, which is.
01:28:11
Speaker
ah the halfway point in the story. And that's when it gets like, okay, well, i'm going to be with this person forever. Like, we're actually going to have a relationship. Like, all of that stuff. So, um it is a good game, but it's very boring.
01:28:28
Speaker
It is... Gosh, yeah. No, I... That's a good way to put it. And same with Code Realize. I like Code Realize. It's a steampunk story, again, about a woman who wakes up and if she touches someone, ah she poisons them to death because she has this poison in her body. So she has to wear gloves and like cover her whole body so that her skin doesn't touch anybody or even herself. So when she goes to sleep, She's literally just like fully covered up to her, like covering her neck, her arms, her feet, everything so that she doesn't basically kill herself in her sleep. I wear a trash bag every time I sleep. if Literally.
01:29:11
Speaker
So then she, you know, her father hasn't been there in like, 10 years, something like that. Cause he says, wait for me. Cause let me guess. He's the one who made her like this. Yes. So wow. Who would have guessed it? Wow. so she lives in this. It's so, it's so wild. And literally like she ends up in this abandoned house.
01:29:35
Speaker
And one day, cause he tells her, don't go to the outside world. Like, don't do this. Don't do that. Because he's done all this experimenting and now they have to, you know, deal with that. And he, the dad doesn't want anybody to know. So, uh, she ends up going into the world, which this game is interesting because it does have like fictional book characters as actual dating preferences. they have like Van Helsing, they have Arsene Lupin, um, they have Dr. Frankenstein. Uh, and then there's two more that I cannot remember right now.
01:30:08
Speaker
um, But basically, Arsene Lupin and his friend, who's also a love interest, ah think they go, oh, there's a valuable treasure in this house. We have to go get it.
01:30:20
Speaker
And it finds out it's a girl. So then they save her from that house. And she ends up living with all these these guys and like just kind of learning about the outside world. Like because she she's never been taught any of that stuff.
01:30:36
Speaker
Um, again, it has the same problem as Hakaoki. It's just kind of, it's kind of like, oh I can't do anything without them. I'm so helpless. Like I just, I just don't.
01:30:49
Speaker
And it's less vanilla on their stories, but it's, it's not the worst. That's why it's mid with Hakaoki. It's just like, uh, and again, I'm just a freak. I just want a little bit more.
01:31:01
Speaker
um Bad wise, I actually do have a VN for this one. ah fashion Fashioning Little Miss Lonesome. It is on Steam. I bought it for $5 at a smut booth.
01:31:15
Speaker
That's literally what it was called. a smut booth. Or the smut hut. Sorry. It was called the smut hut. I bought it. You have two choices. And it was done by a smaller studio.
01:31:27
Speaker
It's a very random game. ah So some of the drawings are a little wonky. Uh, the dating choices, I didn't like any of them. I didn't like either one. I just, they were both unlikable.
01:31:41
Speaker
And then the only good part about it was the endings you could get. So one of the endings literally was, do you get out of bed? And you say, no, if you don't get out of bed, it literally cuts to your whole life passing you by and you're dying and thinking about, wow, what if I got out of bed?
01:31:59
Speaker
That's my only regret. And then you die. Oh, I love those existential crises. And then there's another one where she literally goes to a park and she meets someone who's in the wrestling business and she becomes a wrestler. Okay. It's very random.
01:32:20
Speaker
It's so funny. And that's like the good thing about the game is that it's so random and funny. But again, the rest of it is just not... it's It's basically a game about this girl who is ah who is a neat, and she ends up, you know, she still goes to school, things like that, but she, you know, eats the same meal every day. She never really goes outside. She doesn't have any hobbies, anything.
01:32:44
Speaker
Gotcha. And she ends up with these two guys who are popular at her school, and they are looking for someone to be a fashion model for their fashion line that they're making, which is...
01:32:56
Speaker
very bdsm clothes uh so she kind of gets rolled into being a bdsm model and she ends up being fine with it but it's really it's a very weird game but if you're looking for something different go for it it's just weird it's weird the art's weird oh okay it's weird Um, and then the VN was root film.
01:33:24
Speaker
I bought root film thinking, oh, this is very interesting. It kind of has a similar art style to zero escape might be good. It is very slow. It is extremely slow and it is very boring.
01:33:38
Speaker
I'm still going to beat it, but will I like it? No. Gotcha. Gotcha. But that's like a murder on a, they're trying to film a documentary or like something like that. And someone gets murdered and there's different cases that you could do And the murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. Oh no. I know. Right.
01:33:59
Speaker
literally one of the greats, but obviously it is one of the best April fools games to ever bless our fucking steam libraries. Oh, I was watching Ritsu play it and it's just so funny.
01:34:10
Speaker
It is so good run of that. Have you seen the speed runs for that game? I have not. I didn't know it had a speedrun category. It a speedrun. It's a Sonic game. Of course it has a speedrun category. True, true. My boy Emerald is like a top 10 runner. i Actually, i don't know if he's top 10 runner. Let me look at the leaderboards. Hold on. okay Hold on. Let me go to speedrun.com and look at the leaderboards for that because I'm actually curious what the world record is.
01:34:39
Speaker
ah Murder Sonic the Hedgehog.
Journey Through JRPGs
01:34:43
Speaker
21 minutes 33 seconds oh m's number three let's go yay let's go woohoo we love supporting our friends and shit you can do better come on don i you're better than that you can top three that shit
01:35:01
Speaker
ph fuck i haven't gone out uh anyways um to dating sims again specifically i've only ever played one dating sim as i said at the top of this segment uh and it's the one where you date your furniture uh the one that was of course popularized by all the famous voice actors because oh date everything in everything yes that's the only one i've played I actually have a friend who was a voice actor in it. Actually. Yeah.
01:35:33
Speaker
She voiced four different characters in there and I can't remember them right now, but she has voiced four different characters in that game. And i am really happy for her. Cause that's what she wanted to do. She wanted to be a voice actor. So, but she told us last year when I was talking to her while she was vending a booth and I was like, that is so crazy. But I do plan to play that one next after I'm done my Hakuoki adventure.
01:35:59
Speaker
uh will say this uh don't try to 100 that game that game is like oh it's a long one yes it is that that was the plan is just to go in like see how it goes see because i would say just try to get a good ending with everybody and you're fine Yeah, because like the thing, too, about visual novels and dating sims that I find extremely important is and, you know, some people, they like to play the game and like be like, oh, I wonder what's going to happen.
01:36:28
Speaker
These games are 80 hours sometimes. Yeah, I wasn't expecting the game to be that long. No. So like a lot of visual novels, if you're trying, for example, so Hakuoki right now, for just for Kyoto um or just for Edo Blossoms, there is 14 different choices, I believe.
01:36:47
Speaker
And then each guy has five endings in total. One true ending, one a blighted love ending, which is like a bad ending, but it's a bit more extreme where like they die or you never see them again for some reason.
01:37:03
Speaker
You know, historically accurate stuff. but um But, which by the way, I'm going to add, Hichikata super vanilla. And that made me sad. Yeah.
01:37:15
Speaker
He doesn't like to hold hands. He doesn't like to do anything. And I'm like, ah Please do something. Please it should run a train on me. it was like i give Do something. um Also, they have a bad ending for each chapter.
01:37:32
Speaker
So there's usually made up of four chapters. So there's one quick one for each one where you die. You just die because of random knife or ah the random kitchen knife or ah horse from the sky. Yeah, literally. So And then you also have like a regular bad ending.
01:37:51
Speaker
So it's it's a lot of work. And I have been playing this game for a long time, so I will be very glad when it's over. So to get back to my original thought is I always have a guide every single time, because by the time I play the visual novel, it's not brand new anymore. it's been out for like a year or so when I was playing data everything it was like I think pretty fresh still so the guides were still coming out can say I can tell you now the guides are probably are probably in a much better state yes I will say this don't
01:38:25
Speaker
Don't play it on the switch because there is one dateable that has like a long ass trivia section and it's crashed on that crashed on me like three times. and i had to do that entire thing like three times.
01:38:38
Speaker
It sucked. We love video games. We love video games when they work. Right. That's the other thing I'll say about date everything. Other than that, it's pretty fun.
01:38:49
Speaker
Oh, good. Yeah, I've only heard good things. I think it was gifted to me on PC, so I will definitely be playing on PC. And that'll be a lot of fun when I do it. I'm excited. Yeah, no per if just yeah go go have fun of fucking your furniture. That's all I got. I I mean, Ben Starr is in it, so why not? Ben Starr is in it. He is. yeah God, that man is blessing.
01:39:15
Speaker
Oh, that man. I love him. It's because of that man that I'm going to play Final Fantasy VIII one day. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I love him. I just love him in everything. Even like him just out in the wild. really hope they put him as a character in the new XIV expansion.
01:39:31
Speaker
Oh, that would be so good. I'm sure he would do a great job. Todd, buddy. Why? No one asked for this. What you gave us also broke everything.
01:39:43
Speaker
You even took the song away from us. just Just give us what we want and we will pay you money for it. Please, please, please, please give the oblivion treatment to New Vegas.
01:39:56
Speaker
That's all we want. Sound good? Okay, great. Thanks. All right. Moving on to our second topic of the day, JRPGs. We talk a lot of JRPGs on this podcast as I basically, I've dedicated my streaming career to JRPGs now because I'm stuck in a Final Fantasy marathon where I am playing through every Final Fantasy game ever created that is still available ah and not a mobile game.
01:40:24
Speaker
Right. So what's, ah so... I is tales of symphonia your first, or was there something before? It was Tales of Symphonia. It was Tales. Mm-hmm.
01:40:37
Speaker
That was my first JRPG, and that's what got me into the platform because I did not have a PlayStation like everybody else. I kind of got into consoles. Yeah, I got into consoles very late, and we were a Nintendo family. Yes, we were we were a Nintendo family. So we had the 64, and then i didn't even have a Game Boy Color for a while. I think my first portable was in Advance. My first portable was the ds You had more than I did.
01:41:03
Speaker
but And so, um you know, you would my dad got the N64 when you would be able to buy them at like Sam's Club and stuff where you could just go in and it behind a gate and they would just get it for you type thing. um I don't know if they still do that anymore, but I don't know what a Sam's Club is. I'm Canadian. Oh, I'm sorry. So a Sam's Club is like things like Costco.
01:41:26
Speaker
Oh, OK. But it was before Costco. So they would have these big metal shelves in the back where the cash registers are against this big wall. And in those, in those cabinets was like super high end stuff. So like, it would be like N64s, TVs, any of that stuff. And it's locked.
01:41:47
Speaker
So you have to you had to go to the cash register and tell them, Hey, I want this item. And they would have to call an associate or they would do it themselves. Grab a key, they have like open it. Yeah. Yeah.
01:41:59
Speaker
and bring it to you. i do we We had that at Walmart and Zellers, rest in peace Zellers. we had we We had that for um ah for us in the Canadian side of things. Yeah, sorry, I keep forgetting. the but I keep forgetting people are from different places. So my apologies. i mean We're not too much different. It's just like, we don't have certain things up here. Like Sam's up. Nope. Chick-fil-A.
01:42:24
Speaker
Most of Canada still doesn't have one. they should sit It's fine. My city is is one of the lucky ones that has a Chick-fil-A. I'm not going to lie. Kind of mid.
01:42:36
Speaker
I got it. It's kind of mid. Um, We're getting, oh God, what is it soon? We're getting a Wingstop very soon in my city. Wingstop? I just had that for dinner.
01:42:48
Speaker
we don't We don't have, that's not a canadian we're but that's not Canada. um It's good. we don't Jimmy John's, I think Toronto might have one, but we don't have a Jimmy John's.
01:42:59
Speaker
Jimmy John's is good. Sometimes, sometimes you just want to want a nice sandwich and they have pretty good sandwiches. So I'm, I definitely like going there once in a while, but yeah, like but like, yeah, like, but like shop, and like American brand wise, I don't like, we don't got Macy's. I can tell you that much. That's fine. It's dying anyway. Except for the parade on Thanksgiving. said that parade Yeah, Thanksgiving. God. Yeah.
01:43:24
Speaker
So from going from Tale, starting with Tales of Symphonia, did that lead you to play other Tales games or like where did your JRPG journey take you? from So originally, so I started with Symphonia and then I didn't know there were other Tales of Game because I was only like 13, 14 at the time and I was still learning about games.
01:43:44
Speaker
um And I was very into drawing at the time, which I still am, ah you know, watching Toonami, things like that. So eventually i started just buying random stuff.
01:43:56
Speaker
Uh, so I eventually, and this timeline's all messed up, but it eventually did lead to me into like getting into Fire Emblem. Uh, I did play a little bit of Dragon Quest, uh, Persona especially. Um, and a couple other JRPGs that are kind of like, uh, not as popular at all. Radiant Historia, like all of those, like it just, um,
01:44:22
Speaker
And I got into like other stuff. It was just, it's kind of mixed up. I'm going to add Yakuza just because it has. bo to set just Like a dragon, it if in a well, sure. Yeah, that's about it.
01:44:35
Speaker
And like technically, but that one in particular, like, you know, I, I started. It's a JRPG in terms of its fucking story. Yeah. yeah But mechanics wise. No.
01:44:48
Speaker
Unless you're playing like Ichiban games. Yeah, just Ichiban games. and that's Right. That's it. Yeah. Everything else is a fucking action meter. Great, great series. Highly recommend. I agree.
01:45:01
Speaker
um Rapid firing here. or Favorite Fire Emblem. Oh my God. ah It's still ah the, what is it called? Oh my God. Fire Emblem. It was the first one on the 3DS. Awakening. Awakening. Awakening is still my favorite. I still got to play a couple more Fire Emblems because I'm behind.
01:45:23
Speaker
But Awakening was my first one and I really, really enjoyed it i thought My first Fire Emblem was the original, was not the original Fire Emblem. It was, um was it Blazing Blade? is Yeah, yeah, yeah. The proper title for it with Lynn and Hector and Ephraim.
01:45:39
Speaker
Yes. that was That was my original one. I never finished it, but the first one that i probably finished was Shadows of Valentia. Oh my God. i bought that. Best one. I bought the collector's edition for that. The remake of Daiden is such a, it's so good.
01:45:52
Speaker
Oh, it's so good. I i have bought so many Fire Emblem games and I just haven't played them all. because that's what I do. I buy games and I'm like, oh, I like this game. And then I don't play it for like years. So because I get distracted.
01:46:08
Speaker
So it's just how I am. But I, I genuinely do love the Fire Emblem games. I think they're very interesting. The characters are really good. I love the tactical aspect of it. And I always love the traditional story of everyone has to come together to stop a horrible evil that's taking over the kingdom and the land Usually a dragon. Yeah. Always a dragon or some kind of shadow beast thing. It's, I just love stories like that.
01:46:35
Speaker
I just, there's something nostalgic about it, I guess, that I really enjoy. Which dragon quests did you play? oh my God. I've played the original.
01:46:46
Speaker
I've mostly, okay I've mostly played the first three. Okay. So like original or like the remakes that just came original, like, okay. Which are hard as fuck. Cause I am like, I'm one of those people. I need help. Like I'm walking around and I'm like, where do I go?
01:47:03
Speaker
Yeah, especially one of those like early like those early RPGs. They definitely make you feel like the fucking early Zelda. Yeah. it's like, what the fuck do I do? And I can say the same thing about like Final Fantasy one, because like without like a person there to guide you, of telling you, here's where you go next to find the next crystal and get your power up for your job or whatever. It's just like, well, time to go traverse the whole world of where I could go currently with what I have available. Right. And it's, it's fine. Like, I think, I think there's a place for games like that, that just make you kind of like critically think and just try things. It's called the eighties.
01:47:46
Speaker
I need my handheld. I do. I'm, I don't like sitting there for hours being frustrated and trying to figure out where I'm going, but I did play them and I did enjoy them. um,
01:47:57
Speaker
I will say also another JRPG I really liked was, uh, I think after Symphonia was Final Fantasy Tactics in Advance, which is my favorite Final Fantasy is Tactics Advance.
01:48:09
Speaker
There's just something about it that I love doing the customization of like all the characters in their classes and stuff. And also like going through each area. um Chrono Trigger as well. Didn't beat it.
01:48:22
Speaker
I loved it because I love Toriyama and I love his work. So that one was very good as well. I really, really enjoyed that one. I played to Dragon Quest XI. Fantastic. That was my first and currently my only Dragon Quest experience.
01:48:38
Speaker
ah Very good. Very, very good. i have seen gameplay from a friend of mine, another sch streamer friend, and it was, I was just enjoying it. I love the scenery. Honestly, it's just, it's like just one of the best JRPGs out there, I would say. ah it also just like a great jump in point for Dragon Quest as well.
01:48:58
Speaker
oh yeah. Yeah.
01:49:01
Speaker
Persona wise, I have played Reload and Royal. ah And then every spinoff for five and all the dancing games and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.
01:49:15
Speaker
Oh, it's good. I have not played the entirety of P4, though. ah This is my second time actually playing P4. I have played. beaten Golden yet, which is what we're on on my stream. I have tried Persona 3 three times and it's not because I don't like it.
01:49:32
Speaker
I just get distracted. I just do. It's a problem I have. I have started ah FES twice and I also have started the portable version once and I've never beaten it.
01:49:43
Speaker
ah I get to a certain point and I'm just like, well, I'm going to play something else. And then I just, I just do. i am i am on the original for Persona 5 at Vanilla. I'm literally right at the end. Otherwise I would just jump to Royal. That's fair.
01:49:59
Speaker
ah But I love, I think Persona 5 is my favorite. It's my aesthetic. I love all the characters very much. I love all my kids in all these games. I just love them. um But 5 is definitely like capturing everything I really love about games in general. So that's why I like it so much.
01:50:17
Speaker
um And then I think I've played all the dancing games. I have beaten all those. I do own the Persona Q game. I don't have the second one, unfortunately. Oh yeah, fuck, I forgot about Persona Q Q is hard It's so different because it's basically the gameplay style of ah what's it called? Etrian Odyssey? Etrian Odyssey, yeah it It's hard, but i I like playing it. I'm like, this is pretty good. i do have the Strikers ah as well. Haven't beaten that one, but that one looks pretty good. Strikers is just fun.
01:50:55
Speaker
i heard Strikers is really fun. It's fun, but like the first dungeon is i would say the first, it's little very make break after the first is for for the first dungeon because it's either you like how the game works with its mechanics or you don't.
01:51:10
Speaker
That's how I will say in five, my only gripe is Madarame's dungeon. That shit was hard as fuck. I hated it. hate him. Madarame's wasn't bad. ah My only thing was whenever I play mainline persona game, I have I like mentally I could not do that. I can't pick what I want to do free will every day. I can't.
01:51:32
Speaker
So i I like this and the same goes with metaphor as well because it follows the similar calendar system. Yes. i have to play with a day by day guide of like the optimal way to spend my day. See, because I've played these games for so long, I'm like, OK, this is what I'm going to do. If I don't complete the social link, it's whatever. I'll be fine. But I know i i I'm like, I must complete all of them. If don't, I will not like this game. i will will I will hate myself. I will throw myself off a bridge in Minecraft. I will dig a hole and get eaten by a giant mole.
01:52:10
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, and I. Oh, yeah. And ah I haven't played the Persona 5 X that came out Steam. I played ah when the game launched. I played through all the story up to that point, which was like everything, like everything but the final boss of the second dungeon at that point. Oh, it's it's all right. That's what I hear. know, the subway slammer is going to get you. Right.
01:52:37
Speaker
The subway slammer. yeah and then soy boy mcgee as your third third party fourth part third part fourth party member oh oh but and then i've also played the fighting games i have played all the fighting games i have not beaten the story for them but i do like i love the fighting games ultimax like i started it i played a decent amount of it but it's like i want to try i've i have every platinum for every persona game i have played except ultimax that is big reason a big reason is one of the stupid trophies is to like do every training combo with a character it's like oh yeah just do like I think it was like Margaret or Elizabeth is like one of the easiest ones it's still hard now granted I've gotten better at fighting games as time goes on I fucking recently platinumed Blaze Blue Cross Tag Battle which is definitely a it's a game that's for sure um
01:53:38
Speaker
like yeah But like also the blaze blue system is so kind of different and a little bit easier than other things too. But it's also just like, Oh, I hate training combos.
01:53:49
Speaker
I just don't even bother. I'm like, you know, I can punch and kick. Will I remember that combo? No, ah but I'll try. Cause it sucks. Cause my favorite fighting series is King of Fighters.
01:54:02
Speaker
And that's one of the hardest ones. Yeah. what but Yeah. It generally is. I have King of Fighters 15 in my backlog because it was free on PS Plus. Oh my God. I actually did a lot of the story on my stream and cause I really love King of Fighters and that final boss literally reads your moves.
01:54:21
Speaker
It's the hardest fucking thing ever, especially if it's a character you're not good with. Oh my God. It's horrible. it's It's so horrible. so I'd be sitting here for an hour. Like, Oh my God.
01:54:35
Speaker
Yeah. ah Yeah. oh But it's worth it when you do it. It's, it's worth it. True. Very, very true. How would, what would you say is are your least favorite JRPGs? Neptunia.
01:54:50
Speaker
all of them. What the fuck is Neptunia? So Neptunia is a very popular anime game. It is a game where imagine if every gaming console was a girl.
01:55:03
Speaker
and oh no. And every console has their own land. Like they have an Xbox land, they have a PlayStation land. ah There's a Wii land. Like it's all named different things and their names play on the the names of the consoles.
01:55:21
Speaker
ah I had to play it for a month as a punishment game thing because I lost in a multiplayer game. That was the worst month of my life. What multiplayer game did you lose? in I think it was. forced play that ah I think it was a trivia thing.
01:55:36
Speaker
We did a trivia thing with three other people and the losers had to, you know, do like a punishment game type thing. So my good friend said, I want you to play the game you hate the most for a month.
01:55:50
Speaker
And I'm like, okay, I will do it, but I don't like it. And I did do it for a very long time until Viewers reached out to me and said, yeah, it seems like you're really upset playing that game. So you probably should stop.
01:56:06
Speaker
again they do all these girls look like wallies. Oh, listen, because they are. Why are all the consoles lollies? No. And the story is really dumb.
01:56:18
Speaker
The story is really dumb. Doesn't make any sense. And the combat is super simplified. Like you literally, you know how like in.hack you can just run around and like kill stuff or around the map whatever, for a long period of time. I've never played a dot hack game, so I can't say. Okay. sure So it's kind of like an open world game where you get you get to accept you're stuck to a level. So you run around this level and you kill monsters. You just kind of you know, punch them or get in like real time combat like you would in Yakuza. And then you run around and you either do like collecting something.
01:56:59
Speaker
You'll come back to the same place like five times to do a different mission. And yeah, so on top of that, um you could do upgrades for the girls, things like that. ah But a lot of times you're following this arbitrary story where you have to find all these other girls and save this kingdom thing or whatever. But it's all, no, been hit by water. Like, it's just, it's not...
01:57:26
Speaker
It's not the water. It's just not. It's so exhausting. And I'm fine if people like this game. I do. Like, if you like that game, great. I love that for you.
01:57:38
Speaker
I don't. I hope it still sells games to this day. It's a huge market. People buy the fuck out of these games.
Art Style and Storytelling in JRPGs
01:57:49
Speaker
And I'm very confused. That's when I that is the one every time JRPG comes up, I'm like that one. that one that's the one officer that's the one that people are touching inappropriately and sometimes the jokes are really funny I will give some of the jokes are very in the game are very funny but other than that it's it's just kind of a boring game it's boring there's no real payoff and it's just kind of the same thing wash rinse and repeat over and over and over
01:58:23
Speaker
I think after ah accidentally naming my candy store and played up lolly liquors, I should be staying away from
01:58:37
Speaker
That's funny. And look, but to to be fair, that's a real story. And it was entirely accidental because I'm like, oh, wait, that that word means two things. Whoops. That means two things now. Whoops.
01:58:54
Speaker
It happens to the best of us, truly. it so what's what's your draw when picking up new JRPGs now? Is it the animation? Is it the battle system that they use? Music? like what's ten What tends to be your draw towards JRPGs now? So my my main thing is the art style.
01:59:16
Speaker
that's okay That's me with any games, but JRPGs specifically, If the characters look really nice, has a very, you know, as an artist, I love designing characters and I love when games like, for example, like metaphor is a very good example.
01:59:31
Speaker
I love, love the design of metaphor because not only is it fantasy style, it is also very if you look at the fashion and how it's painted, it's very 60s, 70s style, which I love. Like if you look Basilio, he has like the traditional like 70s, like, you know, ascot necktie and he has bell bottoms. He has the boots.
01:59:56
Speaker
By the way, Basilio is my favorite character and I still have played the game. he oh you're good. Oh, God, you're going to heartbroken when you actually get him as a party member. i love that man. I literally bought i went to a booth at a con. This girl was selling all Basilio merch. I bought all of it.
02:00:17
Speaker
including a art book that was a Christmas art book with Basilio and friends. And everyone was doing things like having a dinner. He was Santa Claus, ah baking a cake, like playing cards.
02:00:30
Speaker
Like I literally bought all of that stuff. And then I got a free sticker because artist Sally is great. And also a curse. So I, But even like one of the characters, um she kind of looks like a fairy, but she has orange hair. Yeah, her hair, just the way she's drawn and her silhouette is very like 60s women's fashion where they had the brightly colored dresses with the no sleeves and the belt and the high boots um with the headband and the very, very long hair. Because in the 60s and 70s, people just so loved it. Oh, hair. That's Hulkenberg. Yeah. Yeah.
02:01:10
Speaker
Excuse me. um But yeah, so it was that's what I look for. And then on top of that, I like a really deep, enriching story, which a lot of JRPGs do well.
02:01:21
Speaker
If it's a very like especially with the Tales of games, too. It has to have a very deep, interesting story with a lot of twists and turns and, you know, the friendship on top of it, which, by the way, if you've never played Tales of Abyss or Tales of Cilia, those games are going to break your heart into a thousand pieces. Yeah.
02:01:45
Speaker
Because, yeah, Abyss is probably one of the saddest Tales games ever. It's just very tragic with a lot of things. Everyone dies. Hey, you're not wrong.
02:01:56
Speaker
God damn it. Well, accidental spoilers, guys. No, with the the main cast is fine. um okay but it's it's Oh, the world collapses. Lovely. Lovely. It's always like that in Tales of. love it when the U.S. president fires his nuclear codes in Tales of. We love it But those games are very sad.
02:02:20
Speaker
I like being connected to these characters and actually like creating a bond with them and getting to like heartbreaking moments or things that happen. Like I'm just one of those girls that like if I'm watching a movie and friends are fighting, I'm like crying.
02:02:36
Speaker
Cause I just, I'm just very emotional about stuff like that. So games that utterly wreck me, Final Fantasy 15, are definitely high on my list.
02:02:49
Speaker
Cause I just, I just like feeling that array of emotions as well. Fair. isn' Very fair. um Are there any JRPG series that you've wanted to start, but haven't yet?
02:03:03
Speaker
Oh, my God. ah like ah like My big question, does the Trails series interest you at all? Yes. I have a friend who is a hardcore Trails fan, ah and he actually got another friend of ours who he was unemployed at the time, um and he got him to play through like a huge chunk of those.
02:03:24
Speaker
um they have only said good things about them and with the games being re-released and stuff like that I'm like oh I should give it a try because it's kind of like Tales where it's a lot of games it's a lot yeah but with I understand it though. Like Tales is kind of like Final Fantasy in a sense where it's like each game is kind of its own thing. Yes, correct.
02:03:44
Speaker
Where Trails is like everything's tied together. Yeah. The only game in Tales that is different from that is the ones that have sequels like Tales of Zillia 2 or Tales Symphonia 2, which again is another one I don't like. Yeah.
02:03:59
Speaker
Um, but if it has a sequel, then that's the only one tied to otherwise they're all in their own universe in their own town so or country or whatever.
02:04:12
Speaker
Tales of Symphonia 2 is just like Final Fantasy 4 the after years. Not good. It's not good. It's so bad. And I tried to play it once because my friend had played it when it first came out way back in the day.
02:04:27
Speaker
And she said how horrible it was. But then they re-released it for the PS4, PS3 or something like that in this special box. And I'm like, I have to have it. So I tried to play it.
02:04:38
Speaker
It was insufferable. Insufferable. I could not play it more than an hour because the main character is hated by everyone. Like literally they threw rocks at him. Who's the main character of two? ah The main character is a different character. let's...
02:04:56
Speaker
Yeah. So Tales of Phonia 2. Why would they make it a different character? Well, actually, to be fair, they did the same thing with For the After Year. So why am I even questioning that? Right. but It's yeah, they made it a whole. This what leads me to drinking. Oh, my God. Listen, i don't drink. Neither do I. Yeah.
02:05:17
Speaker
But basically, ah it's about a character named Emil. He's the main character. And there is also ah Marta, who is another main character because Tales to Phone, Tales Love Games have multiple main characters.
02:05:30
Speaker
um But Emil and Marta are the main characters. um But basically, Emil is hated by his whole... town They throw rocks at him, everything. And he has one person that is his friend who I liked.
02:05:44
Speaker
ah He is the bad guy. He becomes an antagonist and betrays him. And he leaves him in a cave to die, basically. ah But then Emil somehow meets this random cat who helps him fight his way out of the cave. And then he meets this other this girl, Marta, who's like, oh, he's my true love.
02:06:04
Speaker
We're going to be together forever. All the time. And Emil ends up having another personality type thing that's more aggressive and likes to fight. It's just, it's just not.
02:06:17
Speaker
And then Lloyd and the lo in this game. Yeah. He's a bad guy. What are you? What? Cause he's, there's like a brainwashing thing or something and him and the rest of the game are bad guys.
02:06:29
Speaker
It makes no sense. It makes no sense. Oh my, wait. Oh my God. Wait. Oh my God. It is just a parallel the final fansy for you after to years.
02:06:42
Speaker
You have no idea how that's kind of similar. The brainwashing part. <unk> the Oh, because I just I remember like watching the trailer when it first came out. And one of the big images was Lloyd standing over a burning village.
02:07:02
Speaker
And I went, what? What? ah Again? Again? it was a whole thing. And then you find out why he's doing this and that, and it's apparently like it makes sense, but it's also like, oh, this game is really bad. So I don't recommend two.
02:07:22
Speaker
I do not. Just play the first one.
Recommendations and Conclusions
02:07:24
Speaker
You'll be happier that way. ah you'll save yourself a headache yes exactly very fair ah is there anything else you would like to add about JRPGs data games visual novels anything before we jump to the bonus level ah So to add about dating sims, they are for everybody. Even if you do play as a woman, you can be a man and play these games too. There are a lot of dating sims that are being more open about being different genders and different ah you know agencies.
02:07:56
Speaker
Definitely recommend playing a dating sim if you haven't before, because there is literally one for every single person in this world. And there are some that aren't scary, like the ones I like. So there are ones that are softer and nicer. Um, JRPGs also play more JRPGs. I've noticed a lot of people don't play them because they are long.
02:08:15
Speaker
It is worth, if you play a good rp JRPG, it is worth the time. It is worth the time and the energy and the commitment to the story because you will be glad you did.
02:08:26
Speaker
Be like baby no money. Cosplay Silas from Love in Deep Space. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. Also play Love in Deep Space because they have an event right now called Lingering Lust and you can that That's an event name. Oh god. this And you can literally be in a hot sauna with your man and also play a little fun puzzle game.
02:08:48
Speaker
It's really fun. Definitely play love in deep space. I'm straight. yeah That's fine. but but Let's ah with all of all of that.
02:09:01
Speaker
It's time for us to head on and start closing things out in the bonus level. crazy lists, great deals, and recapping gaming history. It's all here in the bonus level. All right.
02:09:12
Speaker
Starting off the bonus level, we've got Game Clash. This is a little ah tournament of eight that we put together every episode, usually themed to the streamer in question or the guest in question that we have. ah So I thought a good one to do would be JRPG mascots.
02:09:28
Speaker
ah Pixie, are you ready? You can decide the winner of each one and goes through each other's a winner. Are you ready? I'm ready. All right. Starting off match one, we have Mr. Saturn of Earthbound versus Pikachu of Pokemon.
02:09:43
Speaker
Mr. Saturn. All right. Match two, we've got the Chocobo Final Fantasy versus Jack Frost of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise. Jack Frost.
02:09:56
Speaker
Match three, we've got the Dragon Quest Slime versus the Persona Teddy. I'm going to say the Slime. Sorry. I'm going to say the Slime. And match four, we got Agumon of Digimon because Digimon does have JRPGs ah versus the Nopons of Xenoblade. Ooh, I'm going to go Agumon.
02:10:18
Speaker
All right. Semifinals. Mr. Saturn versus Jack Frost. Jack Frost. Hee ho. Hee ho, indeed. ah Slime versus Agumon.
02:10:34
Speaker
Agumon. Agumon for sure. Grand Vinyls, Jack Frost versus Agumon. Jack Frost. Hee ho. Hee ho. Hee Hee heeho Also another great scene in Strikers when you eventually play that. There is a whole hee ho in scene. oh i've seen it it's my favorite heho it's so cute i love it all right uh we got this week in gaming history here's what happened in the past from may 11th to 24th starting with some major events may 13th 2003 sony announces a new handheld video game system the playstation barnable
02:11:12
Speaker
It features two 333 megahertz, MIPSR 4000 processors, system bus,
02:11:24
Speaker
megabit e e EDR, ED RAM memory, 480 by 272 pixel, 4.5 inch diagonal backlit LCD screens, universal media disc optical, optical disc reader, an MPEG for video playback built in stereo speakers, USB 2.0 port, IRDA and wireless 802.11 LAN ports, Sony member stick data storage slot and a rechargeable lithium ion battery. The system is expected to be available by the end of 2004.
02:11:53
Speaker
It was a good system. It was played a system. played friend's PSP one time. So did I. i played freaking Birth by Sleep.
02:12:06
Speaker
Oh, no. wow. On the original hardware. Nice. Yes. It's my favorite Kingdom Hearts game. It's a good one. My favorite is always going to be two. Just because I spent the most hours in two when I played it. And it is the data fights really made me appreciate that game's combat a lot more. Absolutely. Absolutely.
02:12:27
Speaker
ah May 18th, 1994, Sony forms the Sony Computer Entertainment of America company to market a PlayStation CD-based video game system in the U.S. to be introduced in 1995. Ooh.
02:12:39
Speaker
i've o And May 21st, 1984, Atari introduces the Atari 7800 Pro system. It features higher resolution graphics than the Atari 5200, optional keyboard to make it a home computer, and compatibility with the Atari 2600 cartridges.
02:12:58
Speaker
Price is set at $150 The number represents the plus the God, i wish consoles were that price still.
02:13:11
Speaker
yeah They are not anymore. Yeah. As for some game birthdays on May 11th, Injustice 2 turns 9. Wow. On the fourteenth of The Legend of Zelda Oracle Seasons and Oracle of Ages turns 25.
02:13:25
Speaker
On the 15th, Max Payne 3 turns 14. On the 16th, New Super Mario Bros turns 20. On the 17th, Noire turns 15. On the 19th, Wii Fit turns 18. On the
02:13:40
Speaker
On the 22nd, Perfect Dark turns 26. And on the 23rd, Super Mario Galaxy 2 turns 16. You saying Oracle of Seasons and Ages is 25 years old. i literally wanted to turn into dust.
02:13:54
Speaker
I wanted Thanos to snap me out of existence. ah So long ago. oh oh, my God.
02:14:05
Speaker
All right. ah Up next is Tony's game poll. It's our seasonal poll that changes up every season and our season 10 poll. Pixie, what sport should Mario play next that he has not played yet?
02:14:16
Speaker
ah Just to tell you what he currently has played is tennis, baseball, soccer, basketball, golf, volleyball, dodgeball, ice hockey, horse racing, dancing, and like the Olympics, but like track and field specifically is what we're counting for that.
02:14:34
Speaker
You know what? He should play. um Oh, my God. What is that Canadian sport where they push the the stone on the ice? Curling? Curling. You should do curling. You know what?
02:14:48
Speaker
I think that would be very funny. Mario Party-esque. Do the curling. don't know I want to allow it because that is like a core winter Olympic sport. Is it? Dang. So don't know if I want to count to that.
02:15:01
Speaker
Let's see. Hmm. what about you think of curling it is more olympic like well there is like its own league like i know that only canada really has like a lot of that realistically whenever i see it uh so i don't know if i want to count that one because it is more of a winter olympic sport core olympic sport you're right though you're right i wasn't even thinking about that uh See, because when you think of the Olympics, it's like all of them. And I'm like, fuck, I don't know sports at all. Yeah, but like like there are stuff like like example of rugby. Well, that is the it's in the Olympics. it it It is like more like, oh, yeah, no, it's more than just the Olympics. Whereas curling, it's very Olympic coded. Sure, it's there, but like it gets more screen time in the Olympics. It's true. I'm trying to think like.
02:15:58
Speaker
Cause I feel like I've seen everything they've done everything. And I don't really know sports. Well, so ah so the only reason I know basketball is because of space jam.
02:16:13
Speaker
That's, that's all I know. I, but trying to think what's another sport. Have they done ice skate? Oh, wrestling. That's right. Have they done wrestling? know what I would allow wrestling.
02:16:26
Speaker
I would allow that. Wrestling would be good. I will count that because that physical contact. I literally want to see Bowser get slammed on the mat. I think that would be the coolest shit ever.
02:16:41
Speaker
Absolutely. ah Your deals of the week coming up, starting off with your epic free games until the 14th. Trash Goblin and Arranger, a role puzzling adventure. Are the free games on Epic right now?
02:16:53
Speaker
And the free games from the fourteen to 21st. Well... Epic's decided to do those mystery games next week, so we actually don't know what they are. I assume they're probably going to be big titles, so keep an eye out for those.
02:17:06
Speaker
ah Steam sales going on. The Creature Publisher sale ends on the 13th. The two-point franchise sale ends on the 12th. Take advantage of that. The two-point games are fantastic. ah The Mortal Kombat franchise sale ends May 18th, as does the Curve Games Publisher sale. And the Atari Gem Games Publisher sale goes on until the 16th.
02:17:26
Speaker
uh playstation plus your may games were released uh for the games you can get for free if you have ps plus uh ea sports fc26 wuchang fallen feathers and nine souls are all free on ps plus currently uh and you can get them added to your library as long as you keep that ps plus uh count and uh uh subscription that's the word i'm looking for Your achievement of the week is in sledding game. It's Fisherman, which is to catch every fish.
02:17:58
Speaker
And your game of the week is going to Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight. And Pixie, if there is a game old or new that you would recommend to the audience right now, what game would that be?
02:18:10
Speaker
I'm going to say it again because I've been saying it this entire stream. Tales of Symphonia. If you have not played Symphonia, you are missing out on very good JRPG storytelling. Please. Also, we need more people in the Tales of fandom by God. So play that one. Play Zillia. Play Abyss.
02:18:29
Speaker
Play any of those. any of Even Arise. Arise is fucking fantastic and a great entry if you want to get into the Tales of games. Highly considerate.
02:18:39
Speaker
Please.
02:18:42
Speaker
all right uh with that that is everything that does it for our podcast today uh pixie thank you for coming on where can we find you on the internet ah So typically I am under either Madam Pixie Sticks or Madam Zombie Sticks. I am on Twitter, also known as X. I don't call it X because that's dumb. I do have a Discord as well um that we have just revamped so everyone can join ah on Twitch. I just am Madam Pixie Sticks. uh, as well as Instagram. Uh, it should be Madam Zombie Sticks or Madam Pixie Sticks. Uh, same with Art Station, if you guys are on Art Station.
02:19:28
Speaker
And i should be coming up with a YouTube channel soon for the same, under the same taglines. So I hope to see you there. Awesome. And of course you can find me at Tony's game lodge everywhere. Twitter, blue sky, Instagram, Tik TOK, Twitch, and YouTube shorts of the shorts and tech docs of highlights of this episode will be out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next two weeks. So be sure to catch those. ah And Dixie, thank you once again for coming on. Thank you for inviting me and thank you for inviting the gang. It was it was very appreciative and i'm I'm glad that we got to talk and have a good time today.
02:20:06
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. And thank you, the listener, for tuning in. Be sure to like, share, and follow this podcast on whatever streaming platform you're listening to this on. Leave have a comment as well because Spotify lets you do that.
02:20:19
Speaker
We will be back in two weeks' time, hopefully with my voice recovered, with another guest right back here in the Game Lounge. Bye.
02:20:29
Speaker
Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Tony's Game Lounge. New episodes release every two weeks. Make sure to follow, like, and share the podcast on your streaming service and follow us on Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, and X.