Unofficial Controller Podcast

Gaming Odyssey: From Stellar Blade Nostalgia to Assassin's Creed's New Horizons

May 13, 2024 Unofficial Controller Season 5 Episode 218
Gaming Odyssey: From Stellar Blade Nostalgia to Assassin's Creed's New Horizons
Unofficial Controller Podcast
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Unofficial Controller Podcast
Gaming Odyssey: From Stellar Blade Nostalgia to Assassin's Creed's New Horizons
May 13, 2024 Season 5 Episode 218
Unofficial Controller
Prepare to set sail on an odyssey of gaming culture with Episode 218 of our Controller Podcast, "Triple Threat," where comradery and keen insights merge into one thrilling listen. Swing by Christmas Island as OG Tom regales us with stories intertwined with Stellar Blade's nostalgia-inducing gameplay on the PS5, while RGT and I, George, tease the hidden treasures of our early adopter boxes. From the eerie corridors of Bioshock to the precision tracks of Gran Turismo 5, we journey through the games that have shaped our love for this digital realm.

Venture beyond the surface of popular critiques as we dissect the latest titles, not shying away from the psychological scars left by childhood film encounters that resonate to this day. The 'hidden gems' segment awaits your gaming prowess, challenging you to identify rare titles, while we ponder the enigmatic rarity of games in the digital age. Hear our musings on Square Enix's cross-platform maneuvers and reflect on the future of game development trends, including Assassin's Creed's new horizons.

Concluding with a spotlight on our vibrant Discord community, we celebrate the contests and camaraderie that make our digital corner a home for gamers. Our discussion also includes musings on dynamic ad integration in AAA titles and the delicate dance of developer apologies. We wrap up with a call to action for our listeners to connect and correct,  including our quirky segment, Stingray's Boot. Tune in for this whirlwind tour through gaming culture, peppered with laughter and age-old wisdom.

The Gaming Blender
Could you design a video game?

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Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers
Prepare to set sail on an odyssey of gaming culture with Episode 218 of our Controller Podcast, "Triple Threat," where comradery and keen insights merge into one thrilling listen. Swing by Christmas Island as OG Tom regales us with stories intertwined with Stellar Blade's nostalgia-inducing gameplay on the PS5, while RGT and I, George, tease the hidden treasures of our early adopter boxes. From the eerie corridors of Bioshock to the precision tracks of Gran Turismo 5, we journey through the games that have shaped our love for this digital realm.

Venture beyond the surface of popular critiques as we dissect the latest titles, not shying away from the psychological scars left by childhood film encounters that resonate to this day. The 'hidden gems' segment awaits your gaming prowess, challenging you to identify rare titles, while we ponder the enigmatic rarity of games in the digital age. Hear our musings on Square Enix's cross-platform maneuvers and reflect on the future of game development trends, including Assassin's Creed's new horizons.

Concluding with a spotlight on our vibrant Discord community, we celebrate the contests and camaraderie that make our digital corner a home for gamers. Our discussion also includes musings on dynamic ad integration in AAA titles and the delicate dance of developer apologies. We wrap up with a call to action for our listeners to connect and correct,  including our quirky segment, Stingray's Boot. Tune in for this whirlwind tour through gaming culture, peppered with laughter and age-old wisdom.

The Gaming Blender
Could you design a video game?

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

How to Start a Podcast Guide: The Complete Guide
Learn how to plan, record, and launch your podcast with this illustrated guide.

Support the Show.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to the unofficial Controller Podcast, your weekly gaming podcast, Episode 218, 218, can't believe it. Triple Threat is the episode name, with me, George, and this week joined by RGT special guest. And I don't know where we dug up this odd fossil, but it's OG Tom. These guys are Hogan and Macho to my honky-tonk man. How's it going, gentlemen?

Speaker 2:

Very well, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for that intro. It's all right, I don't know which one you are.

Speaker 3:

The old fossil clearly.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, you know I've not seen you for a while. You've been AWOL.

Speaker 3:

Screw me over with the hand cello.

Speaker 1:

Earlier I was working on an intro for you. It's like Mournerfarious than the Duke of York. You want to find out where the logs are. It's in the briefcase. He never puts down sort of scenario. We're going to gloss over that because you've left all that behind you on Christmas Island.

Speaker 3:

Yes, that is done.

Speaker 1:

If you're an OG fan of the show and you want to go and hear, his last treading of the law has already begun. I cannot wait. Tried Spreading the boards yet again. You're back, I am what brings you back to the UK.

Speaker 3:

I just thought I'd pop over and use some of that money wisely. Restore the west wing of the Ponsonbury estate with extra work taken to the foundations.

Speaker 1:

Okay, that's brilliant. Sometimes I forget the law and then I realise that, yeah, we've got law RGT, how are you?

Speaker 2:

Very well, thank you Very well.

Speaker 1:

Is that it you want to elaborate? I'll tell you what. Let's give everyone a little bit of an update. How are the early adopter boxes coming along?

Speaker 2:

Yes, should be being sent out this week. So sorry everyone, there's been a bit of a delay. We've had a bit of a nightmare of printing, but they should be sent out this week.

Speaker 1:

That's brave because I've got the freshly recorded cassettes. I say freshly recorded, they were freshly recorded about three weeks ago. Sat purring in the Ponsonbury dining room.

Speaker 3:

I have seen these. They look very good.

Speaker 1:

And I need to somehow get them to deepest, darkest South Farmington you do postman pat job I think okay. Well, he's not allowed up the drive since the 6th Duke shot at the postal service, took a couple of them hostage, I do believe sired an air through one of them. I don't know how that's possible, but it happened.

Speaker 2:

I did hear about that.

Speaker 1:

You were doing the rounds then, or just a bit of folklore.

Speaker 2:

I've been in the business a long time or just a bit of folklore.

Speaker 1:

I've been in the business a long time. Look at this masquerade to make yourself appear like a normal human. You are a podcasting celebrity. You've been probably lying around on a pool lounger all week.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I wish that's what it looked like to me out the window. Well, I had the odd little lounge, but work has to carry on, I'm afraid.

Speaker 1:

Get those Adopter boxes out.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, like I say, hopefully that should be on track for this week, as long as you get them tapes sent to me, george.

Speaker 1:

Apologies ahead of time for your Adopter boxes being next week.

Speaker 2:

With no tape in them.

Speaker 1:

Scented desperation. Yeah, we'll send the cassettes on after no, it'll all be sorted. We'll see postal delays to be accepted. But yeah, they're on completion, Ready to rock and roll.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yeah, they're looking good, so hopefully everyone will be pleased with them.

Speaker 3:

Am I on any?

Speaker 1:

of these tapes. I gave you the preview early. You're on about three, four episodes of them. How?

Speaker 3:

many tapes are there Three, four. Well, there we go. That's what I'd say.

Speaker 1:

We're slightly bigger fry than that. Yeah, we've got quite a long list of supporters. Now, if you want to get involved, click the link at the bottom of the show notes on your player of choice. Anyway, all of that to one side. People didn't come here to find out how to support the show, even though it's very grateful and we couldn't survive without you. They actually came here for some sort of gaming-related info, but we can't get there. We really can't get there until I ask you, gentlemen, what have you been playing? I'm going to spin around to OG Tom and ask you what you've been playing.

Speaker 3:

Sweat dripping from my head. I was about to say my sweat's dripping as well.

Speaker 1:

I've got you covered.

Speaker 3:

there, I've actually been playing some video games.

Speaker 1:

Pull up a pew, get your do-way.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, hope you've got your thermos ready. So yeah, this week I picked up Stellar Blade for the PS5, which I've been enjoying quite a bit.

Speaker 1:

Proper single man's game.

Speaker 3:

Say no more, yeah, very much a single man's game.

Speaker 1:

Did you get the early adopters package with the blink film?

Speaker 3:

I didn't. No, I didn't get it on launch. Actually, I waited a few weeks just for the island sale to go through and then picked up that, but it's really good. It's very much, as people have said, a game of probably the PS3 or 360 era. In its design, the combat, which I'll go into a little bit, does remind me more of a slow Devil May Cry, as strange as that seems, it's just.

Speaker 1:

Slow to the point where I'll be good at it, or slow to the.

Speaker 3:

It's more methodical. It feels sort of the battles are a bit more drawn out and it's not as flashy. Devil May Cry is a lot.

Speaker 1:

That was your plot we're saying now yes.

Speaker 3:

Yeah it's interesting, they've obviously incorporated some combat mechanics from software games and other Souls-likes.

Speaker 1:

Do you bundle up XP and try and roll it into the next equivalent campfire or?

Speaker 3:

no. So yeah, there's similar things. There's like a campsite where you sit down, you can upgrade your gear and so forth. It's not as harsh. I've died quite a few times. It's not an easy game by any means, but it's definitely not as brutal as some of the especially some of the FromSoftware's earlier games.

Speaker 1:

So you're bundling up XP. Is there also like a ranking for your?

Speaker 3:

fight like a there's a tree skill skill tree, tree skill that you can choose you which kind of path you want to take first, whether you want to upgrade more survival or attack or defense, which is quite nice so far. It does seem a very defense-heavy game. Well, that seems to be the way I'm playing it, with the block mechanic reminiscent of Sekiro, which is quite nice.

Speaker 1:

Wow, we're taking the show back to that sort of moment where proper gamers play games. Me and RGT basically just play truck driving simulators. That's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. It's practically Clash of Kingdoms on the iPhone now.

Speaker 3:

Oh, okay, or is it not? I'll let you off. Okay, it's about man, stuff like trucking, and that's fine.

Speaker 1:

Are you a Mexican streaming lord? No, he's not. He's not El Bucho. No, I'm afraid it's not me.

Speaker 3:

He's slightly above me in the Forbes Rich List, not Forbes Forbes it's the British version it's the person with the most like five door saloon board escorts. How many have you? Got at least 10,000. I've got one in every color from every year since release they're appreciating they're appreciating assets. Yeah, this is just. We'll forget that. If you like bayonetta, devil may cry from software games. Um, the Devil May Cry from Software Games. Celeblabe would be well worth a look for you.

Speaker 2:

I've been interested in that because it always seems, as I kept thinking, it was more of a hack and slash. But now you're speaking about from software, it seems that you have to be a bit more methodical with your combat.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, no, that's a good point On first impressions, because I played the demo when they released that and it was very different to how I thought it was going to be. I thought very much I can slash and just blaze your way through the levels, but yeah, so far, like the voice acting with the English voices is a little well, it played jazz for me, yeah probably ought to. Yeah, I think that's the way to go.

Speaker 1:

I've made that mistake recently and I can't unsee what I've seen. What else is on this Sam August board?

Speaker 3:

On top of that I picked up Sea of Thieves, which has been quite enjoyable. I never really got a chance to enjoy that when it was on Xbox I think I played it a couple of times but we had a friend at the time who insisted he was always the captain and always steering the ship, so kind of spoiled the game a little bit. But anyway, fresh crew now. So um managed to negotiate a go on the on the wheel you brought chevy chase over from the island, or did he get sold with it?

Speaker 3:

less, less just that law that law's gone With the island, it got sold. With it, you sold a person.

Speaker 1:

I'm not being funny.

Speaker 3:

That's slavery, not over there, it's not, it's not I just hope so.

Speaker 1:

Bob Geldof didn't buy it off you. Actually, you're in trouble.

Speaker 3:

He's hosting the next Live 8, though.

Speaker 3:

So, yeah, picture a Chevy Chief in your old clothes looking hungry and confused. That's pretty much it. The single will be out for Christmas. Is it the Boone theme tune? It is the Boone theme tune Remix. Oh right. Is it the boom theme tune? It's the boom theme tune remix. Oh right.

Speaker 3:

So yeah, sea of Thieves. And then the ultimate in like I messaged you about this that it was the equivalent of knowing. You were next door at your nan's when I was like 10 years old and, like you, were there with the latest game or console, the excitement levels I felt playing hell divers 2 great game. And of course, I never, ever see him online. He appears offline or he just doesn't play online regardless. And then, lo and behold, I'm there playing Helldivers. We're a three man team just playing with some randoms. And then, lo and behold, the drop pod comes down. Boom. Now this would all be epic if it wasn't just the end of the mission. It got out of his little hell pod, went into the back of the ship and flew off and took all the XP and all the XP and all the samples.

Speaker 1:

The funny thing is, as I thought, oh, I'll join Tom's game, see what's going on, my man sort of plagues into the thing, goes down to pick my load out.

Speaker 3:

The music.

Speaker 1:

Everyone who's played it knows that sort of feeling.

Speaker 2:

No idea, no idea, it's very exciting.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, your pod's blasting down to the planet. It's got the heat building up on the front of it from re-entry, and then it kind of went to a black screen. This is my, my, what my angle of it was. I didn't even see anything. It went to a black screen, and then it went to that sort of break, the sound barrier noise, as the ship sort of swerves back in to land on your own ship, swerves back in to land on your own ship, and I was like I didn't even play anything. What about after that, though? Did I? You were like the Gary.

Speaker 3:

Lineker of the Helldivers world just waiting at the finish line or the goal line there, ready for a nice little.

Speaker 2:

Little cheeky tap there Did you sort of run about, pretend you know what you're doing get your gun up.

Speaker 3:

Sight the pro. We played one. Yeah, we played a game after that, didn't we? We played a match after that and I was a bit dubious about what difficulty to put it on, but you handled yourself well. I was a kill. Yeah, you did actually have the most kills, which was good.

Speaker 1:

Although that's not a measure of success in Helldivers. That makes you look like a noob because you're going for kills.

Speaker 3:

You're more of a winner on that game if you have less team deaths, I think.

Speaker 1:

At the end of the day, I just wanted to carry Big cuz, carry Big cuz carry.

Speaker 3:

That could be a wrestler name.

Speaker 1:

Wow, what else have you been playing, is that?

Speaker 3:

it. I think that's about it. Yeah, I went on a bit of a hiatus from single-player games for a while. Street Fighter V I've been enjoying the new character, ed, although he's not a month old now. Mr Ed no, just Ed Is he dead? He was made in a lab for M Bison to create perfect fighters, and so he's got a lot of M Bison's sets.

Speaker 1:

I'm not being funny, but if I was M Bison, I don't think I'd be creating the perfect fighter. I think I'd be like creating the perfect girlfriend, yeah he's a lonely man. I think he's got a side project.

Speaker 3:

Hopefully this is not in Street. Fighter. Well, he died in 5, so I don't think he's doing a lot of anything but knowing those games, he can create fighters and clone fighters.

Speaker 1:

Why hasn't he created and cloned himself just for such a circumstance? Do you think that could happen? Would you be happy to see that?

Speaker 3:

I think it's inevitable he'll return, isn't it?

Speaker 1:

Much like Thanos it is. Let's see what else is inevitable. Rgt telling me about expeditions Go.

Speaker 2:

I've been playing it this week.

Speaker 1:

Is this the. He took a link. He smashed it. Take it. Is this the truck driver?

Speaker 3:

expansion. It is.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, no, I haven't been playing it this week. I finished Bioshock PS3.

Speaker 1:

What did you make of that?

Speaker 2:

Well, as everyone knows, I'm very new to FPS games as I've never really been able to play them, but I sort of weaned myself onto them. Absolutely fantastic game. That intro is still top tier. Oh, superb, superb. Loved every minute of it. Brilliant game. They just about nailed every aspect of that game. That's perfect. Length doesn't overstay us. Welcome.

Speaker 1:

Very good graphics, very unique story, great setting um great combat now this is where we're going to get controversial, because and I'd love your opinion on this for me, two, two was the better game.

Speaker 2:

Well, I'm now halfway through two.

Speaker 1:

What do you think about the playability of it?

Speaker 2:

You are correct, because they've taken parts out. They've added bits in but taken parts out. Like your Evo, you haven't got to inject yourself now, that'll automatically do it. They took bits out so you were less overloaded with things to do, where you can construct the combat more, which works really well. So they've actually reduced part of the gameplay, but that's actually improved the gameplay. Um, so yeah, really good and I love how I've not gone mental.

Speaker 1:

Bioshock 2 is greater than the sum of bioshock 1. I don't think the story's better, but I feel like the.

Speaker 2:

It just feels a better experience yeah, and I think it's clever had they've um, dropped you into the world again, but this time you're in a different part of the city, so you're not running over bits you've already seen. You're in it's all completely new surroundings and settings and bits and pieces, um, and, like I say, I'm halfway through that and just loving it absolutely brilliant let me pause you there.

Speaker 1:

Yes, Spin to our. Well, I guess he's a guest. I don't know anymore. What's your abiding memory of what you would now class as probably a pixelated mess in Bioshock?

Speaker 3:

I would say it still holds up very well. God RGT agrees with playing it more recently. But yeah, I'd like to see what that looks like. I think Remaster on modern consoles.

Speaker 1:

Oh, is there Remastered Trilogy?

Speaker 3:

Oh the one set in the sky, infinite, yeah. So I think to me it was one of those first Xbox 360 games that made me like, wow, this is very different to whatever I've played before. That's true. This is very different to whatever I've played before. That's true.

Speaker 3:

The incorporation of sort of and it's been copied quite a lot in many other FPS sort of story-driven games with the ability on one hand and the firearm on the other, and mixing your play styles to find something that suits you, was really interesting at the time. Not really sort of seeing anything like that Again. Going back to the intro, I think we played the demo, didn't we? No, I think we bought it. Yeah, but we bought. I'm sure I played the demo because it ends quite quickly after. Yeah, I definitely played it because you have the wrench at the start and I think the demo goes up to getting a pistol, maybe. I thought. I just thought we got it. Yeah, I knew I wanted to play the rest of it, just from that intro alone, because it just really makes you question, like what? It's very mysterious and the water's kind of always.

Speaker 1:

I actually think the intro takes top, takes some topping, and I think it it's. You're quite far into the game before you. You get your eyes on stalks to a similar level as you do that first, 15, 20 minutes.

Speaker 3:

One is the would you kindly isn't it With the guy, kind of.

Speaker 2:

Yes. Yes, he's manipulating you yeah, very clever twist.

Speaker 3:

Very clever. Yeah, I do, that's something. That kind of sticks out was the good twist and obviously it wasn't all what you thought it was. But yeah, very good games. The third one, I don't really remember so much, I think the ending. You mean you talked about the ending at the time, which not too bad a job.

Speaker 1:

That was the lighthouse shtick, wasn't it? Yeah, other than Bioshock, then. Good sir, what else have you been perusing in the gaming world?

Speaker 2:

um, for some reason I don't know why I jumped back onto it, but I think it was because it was one of the games in the series I played the least of, and that is gran trismo 5. I don't ask me why I jumped back onto that one. I think it's just I want to play gran trismo and I thought what's the one I've played the least of?

Speaker 1:

I think it's five, so I've been well, less than six I thought six would have been your one that you didn't play no.

Speaker 2:

Six I put a lot of hours into six, had two sort of playthroughs of that for some reason. Five I don't know why you know a few years ago now why I sort of missed and didn't play much of that, or whether that was because I had a lot of games at the time, I don't know. But I've sort of jumped, jumped back into that, absolutely loving. That same again looks awesome, um, and when you see some sort of driving games on a playstation 3, um, and then you play gran turismo 5 and you see the difference it looks exquisite, still doesn't it.

Speaker 2:

It's incredible, it wasn't that long ago.

Speaker 1:

I did something similar on ps3, maybe a year to 18 months ago and, um, it might have been six. I was playing, but just the level of like fidelity was what blew me away. It you know, it wasn't though I hadn't played the latest gran turismo on ps5. And yeah, there is a downgrade I'd be crazy to insinuate there isn't, but it's one of those moments where it's so serviceable you kind of wonder why we need more yeah, exactly good point.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, I've put quite a few hours into that. I've been really enjoying that. Again, what else have I been playing Halo 4, so I've carried on with my playthrough of Halos looking for punishment?

Speaker 1:

Okay, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So it's the little game me and my brother-in-law, when we can get together, we play through. So we're about halfway through 4 now. At the moment, same again. We're playing the Master Chief collection on the Series X, which looks incredible, plays incredible, frame rate is just stunning. There's no drops in frames, nothing Brilliant, really enjoying it. And the same again. I think I mean these guys, I mean three and four are like nine, ten, eleven hours long. The stories. They're not long, but they're perfect. You know, you don't. You know a lot of people you read reviews and they say, oh, game's really short, I don't think you need them games. You know that's perfect.

Speaker 1:

One thing I remember about Halo 1 in particular. Even when I had it at launch, I did feel like you spent a lot of time walking down the same corridor. And I think to reduce the play time and mix things up a bit. I haven't played 4 personally, but 3 kind of hit that sweet spot where it didn't feel like it was like what? This again? Is that continuing 4?

Speaker 2:

No, not really Different settings you're now and different planet, and I think as well with Master Chief Collection. Like I say, it is different. Obviously you've got your same weapons, you've got your same enemies, but obviously it's almost a continuing story, so you don't really break it up into numbers of games, because you carry on from where you left off. The story continues. That's quite interesting. Yeah, so you just keep Me and my brother-in-law were saying, because he played one and two back in the day, then he's watched the Halo series and loved it and he said come on, let's play through them. So that's why we sort of got into them and I'd never played an original and that story just continues. It's almost like a TV series. You keep the story going. Yeah, that's cool, but I mean I'veid, you know, and Well, wind things back a bit further.

Speaker 1:

It's a 360, or is it Xbox One? Xbox One you can get an Xbox One for what? 70 bucks, maybe less.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and it looks stunning. I mean, especially the first couple of games. They've completely rebuilt them. All of these lovely animation scenes, they look superb. Yeah, they do look a lot nicer, but, yeah, really enjoying it. So we just every time just, he works different hours to me, so it's hard to when we do, we just keep keep chipping away at the halos and, um, yeah, really really enjoying those go and smash each other around the ring um anywho um.

Speaker 1:

I've also been playing um robocop on the ps5 now, now, now now I don't know if you're on the episode or it was me and bobby or what, but have they fixed the moment? Because I think I said to you, actually when you switch between robocop in a cut scene and talking to someone, there's a brief. Actually, when you switch between robocop in a cut scene and talking to someone, there's a brief quarter of a second flash where you see in the npc or robocop soul, is that still? Is that still there or no?

Speaker 2:

um, it's happened once to me where I went to talk to a lady near a film set and then, when I clicked to speak to her, her head sort of turned inside out and there's just a pair of eyes there which, and then she quickly clicked back and I thought was that meant to do that? Or if I click to speak to her, her head sort of turned inside out and there's just a pair of eyes there which, and then she quickly clicked back and I thought was that meant to do that? Or am I just tired between?

Speaker 1:

every cut scene. If there were, like, if there was someone talking, not the actual cgi cut scene but the in-game engine cut scene you would, someone would be talking, then it flicks to robocop and I can only describe it as literally seeing their soul, because I don't even know what I saw yeah and then when it comes back to the other person, it happens, and it's only for a brief. You're like did I see that, or not? Had me checking whether I've been supping on some pellegrini on rose's lime, uh, yeah it didn't happen.

Speaker 2:

Very often it's only once or twice, I think so it wasn. I wonder if it's sort of been.

Speaker 1:

Might have patched out a bit. Yeah, I wonder if it's been patched out, because it was. I had to walk away from the game because once I'd seen it happen once, all I could do was see it. I don't know whether it's patched out or maybe I'm being a little bit harsher. Then I need to no no, that's fair enough.

Speaker 2:

If it happens a lot, it's a bit of a game-breaker, does it not?

Speaker 1:

feel, though, as well my other criticism of the game, which has been reviewed well by every other part of the media. So therefore I'm way off the ball, but you kind of feel, and you should, as Robocop I know this but you kind of feel a little bit invincible in the sections that I played.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I agree with that. I also think this will put a bit controversial. I think it's over reviewed. I think people have given a way higher score on nostalgia than what it should get. It's a good game and you've got to remember, is it? It's technically an indie game.

Speaker 1:

It's not a I think it's probably pitched in the sort of double a mark yeah, double a maybe.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. Um, what I find? I mean they've got the characters looks, mean they've got the characters' looks really well. They've got the animations. Facial animations are a bit Bethesda, they're a bit soulless.

Speaker 1:

Some of the punks' mouths barely move.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, that's a bit odd. On the other hand, when you first walk through the city streets as some of the best ray tracing I've seen the reflections in the puddles. The lighting is stunning, it's absolutely stunning. But on the other hand, when you're walking around, that map that sort of small part of Detroit is it? I believe we're in.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you're in that small part of Detroit it feels quite soulless. There's not a lot, you don't hear it, you know there's not a lot, you don't hear, you know there's not a lot of people and cars driving. It's very. Whether it's meant to have that atmosphere, I don't know, but it feels very sort of empty, very. It's hard to explain, but there's some strange disconnects.

Speaker 1:

There isn't there. I don't think the game plays like a 10 out of 10. Certainly the cutscenes are more terrifying than watchable in the patch build that I played, but you put them all together and you put in a couple of spoons of nostalgia and it's not that bad, is it really?

Speaker 2:

No, I mean for what you pay for the game I think it's very good, you know and for a for a smaller studio. I think they've done a great job. How many?

Speaker 1:

out of ten. What are you going to give it? Smaller studio. I think they've done a great job Out of 10, what?

Speaker 2:

are you going to give it? I would. I wouldn't go no more than a seven.

Speaker 1:

I'm thinking a seven. I turned to you and I'm thinking it's game of the year territory Day's gone. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

I have yet to play Robocop. It did pique my interest, but I think I was a little bit behind the buzz of when that film first came out. I obviously had it on delivered by Stingray parents, completely unaware of what I was about to watch this sounds cool.

Speaker 1:

Maybe it's like Suburban Cop or whatever. It's called Suburban Commando or what's the one that Arnie Kindergarten Cop.

Speaker 3:

Robocop same thing 20 minutes into it. He's getting absolutely shot by fire.

Speaker 1:

I'll confess and if anyone wants to, message in and we can talk each other through this PTSD. It was brutal. I was at primary school, having not really been exposed too much in terms of video nasties and watching Murphy's murder, and I think what scared me most was the fact that these guys exhibited some form of fun In every other film that I watched at that point Star Wars, the bad guys got shot Proper psychopaths, and it was done.

Speaker 1:

This guy was literally laughing and howling. They were all gathered around, they were kicking his lifeless corpse. They shot his hand off and laughed about it, made numerous jokes. They kind of ratted his mate, it wasn't so much the violence.

Speaker 3:

I think it was the cruelty.

Speaker 1:

The suggestion of the cruelty, the violence, violence. I think it was the cruelty, the suggestion of the cruelty, the violence. I was sat there almost praying for that scene to end, and when they finally put that last bullet in him, I was relieved but then also terrified. What was going to happen next?

Speaker 2:

I hide this off the Suffolk Stingray. He come round in the video van and Daddy RGT said, oh, what do you want? I said, oh, I'll get Robocop. And the guy went oh, I don't know about that. And he went no, he'll be all right, he'll be glad he'll be all right. I sat there watching it, got to that scene, my mum coming, what the hell are you watching? And I was just shocked, absolutely shocked. Gave me nightmares. That scene Brutal, oh my brother.

Speaker 1:

Finally, I didn't sleep for about. I don't think I slept for about two weeks.

Speaker 2:

No, I was just petrified of those guys because, like you say, the laughing and the cruelty, I was just like these guys are enjoying this far too much.

Speaker 1:

And, to be honest, to a rural boy as well Robocop prior to being robotised is just a normal policeman. Yeah, and they're meant to be able to get the bad guys. Yeah, and this guy was literally eviscerated.

Speaker 3:

I think they did a good job of nailing the 30 Detroit streets and the state of how a city could go.

Speaker 1:

That sort of urban toxicators decay.

Speaker 3:

Mad Max 1 is always the scariest of the three films, and they shouldn't be. They're action films, they're not horrors, but there's something about it that it's very like it's on the cusp of that balance of like this could happen within a few months, and whereas the other, like the second and third, are very outlandish, like it's the end of the world's been.

Speaker 1:

I choked on trying to say Interceptor, but I'm sorry, that's okay.

Speaker 3:

But yeah, I think similar with Robocop. It's got a bit more of a realistic for a robot policeman.

Speaker 1:

Mad Max is. We're off topic here. Mad Max is very scrappy the first one and I think that's what adds to that. Yeah, yeah, it does, it feels like an episode of Home and Away gone very wrong.

Speaker 2:

Yes, anything else on the horizon, or is that you game now? Uh, no, we had, uh, a little mario kart meet up with a discord a few of us the other night. Um, yeah, we enjoyed that. It was really good. That's first time I've played mario kart. Um, oh, dougie's quick. Dougie is quick. Rose Spacemunk he is. Yeah, he's good.

Speaker 3:

I played the arcade one at the weekend with my little boy and it actually is quite decent yeah it's good, that is yeah it's enjoyable it's a bit removed from.

Speaker 1:

I don't know quite what the creation of that game was all about. In the arcades it's kind of like feels like one step away from the Mario Kart we currently have.

Speaker 3:

Yes, I'd probably say there's similar elements to it. It's like a bigger boys version of the 3DS, one which I think is 7. I agree.

Speaker 1:

yeah, Maybe that's what it is. Yeah, could be.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, it was just that. One more thing if you remember, I bought a um retro fighters defender control of my ps3 yeah um, I have now only needed to charge that I've played all the way through bioshock, halfway through bioshock 2 and about 20 hours on GTA V, and I kid you not, I have not had to charge this what.

Speaker 1:

Yes, she said something similar about her wand, that's crazy.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, that's got a big battery in that one. That is massive. Yeah, proper lithium job, but yeah, so yeah, I've known you. Now the red light's only now come on for my first charge. I've had that about six weeks, I think. So whether that's modern battery sales now because it's more of a basic controller without all the….

Speaker 1:

Has it got vibrate in it?

Speaker 2:

It has, yes, it has, but brilliant controllers they are fantastic controllers, I suppose. Yeah, it's a reduced level of yeah, yeah, yeah, because it's's a lot less to do, but also it's probably got a modern battery in.

Speaker 1:

Is it full of like LEDs?

Speaker 2:

No, I've got the sort of crystal blue one, but no, it's not got. No, the only LED on there is your battery light and your connection to your PlayStation. Tasteful, they're very, very good. So highly recommend those Retro Fighters Defenders, Brilliant, brilliant controllers. But other than that, yes, that's me done. What about you?

Speaker 1:

What have you been playing? The only game I have played. No, tell a lie. He writes the theme tune, he sings the theme tune. If he's going to play Helldivers 2, he's that contrary cat that probably spends most of his time locked in a cupboard playing hell divers one on the Vita. Oh, welcome to the party pal. Let me tell you now. Have you have you really?

Speaker 2:

I don't think I played it on the Vita. I played that on the PS4. Cause I think that was a PS plus game.

Speaker 1:

Believe it or not, it's on PS3, ps4. It's on PS3. Oh yeah, is it really? I didn't know that. Cross-buy. Cross-buy and prior to Helldivers 2 release very quiet place. Since Helldivers 2 has come out, it's full of jocks like me wanting a slice of that OG pie. You never struggle to find a game. What I would say is when you get in the isometric view with teammates around you and everything is fatal, like in Helldivers 2, it is super stressful. And.

Speaker 1:

Helldivers 2 actually represents less deaths of teammates because you're not spinning around, you know with a yeah.

Speaker 2:

I found that really tough. Helldivers 1, you know with a. Yeah, I found that really tough hell divers one, if I remember right.

Speaker 1:

I found that a tough game again when you get the stratagems and all that sort of good stuff. It does enable you to be quite, look, quite cool, you know, and be pretty savvy in what you're doing. Um, straight out the gates you get. You've got the robot suit, but you can upgrade it for longer duration and more weaponry on board. But yeah, I've been enjoying that. That's something I just feel like I can pick up and do five minutes on, whereas Helldivers 2, the shortest duration you can play is 15, 20 minutes, probably by the time you've got in, found a match and all that, but both thoroughly enjoyable. Obviously, I wouldn't recommend Helldivers 1 over over two. That would be insane, so I'm not going to do it. Um, but yeah, hell divers two has provided me with much fun. Um, just playing with randoms, apart from my hero moment with tom. Um, I had a hero moment.

Speaker 3:

We have a listener called mr c and you were in the end of avengers end game, you'd be like the character who just kind of rocks up in a portal when it's all finished and Iron man has just clicked his fingers and he's like, oh, hey guys, I'm happy with that.

Speaker 1:

I'm great with the ending. I don't even mind. I don't mind being that guy.

Speaker 3:

Someone's got to do it. We should probably say, because I spoke to you about this, I was like look at how successful that game is, and I remember debating whether to get that or Suicide Squad, oh God, which I think was the last time I was on the show talking about that.

Speaker 1:

You banned from the show, if that's what you've been doing.

Speaker 3:

I actually thought it was an okay game. I didn't think it deserved the hate it got. There's certain elements to it, obviously, that disappoint people, and I get that, because I wanted a single-player Rocksteady game. But it is what it is. But anyway, looking back, thinking, oh yeah, I might pick up Helldivers too. But then it's just gone on to be a massive success for Sony, admittedly last week was it? They nearly dropped the ball with that.

Speaker 1:

I don't see why just logging in is that? I don't mate, to be honest, I felt like commenting those people who were playing that on PC have probably already logged into about three or four things to get to that point.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and also like I don't like it. I don't think we should have to do it, but it's part of modern gaming. You do it for EA, ubisoft, I did it for Sea of Thieves. I had to make a Microsoft account and, yeah, it did feel a bit like that's odd, on a PS5 as well.

Speaker 2:

Make a Microsoft account.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that was strange, yeah like Microsoft Studios logo coming up and, yeah, very strange. But I think it was just one of those things. People got behind and jumped on the bandwagon on the internet a little bit.

Speaker 1:

Is that what you call a bandwagon on Christmas Island? Yeah, a bandwagon, a bandwagon. Okay, well, I want to jump on a bandwagon, and it's the bandwagon hidden gems. It's that time of the week. Are you ready?

Speaker 2:

I am. Clear your throat, deep breath, gargle some of your Perrier.

Speaker 1:

How's it go again? Oh yeah, RGT. Yeah, here's like the Lone Ranger.

Speaker 2:

Go on, Sam.

Speaker 1:

Riding on down, bring hidden gems to me.

Speaker 2:

What a finish.

Speaker 1:

That's what she said Now, what is this hidden gem?

Speaker 2:

you've got for me. Do you want to play a little guessy, guessy, guessing game?

Speaker 1:

Ah, yes, og Tom, I know you only listen to the episodes that you're on, but we've cultivated this guessing game, okay, where he brings in Jen he, the cat's mother, rgt Sir Thomas of the Retro Yep, his street name is Rimguard Thomas. Make of that what you will, oh.

Speaker 2:

God, no, let's say it's basketball.

Speaker 1:

Okay, let's say that's the reason.

Speaker 2:

Also Rampage Talk on Discord. He started calling me. I've got to remember now, big Rimmer. So make of that what you will, and I blame you for that, george Big Rimmer.

Speaker 3:

I didn't even want to say the word Rimmer, because in my head when I mentioned you coming down in Helldivers 2, I was going to say you came out of the shuttle like Arnold J Rimmer from Red Dwarf. I know because he'll make it into a joke. And then it yeah I I'm not against rimming. Okay, let's play the guessing game okay.

Speaker 1:

So anyway, he brings a hidden gem, him, the cat's mother, rgt rimmer. He brings a hidden gem and then he drops the publisher, the year, and we guess from that what game it is he's talking about. So, like ask one question, no, you say nothing. I say nothing Apart from the name of the game. You think it is. When you think you know what the name is Right.

Speaker 3:

Are we against each other?

Speaker 1:

I'm not against you for your creed or anything.

Speaker 2:

I just don't like you, they call me by surprise. No, yeah, no, oh yeah, no, no, we don't. Maybe you should do what you do in hell divers, george. Just do what you do in hell divers and let tom work up all out why am I turning into a?

Speaker 1:

geriatric man having a Zoom conversation with his grandchild in New Zealand. Say again, old boy, what's happened to me?

Speaker 2:

I was saying just do what you do in Helldivers, Let Tom work it all out and do all the hard work. Then you just jump in at the end and guess what it is.

Speaker 1:

You don't get arms like this without a carry or three mate as in. They're very small and I get carried a lot.

Speaker 2:

Right, give us the first clue, the developer. I can never pronounce this right. I don't know if it's Sidi or Sidi Sidi. That was published by Activision.

Speaker 1:

Would you want to spell that name that you're struggling with?

Speaker 2:

S-I-D-H-E. Now you see why I'm struggling. Yeah, that was published by Activision 2010, and this was on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Speaker 1:

Right in our wheelhouse.

Speaker 2:

Mm God.

Speaker 1:

Activision Activision. Do you?

Speaker 2:

want another clue.

Speaker 1:

What year is it?

Speaker 2:

2010. I believe it was November 2010. It came out for both consoles.

Speaker 3:

This is a great idea, by the way.

Speaker 1:

Are you enjoying it? I am. I'm really trying to think Does this get the sign off? Yeah, very good Okay.

Speaker 3:

I'll boot you. That's a bit more money on the show.

Speaker 1:

Can't wait to see what we can do with that.

Speaker 3:

You might be able to afford to post those tapes.

Speaker 1:

Wow, I wasn't expecting a donation of that ferocity. Okay, what's the next clue?

Speaker 2:

The style of the game. It's vehicle combat racing.

Speaker 1:

You see, I wanted to say blur but I thought that was. I've done blur. Big fan of the hidden gem section. I know you've done blur, so it can't be that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, we'll edit the other bit out.

Speaker 1:

Is it split second or something like that?

Speaker 2:

No, no, I nearly didn't do this game because I paid. Um no, I say I paid. My friend bought this game for me, but it was for years. It was worth nothing because it wasn't reviewed very well back in the day and then, when I was writing this hidden gem, I looked it up and thought what? But I think people are asking silly money for it now. But you can get it reasonably between £10 and £15, but some people are asking £70, £80 for this game. I don't know why. I think people are cottoned on. It is actually quite good fun. Do you give up?

Speaker 1:

Give me just a sniff of something else.

Speaker 3:

The only vehicle combat I can think of is I'll give you another clue.

Speaker 2:

It's if you thought Dead Rising and Twisted Metal had a baby, this would be the game. So it's zombie based vehicular combat yeah, with zombies Dead.

Speaker 1:

Rising and what had a baby? Twisted Metal so a guy's trapped in a car garage? And if Dead Rising and what other baby Twisted Metal? So a guy's trapped in a car garage taking pictures of zombies' sick rides? No, with a 24-hour window. No. No, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

It is Blood Drive, what? There you go.

Speaker 2:

There's a game that I've never seen before in my life. Blood drive yeah, this game was not reviewed very well back in the day. I don't know why or whether it was. It's very almost sort of 90s humor and and zombie sort of gore, but it's actually a really decent game you take part in. Well, you work your way up to the Blood Drive Championship. You will be competing.

Speaker 2:

Some of the vehicles are very similar to Twisted Metal. You've got like ambulances and buggies and all have their different stats. But while you'll have like different versions of the the race and so you'll have like um elimination, last one gets eliminated each time you'll get um destruction derbies, you'll get who kills the most zombies, but while all this is going on, you've always got zombies everywhere. So I think this it's a bit of a basic story to. I think it's based on las vegas in the future. There's been a zombie apocalypse which is under control, and then they've started this tournament for tourists which is you have to try and survive while you're racing. I know it's a mad story, but it is funny. It's that tongue-in-cheek sort of thing. Actually, you say that it was inspired by Death Race. It took inspiration.

Speaker 3:

I was going to be my guest was Death Race, the game that explains everything.

Speaker 2:

But you get pick-ups in the arenas, so you'll get health. You'll get different weapons which will last a certain amount of time, so you'll get mini-guns. My favourite is saw blades. That'll fire out saw blades and the noise is fantastic as you're chopping up zombies on the way through. But yeah, destruction Der on the way through. Um, but yeah, destruction dub. You'll have to um, take out as many opponents as possible to win the game. You'll have kill as many zombies as you can like. I say you've got racing, you've got zombie roadkill. Um, but it's just really good fun. Um. Why I got slated back in the day, I don't know, but I think people realize now, as the price has crept up a little bit. You don't pay the silly prices. You will get this for 10 to 15 pound. Just keep an eye on it. It will come up at that and people will sell at that. Um, but yeah, there is people asking 70, 80, 90, paying for this game, which is it's not worth that, but it's just.

Speaker 1:

It's just um, one of them silly combat racing games that no one really speaks about and I think towards the end of the 360 PS3 lifespan, we'd seen quite a few games like that.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we all thought that we were maturing past them, even though we hadn't May I ask a question to a couple of retro collectors which I've been curious about. So the 360 and PS3 era were very like. I wouldn't say it was peak gaming, but I'd say the production of discs was at its highest. Are there any games that are actually genuinely like? Very, very rare?

Speaker 1:

I don't think really Off the top of your head. I actually I've been thinking about this and I don't even think, since maybe even the PS2 era, there's games that could be ever classified as rare because they saw million-pound presses.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I think what the issue is, because there was such a big user base. If a game had a slightly lesser pressin', all the collectors have them, so they don't come up very often. They're not short of numbers, but they don't come up for sale.

Speaker 1:

hence I see, yeah them, they're not short of numbers, but they don't come up for sale, hence, uh, so yeah, and hence, when they get out, damage, lost, binned, cx, lost the instructions, can't sell it anymore. Therefore, it's in a skit. They're in the loft still and not made it to the marketplace. Therefore, those limited pressing runs, compared to the million pressings of I Fantasy XIII, means that this game probably could be classed as elusive.

Speaker 3:

And, of course, now we have digital games, which are bought by a lot of people. I just think it's probably the last generation of massively produced games.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I think maybe PS3. Maybe you look at some of the sales numbers on the ps4 and you think, well you know, maybe they that is peak era, just because the accumulated amount of users was higher yeah, yeah, that's a good point whereas gaming as well was probably higher than it's ever been.

Speaker 1:

But saying that the 360 and the PS3 could arguably say there was a more finite split. So then, all of a sudden, the amount of games has been diminished again. It's not to say there were the same amount of users on each system. It was almost like the total user amount got spread across three systems.

Speaker 3:

That's what we're talking about.

Speaker 1:

the Wii U Thinking about it well, the wii u I don't know what era the wii u sits in I don't know whether it wants to. I don't know whether it wants to get a scrap with ps4 or whether it's the kid that got held back for being a little bit dim and therefore wants to have a scrap of the 360 switch.

Speaker 2:

Switch is the same and it switches 2017s. That came out, so it came out between generations. It's not a 0.5 of a generation, isn't it really? It's a bit in between.

Speaker 1:

I've moved on from the Switch. Oh is it dead already.

Speaker 2:

Oh, so you've now got a bin full of Mario tat that you bought while you were.

Speaker 1:

I've been burning it in the quiet months, just for warmth.

Speaker 2:

I wondered why you used to come on here with your Mario hat on and Mario dungarees and your Mario t-shirt right, it's a theme to Mario mug.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, all in autistic, all in, whatever it is anyway, back to blood drive.

Speaker 2:

Um, yeah, I think come to think of another reason why I think this struggled was they didn't add local multiplayer and this was online multiplayer only, which, yeah, I think it was at a time where everyone wanted to. No, not as far as I know, or everyone wanted to play.

Speaker 1:

Have you been playing this game, you, absolute Rodimus Prime?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I have. Yeah, I loved it. I actually played it the other day. I played it the other day. I did play online.

Speaker 1:

Just NPCs.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Has it got a robust element of the single player in there where you can actually extract some joy from it?

Speaker 2:

Obviously, you say yeah, but yeah, no, it's a very good single player game. It's tough. It is tough because you'll get, especially when you're on the checkpoint races, where you're on actual race, where you just, you know, zombies just get in the way while you're racing. There's a lot of shortcuts on the tracks and the AI automatically know every shortcut, so you're going to lose that race until you learn those tracks, which is, you know, it's not a bad thing, but you have to put the time in to, you know, to complete that, and I think it's about 12 to 14 hours to complete the single-player mode, which a lot of people complained was too long. But I don't think so really, if you enjoy the game.

Speaker 1:

You need to be able to just chuck through it in a couple of hours, I suppose, if it's an arcade-based racing game.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I suppose. So I mean, you have to play five cups to start with, which sort of trains you up before you get into the blood drive championship.

Speaker 1:

So you have to play those to train you up on, on, on that which yeah, if that was a racing simulator, that'd be like rocking up at, I don't know, a grass covered kart track I don't think you can compare this to a racing simulator I'm trying.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, this is, uh, yeah, very different, but yeah, give it a look.

Speaker 1:

Blood drive very, very good do you remember the elation of the moment I don't know why this came to me, but you remember the elation of the moment in that first lap of codemasters grid when it first launched where, yeah, even to this day that lap feels epic. And then you get the whole. You did great, you know welcome to the team. You get the cut scene and you feel like you're a proper racing driver. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, grid 1 and 2 were good Grid Legends. Whatever they've done was absolutely abysmal on the PS5. Don't ever play that.

Speaker 1:

That is terrible. You watch it five years in the future. Got this hidden gem. Didn't do very well at the time.

Speaker 2:

Grid Legends absolute. This hidden gem. It didn't work very well at the time.

Speaker 1:

Grid legends Absolute beaut. Let's, let's. I want to slip into a negligee and then slip into something a little bit more comfortable, which is the news To scout the very darkest regions of the internet to bring you latest stories First up. I think OG Tom's contract dictates I must go first. He wants centre stage, so he will go second. And, rgt, if you can excuse the pun, I want you bringing up the rear.

Speaker 2:

Used to it by now Been on this show two years.

Speaker 1:

Really.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Where was?

Speaker 2:

I Nearly two years really yeah where was I nearly two years?

Speaker 1:

yeah, wow, okay well, I'm, I'm glad you valued me, I mean to be fair, I was going back through some episodes I don't know whether for recording or for the tapes or whatever and I did stumble across a soundbite where you had demoted me to cleaner yes and then promoted yourself to hygiene supervisor yes, that's correct. Yeah, so you were under me kicked off because hygiene supervisor wasn't enough of a title for you yeah, well, I want a bigger name badge I tell you what the name may change, story's the same all your games and of mine.

Speaker 1:

Square enix has confirmed in a new medium term business plan that it intends to aggressively pursue a multi-platform strategy across playstation, xbox, nintendo and pc platforms. Instead of of allowing select AAA games from its biggest series to be locked onto one system, the company will look to build an environment where more customers can enjoy our titles, dattles. It then goes on to say the publisher will strive to maximise the acquisition of new users when launching a title and that of recurring users after starting management of game operation. I don't know if that made any sense, but we're going to go with it. It's all based on a plan incorporating four pillars initiatives for stability, enhancing productivity, diversifying earnings opportunities and a balance between shareholder return and growth. Investment Sounds like a cock and bull story, for we need more cash but, collectively.

Speaker 1:

The idea is to shift from quantity to quality. Well, that's where they'd be now, um, but they want to put more games out, but want to shift from quantity. Do you know what? These earnings systems don't really make a lot of sense, but it's news and evolved to deliver a variety of contents that ensure fun all over the world. For some time now there's been a reliable formula for square enix releases, with its games launching on different combinations of platforms, sometimes based on exclusivity deals. Final fantasy 16 first released on ps5, with the pc version expected in the future. The same can be said of the final fantasy 7 remake project.

Speaker 1:

Through this year's rebirth may take a few years to hit the platform. Other times the reasoning hasn't been quite as obvious. Original octopath traveler debuted on nintendo switch and then was later ported to pc and xbox one. Its sequel target targeted ps5 and ps4 alongside switch and pc, but for some reason skipped xbox platforms. It's unlikely this change in strategy will affect business dealings already in place, such as the third and final Final Fantasy VII remake game. But apart from that, it seems Square Enix games will be available on as many game platforms as possible. Gentlemen, I bring this news to the table like a freshly killed corpse to the table like a freshly killed corpse. And I ask you, why are they doing this rgt? Why?

Speaker 2:

I think um from what I was reading, they've had quite disappointing sales game sales I think the rebirth hasn't had the sales success they hoped for. But they also mentioned the Pixel remaster of Final Fantasy and I was thinking they'd done a very limited physical release of that. So you're not going to get this. There were so many collectors would have bought that. My brother-in-law collects all the Final Fantasy games and they'd done this. I think it was like PlayAsia had done the PS4 version of the Pixel remaster.

Speaker 1:

Don't forget if you wanted those 400-year-old games, it was going to cost you the thick end of 100 bucks.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, but the very limited run they'd done. People are now selling them on eBay for ridiculous prices and you just think, well, don't be disappointed with your sales if you're not releasing the physicals. I, it's a digital era, but physicals still sell, especially old. It's more important to have those pixel games in a physical, because the people who played them would like to have the collection, you know. So I find that quite odd. But yeah, I know, I know they've been disappointed with rebirth. Um, yeah, it's, I don't know. You see this a lot now. A lot, lot of developers are changing.

Speaker 1:

And I saw a lot of people were playing it, which is, you know, brilliant news. But at the same time and it's a problem for the modern era there was a glut of great games that were taking people's attention.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was in that window. But also don't forget, if you remember, I was playing two or three of the Square Enix games because they just flooded the market, didn't they? With these cheaper RPGs, the Valkyrie, elysiums, the Harvestellers. They went on this mission to release like 30 games in a year, which don't you think maybe they're sort of competing against each other for games? You know, in the same space, then you're not going to get the sales that you're expecting from all these games.

Speaker 1:

They've only got one type of customer that they really preach to, and if you had wanted to buy every single one of their games that year, you'd have been, you'd have been broke.

Speaker 2:

They've done loads. They've done that. What Direfield Chronicles? They've done Triangle, what was the other?

Speaker 1:

I can't remember what it's called now triangle I can't remember.

Speaker 2:

It was something like that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, triangle anyway, to your point. There's an element of that. I think there's also an element of Final Fantasy 16. I personally didn't think the game was great. I'll be honest with you. You stuck with it a bit more.

Speaker 3:

Last year I think most of us can say was a very good year for video games brilliant titles, almost quite consistent as well throughout the year, not just at the end of the year as per many other but one game I played which was just felt like a I don't know, a pure disappointment. I wasn't annoyed or just like mardy about it just being not very good. It was just so disappointing. After seeing the trailer, um, from very early on in the PS5's kind of life, thinking oh there's this epic Final Fantasy coming. It's slightly medieval looking. I'd quite enjoyed XV as well, even though it's quite a different sort of setting XV just takes so much beating.

Speaker 1:

Dude Like XVI rocked up and I prayed it was going to be better and it was.

Speaker 3:

And I'd played the first Final Fantasy VII Part. I remake because I'd never played that originally and really enjoyed that and there was just something about 16 that I just didn't enjoy.

Speaker 2:

I think the problem with that is they called it Final Fantasy.

Speaker 1:

Not just that, it was the driest game ever and the emptiest world ever.

Speaker 3:

The boss battles are really epic, they did such a fantastic job, but then the mundaneness of then going around this very bland world. I didn't care so much for the characters and one of the main ones that I did find quite interesting spoilers, but they get killed off. It was just a bit I don't know. I don't know where it's the quality of the games that year, but something really didn't stick with me with it and I it put me off.

Speaker 1:

I know Ralph Innocent's like a proper big boys actor, but he's to me as well. He's also. He's also he's Finchie from the Office, but he's also the narrator of Salvage Hunters, okay. Yeah. And I can't really take him seriously without thinking he's talking about Drew Pritchard buying a rusted out animal trough.

Speaker 2:

Well, yeah, I get thinking as well when you're playing the game and your main character is talking and he's quite within himself and he's quite posh and he's you know, we've got to get this here, we've got to save him. Then you go in and see him. He goes all right, lad, how are you doing? And you think, why have we got this northern guy running this camp? But yeah, I think I've never been a massive Final Fantasy player, but I think I know all the Final Fantasy games have been different. They've been their standalone games pretty much.

Speaker 1:

And that's one of the weird things, because I will stand up in court and say that I think 13 and 15 are tied as my joint favourites of all time.

Speaker 2:

But I think because of that, even though they're all different, they've got an essence of Final Fantasy. You know pretty much the standard of what that's going to be, and they've made this game called Final Fantasy 16. I think the hardcore have gone. This isn't Final Fantasy, this isn't a Final.

Speaker 1:

Fantasy game. Well, I don't know, it's got enemies, similar enemies.

Speaker 3:

It's got chocobos and that's.

Speaker 1:

It's got all that. It's got similar looking enemies. For sure there's something about it.

Speaker 3:

That really doesn't.

Speaker 2:

I quite enjoyed what I played of the game. I thought it was okay, it was all right but like I say I'm not a Final Fantasy fan but, not at any point did I think this was Final Fantasy?

Speaker 1:

I didn't mind the new fighting mechanics in 15. I'm not totally au fait with them, because it's taken it from a game where you use your cerebral abilities to be good at combat and it's turned into basically another Devil May Cry game. And I'll be honest with you, that's not what I want from Final Fantasy. I want to be able to sit back in a sofa, not sweating too much, but using my mind to try and beat this enemy. Now everyone who wanted to play it sleepily has zero chance. And it's all about getting that perfect combo. It's all about flicking them in the air and juggling with them.

Speaker 3:

I just felt like I wasn't really in control of it a lot of the time. There was that many flashy, not sort of not even combos, but button presses.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, definitely.

Speaker 3:

And you're just kind of like, oh, that looks great, but I've seen it like a hundred times now.

Speaker 1:

I think the danger is, when you've got something and you want to try and a lot of products at the moment are trying to attract people that aren't into their product so they redesign it be a tv show, be a film, be it a game they throw everything in the bin and they start again, focused solely on recruiting the people that have never played the franchise before. But that leaves a very thick wedge of people who've bought every single thing you've done, from a keychain to a T-shirt, to a game and your crappy CGI movie and you've basically told them that that's not that game for you anymore. You're not going to get that anymore. For me, final Fantasy XIII was the last true Final Fantasy XV was basically a road trip with your mates, which I enjoyed because I liked that element of it.

Speaker 1:

But what we've got to swing it back around to is why is this affecting their earnings? Or is it affecting their earnings? And if it is or isn't affecting their earnings, why have they decided to go for a strategy where they focus all of their games on all systems, which makes sense, but if you look at some of the sales numbers on where players sit, ps3 is second to PC and Xbox is third to those platforms and I'm sure if you throw Switch in as well, it further diversifies it. So why are they wasting time, sweating resources putting it onto consoles that really aren't netting in that bang for book, and is the investment worth the return, tom?

Speaker 3:

I don't know whether it is. It's almost like throw enough out there and see what sticks, Like putting some of these games on more consoles. I don't know. I feel like there's just too much. There's far more competition now. You've got free-to-play games, which are massive and, as RGT said, they flooded or Square Enix flooded the market with a lot of games Double A tat, yeah which actually based on their kind of soft sales.

Speaker 1:

You are right, rgt, in the element of the fact that they they kind of cooked their own market up, didn't they really?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, because they're all so similar games. I mean I've played Harvest, stella and Valkyrie Elysium and although different graphically they're still a um live action rpg and quite similar. I know there's a bit more farming element in harvard stellar, but if you look at all the other you know even like the direfield chronicles and that triangle strategy one, whatever that was, they were very similar. But then that's, I wonder with this as well, because like harvestella and the other ones were strategically released just on the switch. So are they now going to bring their games? When they're saying they're releasing on everything, are they now going to port these over to different consoles to try and get the figures up and try and earn a bit more money? Or are they just saying from new games on?

Speaker 1:

Get me a front row seat to Final Fantasy VII Remake on Switch.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, maybe not that, because that will be four frames per second.

Speaker 1:

Best place to play. And do you know what? That'll be my new favourite game, if I can take it on the go.

Speaker 2:

Final Fantasy XV would be if you could have that on the go oh no, that's probably not that.

Speaker 1:

To be fair, we've already got the Pocket version on Switch, the one that launched on mobiles. It's like a really stripped down Chilby version of it.

Speaker 3:

That is on Switch, as far as I'm aware I didn't know that it is yeah, I remember it coming out because at the time I think I um, I might have sold the xbox along with final fantasy 15. I was like itching to get something to replace that and it's like, oh, I could get this.

Speaker 1:

And I was like, oh, maybe not wow, well, with an eye on your bedtime, because Mumsy says she wants to go down the wagon, but she can't go until you've had milk and she only recently got off it.

Speaker 3:

The wagon or you or what Emerge from the shadows.

Speaker 1:

Hang on, I want to depart that last topic, okay, like a 208 down a dodgy side street, okay, and then, oh, I'll see where you are with this next bit of news one of you. In your time on east island, you've had your nose to the ground like a bloodhound to sniff out probably the hottest piece of news. You've absorbed probably 99 of the show's r? D budget. Bring us this freshly scalped scalp emerge from the shadows.

Speaker 3:

Ubisoft has today confirmed the next entry in the assassin's creed series, which has, up until today been known as code red isn't that something?

Speaker 1:

that you have a little association with your girlfriend and she goes like Code Red, oh right, okay, I won't come around for a week. Okay.

Speaker 3:

Something like that it will be officially called Assassin's Creed Shadows. This is the new game set in feudal Japan, and the full reveal will take place this Wednesday, 15th of May 2024, at 9 am Pacific time. That time translates as the following worldwide, we are going to have British Sea time. That's what it was.

Speaker 2:

We couldn't remember what it was. Yeah, we tried to remember that.

Speaker 3:

So, yeah, you'll be able to catch the trailer in North America at 9am, UK and Ireland 5pm, Europe 6pm and Asia at 1am. The French publisher has also shared a teaser image on the game's official Twitter page. Ubisoft hasn't confirmed when the game will release, but with the November slot open after Star Wars Outlaws is out in August, there's a good chance we could see it by the end of the year. So I have heard a very strong rumour we don't do rumours, we don't do leaks that it's going to be the 15th of November this year. We will see that game on the shelves.

Speaker 1:

We don't do leaks and we don't do rumours.

Speaker 3:

I'm slightly excited about this because I quite like the setting, although saying that I didn't pick up the last Ronin. No, that's the Turtles book, right it's in the. Ronin, apologies for that. Yeah, you got Helldivers instead. I did yes. So yeah, quite interesting to see what they I mean they do nail a good open world, don't they Like the look? I'm not talking about the gameplay and the kind of repetitiveness of how you go about doing the tasks of the game, but I don't know.

Speaker 1:

While you've been off air. Yes, it's been wondered if they do nail the open world, because Fred the Lumberjack literally has sawed that log night and day.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Solid, he ain't had a drink.

Speaker 1:

He ain't stopped, he ain't looked about.

Speaker 3:

They can feel a little soulless, but the actual look like graphically I always think they do.

Speaker 2:

I mean I've had a bit of a dabble with Mirage. I played Mirage a bit, yeah, and although I mean I played for a few hours, the gameplay didn't really drag me in. But you are correct, tom, the graphics of the game look stunning Some great screenshots. That looks really good. Yeah, Looks very good, but the actual game itself. I was hoping for something a bit different, but it was a bit oof, you know.

Speaker 3:

I hope the Star Wars game Outlaws doesn't suffer the same thing as this.

Speaker 1:

I just wonder if it's because it's a totally new universe and it's something quite new, it might take us just a little bit longer to see the bolts that hold it together.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, as you say, it just needs that little bit more. I get they're a big company. They need to make a lot of money, but if you look at when a Rockstar game releases, the level of detail in even just NPCs' behaviour around the world is just crazy. That's one of the most exciting things for me and you that we nerd out on is to go around and explore and see oh wow, ringing you up, did you see that? Did you see that character who did this and did you see this event fold out? The Ubisoft games I've played it's very much. There isn't a lot else going on other than like, get from point A to point b, do this. The combat can be okay. Um, I just feel they're quite empty sometimes and a bit soulless, but good to look at.

Speaker 1:

So christmas, christmas game for you probably yeah, yeah, I'll be there.

Speaker 3:

Perfect Copy of Last Samurai on DVD and Assassin's Creed.

Speaker 1:

Shadows and that nonsense on Disney Shogun. Yeah, yeah, I've heard that's very good, I've heard it is as well. I've heard this on the Discord, so it must be true. Yeah, I've watched the first episode.

Speaker 3:

It seemed pretty good, but not watched any more yet, okay.

Speaker 1:

On to the next bit of news. Rgt, come at me with the hottest piece of news. Come at me with your red hot poker.

Speaker 2:

As always, but I paid full price. You still owe me skin. I don't know if that's the best title for what you just led me into there, but anyway.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you're right, I hadn't really thought about that you know no say we script it. Even my very words right now scripted. Someone was typing these as they thought this and it's ended up being me being my own ending stream of consciousness that's right now it's your turn to speak fiddle.

Speaker 2:

Edit that out. That'd be fine be edited out um third party video game.

Speaker 2:

John electronic arts has his earnings call this week and ceo, andrew wilson, was asked about the possibility of dynamic ad insertion across more traditional triple a games. The idea is supposedly being already being explored, but it's still early on that front and the company will be very thoughtful about the implementation of this. Um assuming it goes ahead with something like this, we have teams internally in the company right now looking at how we do very thoughtful implementations inside of our game experiences, while EA technically has ads in its select titles and live service games EA Sports FC 24, and live service games EA Sports FC 24. These latest comments from the company's CEO are once again focused on personalised dynamic ad insertion paired with more traditional game experiences. In the same response, wilson voiced his thoughts about advertising IP beyond games, referencing the games industry. Recent success on the film and television front Interesting.

Speaker 1:

You can't give them anything, can you no? What. I was going to say they've been at this or around this for some time. Yes, and it was not that long ago. I was playing something. I don't know, it's probably longer than I realised, but like Fight Night that we got at launch, that was dripping in Dodge Calibre adverts. It was dripping in. Burger King adverts. It was dripping in every early mid-2000s.

Speaker 3:

I'm pretty sure it was some kind of Burger King outfit you could wear.

Speaker 1:

He brought you down to the ring, if you remember. Yes, ea aren't shy, they've been doing this for years.

Speaker 2:

They hide them in games as well, yeah.

Speaker 1:

But if you're playing, say, one of their single-player games, if such things exist, let's say Mortals of Avium, and that's set in the far future how are they going to sneak that in there?

Speaker 2:

I mean, I play the AFC 24, and I only play career mode. I don't play online. But even in career mode you'll be like you'll maybe change your player's boots and you'll go through and you've got all the latest Adidas, nike, puma boots, other boots are available, and footballs and bits and pieces. And then when you're playing the games because obviously you know, especially premier league teams now and lower teams now have the electric advertising boards around well, they have them in the game and there's adverts running throughout the game and they'll say, oh, yeah, but it's realistic to the premier league. Well, it is, but you still got adverts keep cropping up on you. They've been doing this for and they're hidden as well, because you think, oh, I'll get my player his favourite boots. And then you know, subliminally, you're seeing all these Adidas products, you're seeing all these Nike products.

Speaker 1:

In the words of CEO Andrew Wilson, he's talking about dynamic ad insertion across more traditional AAA games. Tom, I can't remember the last EA game I played. That was good. Let's say it was the Dead Space, star Wars, jedi Survival. Okay, you're playing that. All of a sudden, an advert for a Gillette Ray six-bladed razor crops up and it's being offered to you by BD-1.

Speaker 2:

Or that'll be like you can put Adidas stripes on BD1 or something.

Speaker 3:

I think if it's. Ea.

Speaker 2:

I mean.

Speaker 3:

EA are about as subtle as an 18-wheeler, aren't they? But like seriously, if they did it to that level, people are just going to be like no no, just, but would you have gotten nine out of ten Except halfway through?

Speaker 1:

you've got to put up with an advert where Cal Kess has a shade because, let's face it, that's a good advertising campaign, because that little beard that he had going on in the second game was egregious to me, and if halfway through you could manscape, wow, manscape, they get everywhere apart from this show make your Jedi smooth. They rock up and sort Cal Kestis' southern end or forest out. Would that be okay?

Speaker 3:

No, it's just not going to be, to that extent I just don't see it. And as you said with like, would you go for that for a nine out of ten? I think we should give a little bit of respect to the gaming community. We're not going to put up with that and I think they've realised, with various things that have gone on over the past few years, that people will if it reaches them what would be an acceptable commercial for you within the Jedi franchise if they were to do ads.

Speaker 1:

They said that our business model, because of the way gaming is now, we're not making enough billions anymore, we're only making 2 billion, so we need 3 to 4 billions. And the only way we can do 2 to 3 billion, 3 to 4 billions and keep this, just keep alive as a business, is by inserting a dynamic ad in your latest Star Wars game. Would you rather they broke and it was completely unrelated, as in the game stops, end of chapter six, bit of a cliffhanger. You're like oh crikey, I don't know if I'll survive that, and then boom advert that's picked from YouTube.

Speaker 1:

You can't skip it. Advert that's picked from YouTube. You can't skip it. You've got to watch it. It dies, Chapter seven. It carries on.

Speaker 3:

As an investor. I feel that's the only way they could actually go with that. That's actually quite a good idea. I think you should probably mention that to them. Wow, I don't want to see it, but I think that is actually the only way. Would it be?

Speaker 1:

more acceptable to be flying a hover car around the mid level of Coruscant. I'm not talking full blade runner, I'm talking the sort of place where Padme gets deflowered oh man, he's such a babe deflowered.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I don't know what that means, I just said it for effect. And you're flying around your little speeder and you pass what's quite clearly an advert for a fizzy pop brand Coca-Cola. I didn't want to say Coke, just in case I don't want the Bavarian Hoover over there getting all angsty. You see that you drive past it. That's it. That's your minimal interaction with the ad. What would you prefer?

Speaker 3:

I think the actual adverts would be more beneficial, especially if the game is laid out in such a way that it is like a TV series or whatever, because we're so used to that. But this is where people do need to take a little bit of accountability and go. If I see that advert, does it make me want to go out and buy that thing. Some people it will, some people it won't. But they'll be doing it till the end of time or the end of TV commercial or advertising, which isn't going to happen anyway.

Speaker 1:

For the audio listeners. Tom is wearing a T-shirt. He's fashioned out of body forms.

Speaker 3:

Yes, I just think adverts aren't going anywhere in video games, are they? And I think we can probably expect to see a lot more from the bigger companies. How that is implemented, I don't know.

Speaker 1:

RGT let's say they're coming. Regardless, which form of advert would you rather see the subliminal one or the whole game gets breaks put on it? You get forced an ad from youtube that you can't skip. 30 seconds later you're back where you were oh I, I don't know.

Speaker 2:

I I find it quite disturbing that that's going down that route. I mean, could they just not stick an advert in a loading screen between levels or something where it isn't actually breaking the game? Do you know what I mean?

Speaker 1:

That's kind of my suggestion. Or would you rather see in again to use a Star Wars one? They've got their special font. You're driving along in a ship or a vehicle or you're moving around a town and you see an advert that's quite clearly branded as pedigree chum, but it doesn't say pedigree chum because it's in the Star Wars Sanskrit. Is that too much?

Speaker 2:

I don't know. I can understand to a certain extent and putting them in sports games, because sports are loaded with adverts so it doesn't feel out of place in in a game. You know, and have a bit of respect for the developers as well, they don't want their, their, the whole game and story broken up by adverts for dog food and beard. You know, I mean it's hard to implement into there and I don't quite know how they're going to do it. I mean, being EA, it's not going to be subtle, is it? Come on, let's be honest, it's going to be chucked in there.

Speaker 1:

It's going to be a hard break.

Speaker 3:

I feel I should just keep it to the sports titles because it's easy to implement and if you look at like because it's easy to implement, and if you look at like One more question, then Okay, there's an ad riddled version for £70.

Speaker 1:

Okay, let us know in the Discord how you feel about this. Yeah, there's an ad ridden version for £69.99.

Speaker 3:

Premium version.

Speaker 1:

There's the premium collected edition with no ads, for £129. Naughty. Would you get the £129 to avoid the ads, or would you rather play 70 and then have to feel like you're playing a mobile game?

Speaker 3:

It does depend very much on that individual game. I'd make an individual decision based on that.

Speaker 1:

Rockstar announced the release of Red Dead Redemption 3 tomorrow.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, the only kicker is $129.99.

Speaker 1:

Exactly, and I'll blow $209. Just so, I also had a little certificate that I could wear.

Speaker 3:

If I can go back to what RGT is saying about FIFA, it actually adds to the realism of the sport. Definitely the same way if you were playing a modern wrestling game or if you go back in time and were playing no Mercy and you had like adverts and stuff, it wouldn't. It just adds to it because that is how we view it in real life. Yeah, so it doesn't matter.

Speaker 1:

Sponsored by a micro machine.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, Something random like that and don't forget.

Speaker 2:

They own Codemasters, they own the Formula One games and they're riddled with advertising as well. Yeah, but it doesn't feel out of place there. But you're correct, I think. Leave it to the sports. They're making billions. Fifa makes them an immense amount of money.

Speaker 1:

They've fallen on hard times. They've only made like 1-2 billions.

Speaker 2:

My heart bleeds but I mean, don't go ruining the games in the future by wanting to earn more billions.

Speaker 1:

I honestly don't think they even care about the end user anymore. I think they kind of think we're a bit dumb.

Speaker 2:

Well, I think they'll do what some other developers have done when they've made mistakes, they'll put it out there. If they get a backlash, they'll put it out there. If they get a backlash, they'll kick it back. They'll edit it out and say oh, we're ever so sorry, we didn't mean it to be that bad, but they're going to test it. They're going to kick it out there and see what happens and hopefully we'll put up with. It is what that'll be.

Speaker 3:

It's almost like the little naughty children caught doing something they shouldn't when they put something out like that oh, something out like oh we know this was wrong. Or we didn't realize what the reaction would be, or we just thought and sometimes develop. Sometimes we don't get it right. That's a famous one at the minute, exactly, yeah, get it right. Well, you knew it was wrong in the first place yeah grown adults don't do. It is this a bit like.

Speaker 1:

is this a bit like treading the boards with an experimental character? I'm talking someone a bit edgy, kai Sorge, for instance, and then maybe rocking up the next week and forcing me to do an apology.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that is very similar.

Speaker 3:

I never knew how. They're just treating people like we're not intelligent human beings and sadly, sometimes there's a mass like they know they can manipulate that. So you and I don't know, you're like 15 years old, all your mates are getting this game and you've got to get it, whatever, because you're all playing. You're all going to be playing. It doesn't matter whether it's loaded with cyanide, you're still buying it. Whether it's adverts or poison, it's just. That's what you need to get. That's the market they're going to target, not like seasoned gamers are going to see that straight away for what it is, and that's no disrespect to younger people.

Speaker 1:

You know where you took me there with the mention cyanide. You took me to that. Those memes from like 2008, where hitler's in the bunker. It's like oh, games pass has gone down and it's like the downfall. He's like anybody who knows about this, everyone else could leave. And there's the three guys and he's like what do? You mean? What do you mean? Cfes is on playstation. Is that the only one? No, my Führer Hi-Fi Rush launched this afternoon. Hi-fi Rush.

Speaker 2:

You gave me the PlayStation why?

Speaker 1:

They're not getting anything else are they? Yeah, Not Grounded. Sir Grounded launched two weeks ago. Yeah, not grounded, sir. Grounded launched two weeks ago. Yeah, that yeah, I don't know why I went there. Let's draw a line underneath the news. I actually think from a week of barely any news, we found a couple of thorny bits of controversy there.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and they're the sorts of things I want to see you getting all emotional about on the Discord. I don't know what section to go in. I barely know how to log on at the minute and I can just do a GIF and maybe the OG album art in the bottom left-hand corner, and I'm out of my depth. We've got so many new people joining all the time. I want to do a new listener shtick RGT, but I think that might prove quite difficult.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we've had a bit of an influx again just lately, haven't we? And thanks to everyone who has joined, because it's brilliant seeing new faces and they're straight in chatting away and it's really good.

Speaker 1:

Unlike other, probably slightly more savvy podcasts. Do we lock the Discord behind a paywall? No, nope. Do we lock one area of it behind a paywall?

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

But it's only one area. Everything else is available to you. It's completely free. There's competitions going on all the time. We've got a screenshot competition at the minute where you can win a sticker of Mumsy. It's called Put it On my Fridge. Probably something better than that. This is what I remember. Digital Monkery has been very busy. So has Mrs Digital. Monkery.

Speaker 1:

They've recreated the official Mumsy artwork from Series 1. They've made that into something that you can stick on your fridge or really anything. Put it on your own Mumsy for all I care, but you've won it. You've earned it. All you've got to do is do hashtag fridge at the end of your screenshots and clips and you're all uploading those with regular ferocity anyway, so you might as well put yourself in the frame to win a sticker. There's also the monthly ongoing challenge. What's happened to me?

Speaker 1:

I honestly feel like I am past my best as a podcaster. I'm trying to limit my exposure on air. That's it. But challenge accepted RGT. What's the current challenge? It's a Street Fighter 2 one where you play as Zangief.

Speaker 2:

You have to play as Zangief and I think you have to finish the level in the quickest amount of time, which I believe Carlos is winning at the moment. He's another new member of the Discord no, listen up, and I, the discord um new listener and I think he's. Yeah, I think you have to have the most amount of time left and I think he had like 93 left on or something ridiculous. Absolutely annihilated him really quick. So, but everyone, the good thing is that's on different systems, everyone's trying the different versions to see which is the one which is the easiest to get the knockout quickest, if that makes sense.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, it's great fun seeing Zangief versus.

Speaker 2:

was it anyone I believe so? Yeah, I believe so.

Speaker 1:

You've got to beat that person with the most amount of time on the same First scene match. First, just one round, boom, see if it's getting done. And then you do a screenshot of the timer on the same first scene. Man, it's just one round, boom, see if it's getting done before. And and then you do a screenshot of the timer on the screen, as it was, and I think we're at like 93 seconds or something that I thought it started at 93, but obviously that shows you what I know.

Speaker 1:

yeah, these guys are absolutely guys and girls are absolutely mullering these challenge except yeah, it's a big league table this time.

Speaker 2:

I mean it was a great idea by digital monkey to do the challenge accepted because people love. Every month every challenge is different we've?

Speaker 1:

we've skirted around something in the discord for people to play games about, haven't we? Obviously you've got. You've had your meetup recently where we've played. You bigger boys played mario kart and you know, sounded great, although it was a great place for Rose Space Monk to flex. He's on the headset Game Boy Matt is putting in a shift. I'm not advocating child labour but, to be fair, he's not a child anymore, he's 55. He's done well with YouTube and his dynamic investing and I think he's taking a retirement.

Speaker 2:

Well, I think he's having a boxing match with Jake Paul next week, I believe. So that's how big he's got. So yeah, yeah well done. Matty, well done. Well done, matty.

Speaker 1:

Let me know where I can sponsor him.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so always something going on there. You don't have to pay. The show is free as well, so don't forget that at all. It costs nothing to get involved, although if you did nothing to get involved, although you did want to get involved, there's gifts, isn't there? So it's not just like we take your money and run for the hills and serve you up this slice of mediocre on a weekly basis.

Speaker 1:

There is actually benefits yeah, definitely, I look to you for the tears because you're executive association, associative director, ceo and president now of the UCP.

Speaker 2:

You're racking my brain's name for the tiers. I have to try and remember them. I never remember the tiers, but obviously you gain on each level of the tiers where you know the lower ones. You'll get yearly album art when they change and also with the Discord we have got a gated off area. But it's worth it, because when we do like PS2 top tens, ps3 top tens, we'll chuck the question out and then you'll get read out in the show, so you'll be in the unglorious section.

Speaker 1:

The only way to get your comment on air now.

Speaker 2:

And then we go all the way up. So each tier you get the same as the last tier, with one extra. And when you get to the 10 bucks tier, you know you get all of the other tiers. And also you get our quarterly Zoom meeting so you can come and chat with us for an hour or two and we'll talk games or anything you want to chat about.

Speaker 1:

When's that happening? When's the first one of those rolling out?

Speaker 2:

Very soon. I think We'll have to get the date ready, get it on the Unglorious and see when everyone can meet up. Because I try and because I know obviously we've got people who do different night shifts and bits and pieces. But by doing, by doing them quarterly, we can. We can, um, hopefully get fitted in with people's times. If you can't make one, you can make another, but that they'll always be going on each year.

Speaker 1:

So yeah, we'll get one. You're an early adopter is you get your box full of goodies and you get top tier unlock for 12 months? Yeah, bargain, yeah. How do you feel about that? Do you feel like you've tom og tom? Do you feel like we've moved so far away from the og sense of the show that we now sound like corporate masters of doom and destruction?

Speaker 2:

We sound like.

Speaker 3:

AI. Just don't forget to put those ads in before you edit it. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

I hate to say this, but we are in an ad-populated section of the show at the moment. Okay, they're on brand. One of them is the Gaming Blender, which is a pretty cool podcast, and the other one's something about saving polar bears or the environment. I don't know which.

Speaker 1:

but you know, if they want to associate with this brand, they've got to understand there's going to be an element of mediocrity I thought you were going down a serious route, then yeah, no, I did for two seconds, but uh, links at the bottom of the show notes to everyone that advertises on the show. Um, and maybe going forward, if the ads keep proliferating into the show, we might need to do a separate rss feed. If they're doing your heading and you're a top tier member, maybe we can sort something for you, but it's it's relatively early days before we get lost in our own chuff and nonsense. Rgt community corrections.

Speaker 1:

Did we miss anything? Do you have an opinion or take on the news we missed? If so, how would the collected masses get in contact with us? Tom, no, rgt, nothing's changed. The script is the same script from Series 1 OG. Rgt. How would they get in contact with us? And let them well, just basically say that maybe Padme being deflowered on the mid-level of Coruscant wasn't very realistic and that would happen in the sort of sub to lower levels.

Speaker 2:

Well, if you wanted to mention the deflowering, you can jump on questions at unfulfillingcontrollerpodcastcom or dm us on instagram or twitter, or, if you do join the discord, we have a community corrections section so you can jump on there and tell us all about padmé's flowering perfect.

Speaker 1:

One thing you read about in podcasting 101 is don't do too many call to arms. So I'm going to do another one. If you're listening now and you think, oh, this is great, but I'm not paying these chumps, I'm not further bankroll in their life of lethargy and zedless celebrity, but I do want to kind of support in some way what I I would say is subscribe, download the back catalog, put it in your back burner. Imagine you're a submariner and the internet's gone. Solar flare happens, boom. You got nothing, but you've got the show to get you by.

Speaker 2:

Even leave us a little review, they'll go a long way. Chuck a review Three quarter arms.

Speaker 1:

What else? Tell your friends about the show All of, I suppose. Well, he's not been around for a while. I don't know what's been going on. I think the Federation Against Copyright Theft have been on a little bit of a crackdown, if I'm honest with you, because I haven't seen hide in the hair of him for weeks on end. Now I've even had to start getting my games off of Amazon, which goes against family tradition. The Ponsonberries have always sought their media. Going back as far as the 1060s to 70s. We've got catalogued information in the Doomsday Book about a guy called Lesting Ray who sold what I would call adult tapestries.

Speaker 2:

And they playboy.

Speaker 1:

What's best about the tapestries and we've still got some of them hanging in the east wing is they're only small, but they're foldable and absorbent. So I'll be honest with you. I think technology for the gentleman's image probably peaked around 1070.

Speaker 3:

Generational samples galore on those.

Speaker 1:

Oh, honestly, I use it like a flannel, ring it out. You know, when you were a kid, did you ever like fold up the flannel and put it in your mouth and like bite on it?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, bizarrely.

Speaker 1:

How many else? How many other people used to roll up the flannel and bite it? I? Don't know, did you? Yes, yeah.

Speaker 2:

Why did we do that?

Speaker 1:

Anyone who's listening. Now, let's say Herbert van Dijk, because we're in the Netherlands. He's driving down the road. He said you know what? I thought that was peculiar only to the Netherlands. I need to talk to someone, a fellow brother, about flannel biting.

Speaker 2:

I'd forgotten about flannel biting until you just said I think I actually used to fill it with water, bite it and then suck the water out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, okay. So is that peculiar to the UK where Herbert van Dijk just swerved across the lanes, crashing his vintage DAF car clean into the Central Reservation? But he's happy because he felt like he was a weirdo.

Speaker 2:

Do you know what would be really weird If we're the only free flannel biters and suckers?

Speaker 3:

It would Get into Discord, as RGT says.

Speaker 1:

Tell me, it would get get into discord. As RGT says, tell me if you're a flammer biter or a sucker. I mean, it's all scripted. The best bit is it's all scripted. So someone type that, as they're typing what I'm saying right now, which is beyond my ability to comprehend oh dear as we've skirted around.

Speaker 1:

Ray is a nefarious type, but he's back on the scene. A little bit of lore for you. It came from me, not you, which is scary really, but he's down the bottom of the drive. I think it's time that he's smashed through the gates. It's time for a peek in what we affectionately call Stingray's Boot. What's nestled between some counterfeit nappies and a dodgy copy of Battle of Ferengor this week? These are the new release highlights for week May 13th to May 19th 2024,. Listeners, these are out on digital or physical, or will be by the time. This podcast is in your feed but could be region dependent. Now. When I first started recording this show, I couldn't do the stingray section, but I could speak the news eloquently. Now I can't speak the news eloquently, but a little bit further into the show. When my jaw's warmed up I can now stingray straight out the gate.

Speaker 3:

It's getting old. Not enough flannel biting. I don't think.

Speaker 1:

I think flannel biting would probably snap my glass jaw in two. Nowadays I feel like I've got osteoporosis.

Speaker 2:

Had a lot of action that jaw yeah.

Speaker 1:

With the flannel. I mean I thought I got clean from flannel biting at about nine.

Speaker 2:

Oh, you're still not doing it.

Speaker 1:

Teen Me neither, no, exactly I don't know whether I'm into flannel biting or not. I don't know whether that's some bizarre pseudonym that we came up with weeks ago when it's only just made its proliferated its way into the show. Either which way he's out. The car spring, stop, waddle wole. They're still woleing, even though the sound clip ended seconds ago. Uh, not that he's not real. I know I'm seeing the ray dci steve arnott.

Speaker 1:

Now I'm not being funny, but he's here to interrogate and this has been an undercover sting operation that's been in place since episode one. Now he wants to put you under police caution, rgt. Because he believes you've been using video games as a means of laundering money. Wow, as a means of laundering money. Now I've looked in his notepad and he wants to ask you questions, even though he's mute about Bull Border, right? Is he siphoning money for you so you can buy video games that you're putting on the shelf to appreciate in monetary value and then cash out of, and both of you leg it to the Costa del Sol, to the Boone theme tune.

Speaker 2:

No comment.

Speaker 1:

That's smart man.

Speaker 3:

Before you indulge yourself anymore.

Speaker 1:

Hang on, this is how the show worked brain dead. What the hell's going on? And I'm seeing. I'm seeing little Wayne Ray. He's back. Oh yeah, he's always here now we see Sting and we see ghost Wayne. The thing is, wayne didn't pass away. Oh, we see Sting and we see Ghost Wayne. The thing is, wayne didn't pass away. It was Wayne's brother that we don't talk of. They were twins, the Siamese twins. One of them died in the separation. Okay, rain-way.

Speaker 3:

Okay.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so how am I seeing him? Yeah, I'm seeing him as a miniature version of Dot Cotton.

Speaker 3:

Oh, okay, cigarette included.

Speaker 1:

No, the dodgy cop.

Speaker 3:

Oh, I thought you were Cstandardscom.

Speaker 1:

No, no, no, that's how he got the nickname, because his last name's, cotton. I don't know if you're going to be able to work out what my mummy, mummy VHS, is RGT. How are you seeing Sting and Wayne this week?

Speaker 2:

As always, he's on par with the episode. So Sting's pulled up, dressed like an assassin, but his garments are more like a safe American football shirt, so they're just covered in advertisements. I mean, there's Coca-Cola, there's Nike, ea's on his hood, he's fully, fully sponsored. And Wayne, for some reason Wayne just looks like a very, very miniature version of him, but because of his outfit is so small, he's only just got one little advert on him.

Speaker 1:

Oh mate, what were those little figures you could get in the 90s?

Speaker 3:

They had like Big head footballers.

Speaker 1:

Big heads. Yeah, wait till it's a big head.

Speaker 2:

It's come as a big head and all he's got is one advert on Manscaped.

Speaker 1:

Tom pray tell the amount of times we've mentioned them.

Speaker 3:

I feel like they should invest.

Speaker 1:

One day we're going to trigger us some algorithm. Tom, how are you seeing? I mean, you go all the way back to the OG Sting. How are you seeing him this week, and has he brought Wayne in? If so, how is he? I see Wayne.

Speaker 3:

I see Sting. Sting is sat on a pale horse dressed in black.

Speaker 1:

Horses or Sting.

Speaker 3:

Sting is dressed in black.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, on the pale horse yeah.

Speaker 3:

Next to him is a small version of Wayne, an even smaller version in a cage being held like this.

Speaker 1:

The audio listeners holding up like a lamp A Bray Wyatt. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Wow, is it.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

I was intrigued by the story.

Speaker 3:

You tell such a good story then I know I thought it was going somewhere but no, the cage is in the fashion of the one in the film Willow, which Matt Mardigan is secure.

Speaker 1:

It was always going to go this way. There was always going to be a Warwick Davis thing in there somewhere. Right, I'm going to take this first one out of the bag because it's a real-time strategy game. It's homeworld 3 on the pc. All this done with no swears. Good effort, no, that's what I was thinking some pg-13, but there's some edgy stuff in there, but you don't know unless you know. Uh, homeworld 3 pc, may 13th 2024. Tactical, beautiful and wholly unique. The game of the year. Winning sci-fi rts returns with homeworld 3. Assume control and battle 3 fleet combat in dazzling, fully 3d space, while the award-winning story unfolds on a galactic scale who's next next up?

Speaker 3:

we've got biomutant, which is releasing on the switch on may 14th 2024. Biomutant an open-world, post-apocalyptic kung fu fable RPG with a unique martial arts-style combat system allowing you to mix melee shooting and mutant ability action.

Speaker 1:

Do you think that they chose that specific genre so they could say they are probably the number one selling post-apocalyptic?

Speaker 2:

kung fu fable RPG with a unique micro-monster system 100% yeah.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, best selling game of the year within its category. I always thought this was on the Switch.

Speaker 2:

They keep staking releases of this.

Speaker 1:

No, don't forget, it was a PS5, ps4 cross-gen kind of game that was rezzed up on the PS5 Series X, and then the watered-down version on the Switch, which Tom would probably describe as CFAT's graphic.

Speaker 2:

Did we get this on Plus for a monthly game? Did this come as a monthly game?

Speaker 1:

I've got it in my library so I assume it must have come as a monthly game.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I've never played it, though it's been six months. Might be better on the go? Probably not. No. Next up we've got Dread Delusion PC, may 14th 2024. Dread Delusion is an open-world RPG brimming with strange places and dark perils. Carve your own path through the flying continents of a shattered land, discover curious towns, unearth, occult secrets, perils. Carve your own path through the flying continents of a shattered land, discover curious towns, unearth, occult secrets, masterful, master, powerful magic and change the world through your choices give it here, ray, bloody idiot baladins pc.

Speaker 1:

May 15th. Embark on a whimsical journey and bring joy to a bright fantasy world. In this role-playing adventure for one to four players, craft your own story and solve quests how you like, but beware, for every time you fail, the dragon will send you back in time that's random please fix the road.

Speaker 3:

xbox series x. Xbox one, may 2024, and also available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and the Switch. Please Fix the Road is a colourful, minimalistic, laid-back and casual puzzle game in which it's probably not hard to guess you're fixing roads. Lincolnshire Road Fixing Simulator Farmingtonshire Farmingtonshire.

Speaker 1:

Farmingtonshire.

Speaker 3:

You make the law, I make the law, I make the law, fuck the law.

Speaker 2:

Head of that Phil.

Speaker 1:

I was going to ask you earlier. In the divorce you got Phil the producer. That's why the show's been on. I would say a steady decline.

Speaker 3:

Well, he helped me negotiate the Ireland sale, because he doubles as a lawyer, no need for Lionel anymore. Well, he helped me negotiate the island sale. Obviously because he doubles as a lawyer, no need for Lionel anymore.

Speaker 1:

I thought Lionel passed away in the air crash. If I'm honest with you, or did? He come back. Did he defend you in retrofitting?

Speaker 2:

community corrections.

Speaker 1:

Someone will know which is no way for the person to upload the wiki page. That would be good it's coming.

Speaker 3:

Your road repair doesn't have to be beautiful. No, we're still waiting, by the way, for the person to upload the wiki page. Mm-hmm, that would be good. It's coming. Your road repair doesn't have to be beautiful, it just needs to get the job done. Your mum will like this game too.

Speaker 1:

What a great selling point. There's someone who loves the lore of this show. Please fix the road. You obviously listen.

Speaker 3:

Get in touch Mumsy likes this game.

Speaker 1:

Free game. They're gunning for the Mumsy, mummy, mummy, aren't they? Absolute? You know you've made it. When people sculpt their intros around you, to be honest, I'm a bit sickened by it, but I'm into it.

Speaker 2:

Next up, we've got Slayer's X Terminal Aftermath. Vengeance of the Slayer PlayStation 5, playstation 4, switch.

Speaker 1:

May 15th 2024 read this out on your best sort of macho American voiceover voice. I think you've got this.

Speaker 2:

I cannot do an American accent. I'm from Suffolk, that is it. That is my limits. I'm not like Tom, I'm not a seasoned actor, I can't you know.

Speaker 1:

Put these voices on so will your mouth full. Just read the intro, then, and get on with it wow, that's hard how how things have changed um just showing off until tom came back on. Now I'm the heel again.

Speaker 2:

I can't keep up with the law, yeah so got what it takes to be an ex-slayer Seven weapons, blood and gore, twisted music by C-Page and Psycho Syndicate, and maps where you can blow up everything. It's awesome. Started making it in 1998 in high school with my friend and now I'm 37. So have life experience now, no idea.

Speaker 3:

No idea Some development.

Speaker 1:

I don't know when I put the show notes together 98? Or I just copied that from my own I don't know inner monologue. I've got no idea.

Speaker 3:

Let's go with the next one, lorelei, and the laser eyes.

Speaker 1:

I thought you were going to call that Lorelei Lorelei, because there is a Twitter rumour going around you don't know this, rgt, back me up on this that people think our show is fake. It's a cover as a communication scheme between terrorists.

Speaker 2:

I think it's AI they think it's AI.

Speaker 1:

They think it's AI, oh okay, like some sort of I don't know under-the-radar communication to cells system. Because how could any of this be real?

Speaker 2:

We're both fake. We were brought by Mexicans.

Speaker 1:

We lived in New York. Yeah, we recorded an episode in a submarine, constantly changing the dynamic. And constantly the ever-rotating third chair. Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Lore Lay and the laser eyes. Switch PC available May 16th 2024. The stage is set. Imagine an old manor like Ponsonbury Manor.

Speaker 1:

Well, why don't you call it a Baroque manor?

Speaker 3:

Baroque manor. I just tend to skip words that I don't know how to pronounce. Perhaps a hotel somewhere in Central Europe, a woman wanders in search of answers. Very mysterious game.

Speaker 1:

Can I maybe have this next one RGT, because it's my mummy, mummy.

Speaker 2:

You like this one. You've done the 20. Was it 2064? 2064, yeah.

Speaker 1:

It was a really great game Good story, enjoyed it. I felt like I was playing Granny's Garden on the BBC Micro at times, but I thought it was great. Read Only Memories Neurodiver PlayStation 5, xbox One and Switch. Pc Read Only Memories Neurodiver PlayStation 5, xbox One and Switch. Pc May 16th, 2024. Read Only Memories Neurodiver is a story, rich adventure and sequel to 2064. Read Only Memories Explore the rich world with intuitive point-and-click interface as you take on the role of a young psychic agent tasked with tracking down a mysterious antagonist hiding in people's memories. Two point-and and click fanboys, in the discord of which I know there's at least, well, there's quite a lot of you. Actually, to be fair, have you played read only memories, yes or no? And if you have, what did you think of it? Is it a bit fisher price, my first point and click, or did you think, yeah, that was great, because I thought it was great.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I keep thinking the planet. For some reason I keep thinking that's got a graphic graphic novel. I didn't realize that was a point and click it's it.

Speaker 1:

It is a point and click and it does feel like a leisure suit larry game from like the 90s. It's not. It's not like that at all, don't get me wrong, but it's very much like take this here, do this interact with that? You know, break this system find that thing in a bin sort of job, but it's done in a really slick way. I might be tripping here, bro, seeing as we're appealing to the younger audience, but I think I played that on Vita.

Speaker 2:

You did play that on Vita, I remember. Maybe you're telling me you played it on Vita. I think that was a. It was a monthly game, which you got both versions. Yeah, it was a monthly game, wasn't it, which you got both versions, I think. Oh, yes, it was a very early PS4 one.

Speaker 1:

I think Great game. Everyone must check it out.

Speaker 2:

If you haven't get on it, if you have talk to me about it immediately or well, whenever this gets out. Finally, we've got Indica, playstation 5, xbox Series X and S, may 17th 2024. Play a third-person story-driven game set in an alternative Russia at the turn of the century, where religious visions clash with harsh reality. Indica tells the story of a young nun who sets off on a journey of self-discovery and the most unusual companion by her side the devil himself and the most unusual companion by her side, the devil himself.

Speaker 3:

I actually think you can't say there's no new IPs when you see that can you?

Speaker 1:

The only. Thing. I would say is I think you picked up Indica but at the same picked up the devil inside Miss Jones and grabbed the blurb off the back of that DVD.

Speaker 2:

It works.

Speaker 1:

It works for me, I'm buying both. Yeah, on that note, if you're taking the devil in Miss Jones, you're allowed another one as well. I'm taking. Read only memories. Neuro divergence Did I just make that up or is that a thing? Neuro diver Ooh crikey. Okay, leave it in, phil. Can I feel back? Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Very generous On the clock. That's fine. I'll pay his wages so you don't have to Fuck. Yeah, I'm taking read-only memories, as my mummy mummy, no doubt, and I'm also taking the full unabridged box set of Line of Duty OG Tom, what game are you taking? What's your mummy mummy?

Speaker 3:

I would take Biomutant because I've not played that on anything and I want to see Switch sweat If you've played the best.

Speaker 1:

Now play the dog's breakfast.

Speaker 3:

What movie are you taking? I'm taking. I feel like I might have picked this before, but I have actually genuinely watched these and I'm on the last few episodes now. I've been watching the whole series of Goodnight Sweetheart.

Speaker 2:

It's.

Speaker 3:

Nicholas Lindhurst, playing a very opposite role to Rodney Trotter.

Speaker 1:

I'll be honest. In a way, if you think about it, he's a proper dirty dog, isn't he? We all gathered round the TV as a family to watch a man cheat on his wife and basically be very nefarious.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, he said it's okay, though, because it's in different timelines If you go back.

Speaker 1:

Okay, here let me set the scene. You go full. Gary Swallow Is that his name? Gary Sparrow, it's close. It's a winged flying thing. Okay, not a bad effort. You're Gary Sparrow. Yes, same in my. These people exist in the same time and space in my head. You go back in time to farmerton and you start dating this hot bird. You're having a great time, okay, you love her spirit, you her dynamicism, her sense of humor yes you really like her as a person.

Speaker 1:

You're matched morally as well. This is the great thing. She tests you, you test her, you both finding the best in each other. You come forward in time again to perpetrate the myth. Okay, so we're here, but then you're queuing for deb's babs and you realize that your young beau from the past is Debs. Oh, but you've still got that rapport. But she sees through the years, she's time blind, right and wants to get. I would say she wants to. Yeah, I like what you've done. They brought it back down to PG level. She wants to get a. I like what you've done there. You've brought it back down to PG level. She wants to get a little bit sexy. Okay, would you do that, knowing that you love the person and knew that modern-day Debs was lonely? Or would you say no, don't touch them with a barge pole, some pretty derogatory comment towards her, knowing that you've just hurt the woman that you love so much in the past?

Speaker 3:

I would go with.

Speaker 1:

If she gives me a free bacon bun, I'm all in that's the dirtiest dog answer you've ever given, but I love it. He's honest. Rgt. What would you do?

Speaker 2:

I don't know.

Speaker 3:

I'm going with a romantic option there. I wouldn't shoo her away, but I'd want Bacon Buck to make up for the older appearance. Okay For life as well. I want a week for life. It's a bit late for Deb's. Or whenever the job is required.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I was going to say it's probably a bit late for Deb's to enact the feeder programme, considering she's damn near dead and you're obviously the young book she fell in love with in. Yeah 19, 18. Oh, you want to do it. You want to do Ashes to Ashes. Yeah, okay, rgt, could you see yourself romancing deb's babs down the wagon, even though knowing that in the 1980s she was the hottest thing on farmerton high street? But right now, if you walked her down the high street, you would be.

Speaker 2:

It would be very difficult no, not difficult for me all, in bacon butty or no bacon butty, I'm there when you say all in yep round the back of the wagon are we talking outside upstairs or inside downstairs, or is Debs more of an upstairs outside?

Speaker 1:

Are we talking outside upstairs or inside downstairs, or is Debs more of an upstairs outside first date kind of girl person, gender assumed, or maybe more of a downstairs outside? I mean, where are you thinking this could go?

Speaker 2:

I'm thinking with Debs's.

Speaker 1:

That could be upstairs, downstairs upstairs, inside upstairs, inside downstairs, inside a number, a mobile number's, on the side of the van, isn't it? Yes?

Speaker 2:

it's also in the phone box.

Speaker 1:

Nice. With that I think we've got our collected collection of tap. Let's face it. Only we would buy. Oh no, hang on a minute. Let's reward the people that deserve it. I would have gone with read-only memories, but I'm seemingly now obliged to say that Please Fix the Roads. Is my mummy, mummy. Let's see what comes of that. I'm expecting at least a pin badge hastily made by one of the developers in the car park to be sent to me as a reward. The dust has settled and the only thing I can see on the floor is a half-ripped advertisement for a prophylactic and a broken lantern. Now, I've not been on the show for a while. Reasons Do we do the, the supporters, the paid supporters, now read out, or after the, what you've been playing? What are you hoping to play? And if so, let's make it. Let's make it happen. Which way?

Speaker 2:

Um, I don't mind. Whatever's easiest for you, we can do it now. What do you want to do? That's technically not my show. It's your show. I'm just an employee.

Speaker 1:

Tom's witnessed the documents today. What?

Speaker 2:

I did get.

Speaker 3:

You're filming up to your old shenanigans.

Speaker 1:

No, rgt and the Furkay company have done a buyout of El Bucho. I didn't want to be part of Zootomax Media anymore but I didn't know that it would quite lead to this of Zootomax Media anymore, but I didn't know that it would quite lead to this. So Triple S, rgt and the Furkay Corporation have done an aggravated buyout of the shares of the show. I didn't have enough control and interest left, so technically I'm one of those outgoing figurehead presidents. Your presence today makes me nervous. I think it's like a slow phase-out.

Speaker 2:

I believe it's called, in business terms, a slow phase-out.

Speaker 3:

The shark is here now.

Speaker 1:

I know I'm such a good method actor. I feel like I'm about to cry. I'm going to let it pass.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

While I've still got at least one fingernails grip on the range of the show. We're going to make them wait until I ask. I say, tom, what are you open to play?

Speaker 3:

Stellar Blade. Play some more of that. I'm only about three or four hours into it. So yeah, I really want to get some that's intrigued me, that it's definitely worth a look. Maybe try the demo first if you haven't.

Speaker 1:

If you want a top tip on how to make your next hundred billion, I would suggest a branded Stellar Blade silicon controller cover.

Speaker 3:

Splash coloured. I hope your stocks in Funko Pumps are going to pan out after leaving the show Funk Pumpo.

Speaker 1:

I don't even know what they are anymore. Funko Pops I don't know. No.

Speaker 3:

Got to have a bowl of Funko Pops.

Speaker 1:

They were the worst thing to ever invest. In Fact, I do believe there was probably a show on Channel 5 where a load of gone-out-of-work celebrities ridiculed the most ridiculous things to invest in. Julian Clary laughed out loud at the idea of investing in Funko Pumps, and then it cut to an advert grunching up cornflakes RGT. What are you hoping to play, my good friend?

Speaker 2:

um, definitely more Bowshop 2, um, not to say I'm halfway, so not far to getting that done, if I can?

Speaker 1:

you're probably about halfway thank you, um.

Speaker 2:

You made me realise what an idiotic statement I just made, so thanks for clarifying that. Um, will you be playing the third?

Speaker 3:

made me realise what an idiotic statement I just made. So thanks for clarifying that. Will you be playing the third one?

Speaker 2:

Yes, yeah, definitely.

Speaker 3:

I didn't know that.

Speaker 1:

When you get to the third game, it's the DLC on there that, I think, is the game changer that you need to check out, because I think that's where they go back to Rapture and it's immaculate as it was in its prime.

Speaker 2:

Ooh, okay, so yeah think that's where they go back to rapture and it's immaculate, as it was in its prime. So yeah, yeah, I'll check while you're there, check that out well, there's not many games where I want to play the sequel straight after. I normally have a little palate cleanser in between, but with bioshock I just wanted to go straight on to the next game. I think this is very intriguing, that series so yeah, dude, I've got, I've got aloy online too.

Speaker 1:

Just just wondering where this diversion, when this diversion was going to end up at the doors of forbidden west who I rest my case.

Speaker 2:

Um yeah, um yeah. Hopefully, if I meet up my brother, I'll get Halo 4 finished. I'll probably be dabbling a bit more Gran Turismo 5, and maybe a bit more Robocop, as long as they don't turn inside out every time I interview them. So that'll probably be what I'll be playing. What about you, georgie boy? Hello.

Speaker 3:

I'm thinking Necro answer.

Speaker 1:

I might, I don't know. I kind of like the form factor of having that on the Vita before. I don't know how I'm, I did play it. I think it's got cloud saves so you could flick between them. I might give Reed only memories to go. I might download that. It's part of the tab I'm not playing while I sit and play something completely contrary like Held, I was on the Vita. I feel myself being drawn magnetically, though, towards I've got Alan Wake 2 to finish. That game did lose a little bit of its momentum with me and I don't know why.

Speaker 1:

I thought, you finished that? No, I'm over halfway through you were enjoying that, though.

Speaker 3:

I really enjoyed it, but I feel like if I hadn't been on Christmas break, I wouldn't have been on Christmas Break, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it as much because I just got stuck into it, really got into the story, played it and finished it. I think if I'd have kept having breaks it would have just yeah and I feel Going on and there's a lot of story to it, it's quite easy just to get distracted quickly.

Speaker 1:

I feel like the story's quite rightly all over the place, but nowhere near as consistent and clear narrative. It's a much simpler story, admittedly, as Alan Wake 1. As you're reading you this, dude, you flash.

Speaker 3:

There's quite a few times more than two where I was a bit like oh.

Speaker 1:

One thing I would say, seeing as you are a kindred spirit in terms of you've played Alan Wake too. Yeah, was there a bizarre difficulty spike where you had to face the guy around the well? Yeah.

Speaker 3:

You go in the darkness.

Speaker 1:

Exactly the one you mean. You go to the well and he's up on these balcony edges and on the side. What the hell.

Speaker 3:

I got that boss fight to a point where I had that much health and I was trying to pull everything out of the bag that I was looking through the inventory of what I had just nothing. I was like, well, might as well, let him kill me, because I can't beat him, I don't have anything to fire at him or to yeah. And then the next time I just did it, no problem, but it was a big difficulty I rocked up to him already on one hit and I'm dead health.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's. That's where it gets difficult, because in that fight I don't think there's a lot of first aid packs there is none yeah.

Speaker 1:

I saw the little ranger pack on the wall and I was like, oh great, opened it Empty. Two pistol rounds, Like what the hell? Yeah, it's no good to me. Yeah, so probably some hell divers too. I'm trying to think what else. I keep being tempted back to farming simulator, which I know is completely unacceptable.

Speaker 3:

When are we diving next? There's a new like sort of.

Speaker 1:

To be fair, mumsy's spoken to us about this, probably last time we were chewing on a flannel. We're related. It's not right. Have you told us what you're done, what you're hoping to play, right, okay? Well then, I shall look at this hastily sent image from you which has got the subs list on it, and we're going to do those. By the way, I did, actually, when Fat Zangief messaged to say that he wanted to be involved, he did say that I had to read his name out in a sexy way. That's all he said. Yeah, so I'll do his name and I'll do it in what I would deem to be a sexy way. So shall I start off? Yeah, you're gonna have to say a name. I'll start then og tom, then you. Until we get to fat zangief, which I shall, I shall do. Yes, okay, okay. Trestles, new york. Thank you for subscribing. No, hang on a York. Thank you for subscribing. No, hang on a minute.

Speaker 3:

No thank you for supporting.

Speaker 2:

Badabingster. Thank you for your support.

Speaker 1:

DingleTuner. Thank you as always, Digital Monkery, still in the cupboard, holding each other like men. Thank you for supporting.

Speaker 3:

Rof Space Monk. Thank you for your support.

Speaker 1:

The Gaming Graham you've written him down there as the Gaming Graham. I know what's my next? Okay, my mate Bull Border.

Speaker 3:

Boba.

Speaker 2:

Marathon Gaming, Scotty.

Speaker 1:

Which means I am delivered, seal, master Elliot.

Speaker 3:

Ginge.

Speaker 2:

The lovely Emma Sharp.

Speaker 3:

Show me the apps. Is that inappropriate? Is that very inappropriate? Is she?

Speaker 1:

on the apps. No.

Speaker 3:

Okay, I mean.

Speaker 1:

There's other females on here, I mean maybe one of these, mumsy, emma Sharp. Thank you, harvey. Retro, the one and only.

Speaker 3:

Nowhere near Berlin, berlin, berlin not Berlin.

Speaker 1:

I mean, greg is an OG fan of the show. Probably wears a face of you on a t-shirt. I can't imagine where he is at with you right now.

Speaker 2:

I don't know as soon as he's gone and burning his OG broken mumsy, where he is at with you right now. I don't know as soon as he got on burning his OG broken, broken, uh, mumsy, oh which means I get the RGT fan club and you get.

Speaker 3:

Pete Brocklehurst.

Speaker 1:

Nailed it, so you get.

Speaker 2:

Billy Marm, get Billy.

Speaker 1:

Marmite, billy Marmite, I'm going to let you do that. So I'm going to say Fat Zangief.

Speaker 3:

Is that sexy or threatening? I don't know. A bit of both.

Speaker 2:

It was a bit rough sexy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm like his lady chat and his lover. I'm like his, I'm his gamekeeper.

Speaker 2:

He's a bit of rough.

Speaker 1:

You're a little bit of rough, dear that Zangief.

Speaker 2:

In the stables boy.

Speaker 3:

Has he set a good record or she, for the Zangief Challenge?

Speaker 1:

You are dangerous. You are dangerous. It's like you've led your team into a landmine area. It's like you've led your team into a landmine area and the only way out is probably for. Kai Soy to lead us to safety, and if you're relying on Corporal Soy, you're in trouble. Rgt what's the last name on the list, friend?

Speaker 2:

Simon Preight.

Speaker 1:

Perfect, listen. Do you know what I'm up to round? And I forget what even any of this means. But one thing I am super grateful is your support, and I am not joking, genuinely. I hope to meet you all if I haven't met you all in person to this point in one of the upcoming quarterly Zoom meetings. We ought to call it the UCP board meeting, really didn't we? Because, let's face it, they're all members of the board.

Speaker 2:

As far as I'm concerned, oh yeah, definitely they're all board members. Yes, without a doubt, look out.

Speaker 1:

Look out, christopher Reeve just woke up. Look at that hairdo. What? Look how? Christopher Reeve just woke up. Look at that hairdo.

Speaker 3:

What Can I have? A leatherback chair and kind of sit there. Do you want to come to the board meeting? Yeah, no, you don't need me there.

Speaker 1:

Maybe you could zoom in.

Speaker 3:

Like zoom in, like running or zoom in.

Speaker 1:

Well, I don't mean like move it closer to your eye or further away. I'm thinking that you could come in on the zoom chat. All you got to do top tier level in the support click, drop, boom, done. You get your name read out. Look at it this way it's self-publicity.

Speaker 1:

So there's an advert I like it, okay, and then maybe we can direct them to your. When you say the apps, I guess you mean the dating apps we could then we could do you a favor and we could turn that around and direct that traffic to you rather than you kind of trying to snipe people off at distance A little bit stalkerish. Okay, I don't say baby reindeer, but I'm saying it.

Speaker 3:

I've not seen that Okay. Yeah, don't then that's what I keep getting told yeah, what your baby reigned it.

Speaker 1:

No, don't watch it to be honest, I think I think you've thrown yourself around to worse, okay, and on that note, probably say that's all we've got time for. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for listening, supporting the show. We are very, very grateful and humbled by you for doing so. I hope you have a great week. So that's all we've got time for. Thank you for the pleasure of speaking to you. Until then, happy gaming. Remember, there's nothing wrong with being given enough financial control. It's what you do with it that counts see you guys, see you ladies.