Unofficial Controller Podcast
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Unofficial Controller Podcast
The Poncies 2024 - Game of the year 2024
The Poncie Awards ceremony reflects on the best games of 2024, showcasing a dynamic mix of titles ranging from indie gems to major releases. The discussions navigated personal favourites, critical acclaim, and memories tied to each game . This lively episode not only highlights award winners but captures the essence of gaming experiences that unite the community.
• Top 10 gaming awards recognizing passionate selections
• Honorable mentions and the impact of personal preference on game rankings
• Joyful debates highlighting significance in niche genres and offbeat games
• Engaging discussion surrounding "Game of the Year" criteria
• Euphoria of crowning our game of the year 2024
Hello and welcome to the official controller podcast award ceremony. Yes, it's that time of the year it's the Poncies, where we review our games of 2024. If you're here for all the hot takes, you might be a bit late. We're probably going to throw our games of the year in as a PS3 game from 2008. But don't let that rock. You, don't let that shock. You, don't let that throw you off what's going to be a great episode. Now, as always, the poncees has become a bit of an internet uh sensation. It's bigger than the game awards, so let me throw you over to the absolutely wonderful seb. How are you, sir?
Speaker 2:I'm doing well, I'm doing well and I'm doing well. And you know, joining me is a luscious RGT and Mr Marathon Gaming, himself the hottest, hottest personality in Switch Gaming right there. So you know everyone. We got a full cast today. It's an award ceremony. We're dressed up to the T, as you can tell A 7-Up shirt on one side. Rgt's got his best black attire on. Right there. R. He's got his best black black attire on. Right there. Rgt. Scotty's got a Chicago bear on, you know, like Chicago bear hat on. So you know, we're ready to go here, everybody.
Speaker 2:Let me just, let me just preface this by saying our award ceremony is going to be crazy today, absolutely crazy, because we got so many different personalities on the on the panel here. I mean, you got these four guys here. Bobby, his um, sent his list over to me as well. So you mash up all these games and you get absolute chaos, especially when the math is involved. So everyone, strap in. We're gonna have a good show today.
Speaker 2:So the rules, do y'all, do y'all remember the rules, gentlemen, gentlemen, no, no, okay, All right. So these guys sent in their top 10 list and their number one ranked game gets a score of 10 points. You know. Their number two ranked game got a score of nine points and so on and so forth all the way to 10. Their 10th ranked game only got one point. So I calculated all your rankings up and then combine them with everyone else's rankings and if there was duplicates, of course those move up higher. You know, because the mathematics, mathematical score, you know their ranking moves up. So that's how we're able to calculate our top 10 games of the year. So anyone got any questions? Before I continue, are we going straight?
Speaker 1:in with the top 10, or are we going to do some honorable mentions that just tickled around the back door of the whole of the charts?
Speaker 2:okay, everybody you know, here's I'm just gonna for the honorable mentions part. Here's some prestige games that didn't quite make the cut, but they were amongst people's list but they didn't make the cut of the top 10. All right, so, and these are games you heard of, I'm not going to do like the obscure games you know and all that kind of stuff, but so F1 Manager 23 didn't make the cut. On the outside, looking in, I wonder whose that was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I wonder as well On the outside, looking in also Person's. That was yeah, I wonder as well on the outside. Look again also persona. Three from this year, um alan wake. Two from last year, ea sports college football from this year. Remnant. Two from um from last year, and I'd probably say cold to the Lamb is probably the next biggest one you didn't make the cut.
Speaker 1:I'm just thinking this is a car crash. You're down to three most games that would feature in people's normal top tens have just been left on the floor like bodies outside of a morgue.
Speaker 4:I had Cult of the Lamb, I think, at number 10, and I removed it last second for a game which will probably get laughed at, so that'll be fun.
Speaker 3:Or more than be laughed at. Don't worry, Scott, they were last year, they were this year.
Speaker 1:You can deny all knowledge of them if you get in the charts and you're embarrassed.
Speaker 2:Okay. So, to preface this, we're four or five different people with very different gaming tastes, and you can really tell that from everyone's list. Rgt'm, I'm extremely proud of you, like, by the way, like the the list you sent me. It made me proud, it made me want to basically deputize you as like I know what you're saying, that I know.
Speaker 3:Oh, and also it's because there wasn't that much retro on there oh yeah, for sure you played a lot more modern games and also, you played a good chunk of indie game.
Speaker 2:It's like, yeah, and I was just like, oh, I think I'm going to crown him the indie prince, you know like oh, thank you very much. Well, I think, probably what, uh, probably the king of indies, three or four of them were recommended by you.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 2:Inside job. Scotty, I saw your list and you know you're a Switch guy so I kind of thought I knew what to expect going in and then I was just not prepared. I really wasn't If.
Speaker 4:I could just say something look, we all knew what was going to happen. When you guys sat around that meeting table on the top floor in the penthouse office suite and had that meeting, you knew you were bringing me in. You knew it was going to bring out again.
Speaker 4:In the hot tub Shirtless, bottomless, sandals on. You knew what was going to happen when you bring me in, so I don't want any complaints. Oh, we can't have that in there. Why has Scott me in? So you? I don't want any complaints. Oh, we can't have that in there. Why scott brought that to the table? Because you know that is what I bring.
Speaker 3:So you've made your bed. It's time to lay in it wow, I like it.
Speaker 2:Like you know, like, based on everyone's list. I think like everyone could be like crowned a certain nickname you know, based on the list, like you are for sure, mr switch, like you, you kept to that name, you like for sure, saw your whole year through on that switch and I'm like he's the last of the dying breed from the for the switch fans right now like my last.
Speaker 3:I reckon 10 switch games out of 20, I reckon came from scott's youtube channel.
Speaker 2:I was like I'm gonna buy that.
Speaker 3:I've never heard of that I'll buy that. I'm gonna buy that. I'm gonna buy his of that. I'm buying it.
Speaker 1:I'm going to buy that. I'm going to buy that.
Speaker 3:I love his YouTube channel, by the way Brilliant because there's so many good games that you've never heard of.
Speaker 2:Maybe, instead of like the Prince of Indies, you should be Mr Impressionable Because like yeah, tell me to play it and I'll buy the t-shirt.
Speaker 3:yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:So so george's list didn't surprise me a little bit, except for like he had a couple of them that kind of kind of threw me off. But like bobby's list, he's super mainstream in gaming. Like I kind of know what to expect if it's hot and popular at the time bobby's playing it. He had a couple of like of horror things that kind of threw me off. But then you know, knowing his like taste in horror, I was like, okay, I can kind of get that. So you know I want to, and we'll talk about a little bit more of Bobby's list and George's list as the show goes on, because you'll actually see some of those appearances here and you'll start to get a theme of everything going on.
Speaker 2:But the theme of this year, because I guess this year is so crazy as far as like I don't feel like this is a mainstream gaming year. I feel like a lot of it. It's like this is more of like everyone's taste was you had to find games for your taste this year as opposed to last year where like it was so heavy as far as like game of the year contenders that across the board were like high ranking games. This year I'm like if you weren't a jrpg fan or rpg fan, you really had to, like, search out for games. So I feel like a. You know, I read a survey the other day that said 68 of people on you know, on pc platforms and on consoles, played mostly their backlog this year and based on the list that y'all gave me, you know, I can actually see that I could legitimately see that. So at number 10 we had a five-way dance, a five-way tie that we're gonna settle right here right now everyone george's, and then he's done can I just say, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1:I am the god of the ucp and I don't like, I don't like this mutinous I was gonna say there's a mutiny happening there, captain. Yeah well listen here, roger, the cabin boy, you're the least mutineer. Let's get into the top 10.
Speaker 2:Let's have it all right. So here's how this is going to play out. Um, we're going to do a quick, um, quick little debate on why you think your game should move on and get the rankings. Um, you can sacrifice your game if you want to, considering on a tie. You can sacrifice your game in order to get stronger points later on to say like, hey, I sacrificed my game, I sacrificed my game, I should at least get a 0.5, like interest later on. So, like, keep that in mind everybody, you can take the win now or you can try to sacrifice yourself for later. So at number 10, we had a five-way tie between city skylines, prince of persia, the lost crown, retro realms, halloween slash ash versus the evil dead, space marine 2 and stardew valley 1.6. Gentlemen, I opened up the floor to rgt, who submitted stardew valley 1.6. Why do you think this game should get the number 10 ranking?
Speaker 3:um, I think it's a game that has been out for so long on so many platforms. It's been evolved, it's been updated, it's all been free updates the whole way through. It's an endless game, if you want to play it that way. Um, and I just think it's. It's all been free updates the whole way through. It's an endless game, if you want to play it that way. And I just think it's a game made by one man and it's a beautiful, beautiful game that you can get lost in.
Speaker 1:It's made by Baron Trump.
Speaker 3:Anyway, sorry to be interrupted rudely there, but yeah, I just think it's a fantastic game that's gone on for so many years and it's still got a massive community, massive following, and it's just constantly evolved. Um, and, like I say, it's evolved for free and it plays brilliant on every platform, from switch to ps5. So yeah, yeah that's okay, thank.
Speaker 2:Thank you for that. Um. Next up we have scotty with um. Space marine 2 was his number 10 game, big hit.
Speaker 4:I thought someone else might have brought that in. I thought I had that high up. That just goes to show you where we're heading for the rest of my list.
Speaker 3:That's probably the only worthy one in there that actually came out.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's a bit worrying, Right? So maybe if I sacrifice it there's going to be nothing else on my list that would be higher up. That would probably be as high as I go it there's going to be nothing else on my list it'd be higher up.
Speaker 2:That would probably be as high as I go. I'm not going to tell you. I'm not going to tell you the rankings on your list. This is the strategy here. So I'm like you have to. You have to think hey, it was my, was my game strong enough that it probably got higher up?
Speaker 4:I said this isn't my first game of checkers. All right, sorry I got space brain.
Speaker 4:Now I haven't actually played it all the way to completion. You've got to play it with friends. Co-op, I've only played it myself. Single player campaign, seb, you know all about that. I've played it solo. That's how I've enjoyed the game. It's absolute carnage. I am a big fan of the whole Warhammer 40K lore. I've been playing a bit of Kill Team last couple of years sporadically. The game is very, very, very good. It's come very highly ranked out of those other games you've mentioned. I am going to say that should take the spot. It was a big, big game for a lot of people. It was a very, very solid release this year. A lot of people waited for it and when it did come, not many people had a bad thing to say about it. The artwork is absolutely beautiful the way the come swarming in and it's just non-stop artillery firing. It is so, so it is good, it's very good.
Speaker 1:I'm not playing enough of it Out of all the games that were mentioned in the number 10 slot.
Speaker 2:City Skylines, prince of Persia, the Lost Crown, retro Realms, halloween Slash Ash vs the Evil Dead, space Marine 2, and Stardew Valley 1.6.
Speaker 1:I would like to say before you go, george, I will sacrifice prince of persia the lost ground I I was officially about to die to me, so I'm like to me. It came down to in my mind. It came down to prince of persia versus space marine, and if you're vetoing yours and I think space marine quite worthily gets that 10 spot came out last year. It's relatively well thought of to see it. This slow down on the list does make me shit myself a bit for what we're about to serve up to our beloved list. Yeah, I mean the only other game which.
Speaker 4:I do very respect is the Retro Realm package. To be honest with you, because I did pick up myself. Obviously I'm a big retro nerd and that was absolutely beautiful, the way they had two franchises interlinked like that and cross over you could be you could be the you know, the villain from each of those platforms and literally go into the other other world and dimension.
Speaker 4:So that that is really cool. But again, I played it halloween only for a few hours. Obviously I did my own video and raved about it, but I again I haven't played it enough. But I do think 40k overall is a more solid cinematic.
Speaker 3:I've heard a lot of good things. I've got a friend who's got who's got um space marines and absolutely loves it. He's been begging me to buy it so we can all play online and, yeah, it does look a good game they say it's the best gears of war games.
Speaker 2:It's like the last gears of war so I'm like I've had a lot of comparisons for games I don't want to.
Speaker 4:Um, you know I don't want to drop a load on anyone's other recommendations. I'm ready for it this time last year at the Ponzi, speaking of Ubisoft Seb I'm power phrasing you here. Okay, go ahead. You said Ubisoft, just one after another average games. I think you said Seven out of ten. I haven't gone above a seven out of ten for a long time.
Speaker 2:So if they're, doing it that safe? Do they deserve? The top 10 spot is what I'm saying. This was the first game in a long time that actually, you know, cracked out of that seven out of ten spot. I'm not going to defend prince of persia, the lost crown, because it'll be soft, if y'all haven't heard, it's about to die a thousand uh, you know from a cuts, from a thousand deaths. You know, like our death from a thousand cuts, I should say. But you know, like I, I'm not going to defend this game. I think this game was great, but I, I think this game also is going to be like one of those that people don't necessarily look back at, fondly, overpriced as well overpriced, it's a metroidvania game.
Speaker 2:It looks, you know, like we're gonna get like 10 000 of these. So I'm like I I'm fine with space marine 2, because I do think this is like a game that truly elevated a franchise into not just like a niche franchise, but more of a mainstream franchise as well, like yeah, do you think how many warhammer games there are, said right, there's, honestly, there is in the tens and tens and that's just modern all the way for a long time.
Speaker 4:It's probably near 100 games collectively. But this is the one where all those games are for Warhammer players or strategic game players. This is a game that people will play and they don't even know what Warhammer is because they respect it. It's a cut above everybody else. It really is the other Warhammer games, I mean it's a real standalone. If if Warhammer as a business said, well, as a business said, all of our games put forward one franchise, it would be that and they would delete the others without even a sip of water.
Speaker 1:Scotty, it's got its 10 spot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you won, you are in one.
Speaker 1:We'll see you next week, gentlemen.
Speaker 4:We'll see you next year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, well done, good choice.
Speaker 1:I love the passion, but we've already won.
Speaker 2:He actually gets to number one. All right, all right. So call of duty, um, black ops 6. The campaign is at the number nine spot, accompanied by dave the diver and dead island 2. Everyone. I would like to throw in a recommendation here. Um, all right, so let's just do a voting, voting part, because I think that's that's kind of more of um everyone's beat. I on the on the. To be clear here, I want to say I voted for call of duty, black ops 6, like I nominated that game. Oh man, the campaign is phenomenal. Uh, the camp, the campaign is like campaign. But if we're a show of hands here, I want to. I would just go with david. I think david. I've been talking about david the diver for a year and a half now. I'm like I'll put it in there guns, guns to the head.
Speaker 4:I would say that because we talked, seb, about the co-op mode sorry about the campaign mode and you made me want to play. I still haven't, but out of those three, it would probably be the one I would ditch off first has anyone played it on Switch? Do you know what on the go? What a different experience that would be as well. That would probably be number one spot. Maybe that'd be next year, once we get to the backlog, but david diver was on the ponce's last year, guys. In 2023 it featured right, great chop.
Speaker 2:It's done, it's gone what I was. I was the one who nominated it for last year and you know like everyone jumped on the.
Speaker 3:I didn't know. I didn't plan until this year, so that's why yeah nominated, I think.
Speaker 1:Put it through number nine david two times Ponzi Award winner.
Speaker 2:Boy, it's rising up the ranks here. Let me highlight the ones that have won so we can go back over. Okay, so at number eight we have a four-way tie, and this is the most ratchet four-way tie, the ratchet tie. I think we're going to get all show long and it's. I am your beast. Rise of the rodent trick to yumi and the witcher three oh, oh, not a moment, oh, this is why I say this year is just rancid in a lot of ways, because I'm like none of these games feel like they're.
Speaker 3:What would I again said, which is three Witcher 3. The Witcher phrase all you need to know.
Speaker 2:Witcher 3, trek to Yumi. Rise to Ronin and I Am your Beast. I voted for. I Am your Beast. Bobby voted for Rise of Ronin. Trek to Yumi surprisingly came from George and the Witcher 3 came from Scotty.
Speaker 1:Listen. I enjoyed my time with Witcher 3 and. I think, well, I spent most of my time on Switcher 3, which is impressive, to say the least, because it's it's like playing it underwater in a diving boat. I'm glad the N64 version on the go whatever that might look like, the Gameboy version of the N64 version on the go. Whatever that might look like, yeah, the Game Boy version of the N64 port of Switcher 3.
Speaker 4:Look, why play a game in the comfort of your own home on a big TV when you could be sitting in your garden in the freezing cold, squinting in the sun, trying?
Speaker 3:to see a 12-inch display.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah exactly.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, switcher 3, then I actually think I'm going to throw my weight behind. Trek to Yomi is great and all that and it's enjoyable and it's impressive from an artistic point of view and the way they've captured that sort of Japanese film style. It is impressive. But although I haven't played it, I want to get into character as Bobby here, uh, and say rise to rise of the Ronin.
Speaker 2:Yes, Wow. I've heard it to be fair.
Speaker 1:I've played it. You know this is someone's got to do their bit for Bobby and I'm here and I also know how much he loved that title and got to do their bit for Bobby and I'm here and I also know how much he loved that title.
Speaker 2:I think that's fair.
Speaker 3:I respect that I was going to go with. I haven't played any of them, so I won't vote on this, because my vote would be null and void.
Speaker 2:I was going to go Witcher 3 because at least it's universally above an 8 out of 10. The rest of these games they're very, very 6 out of 10 games. I know that. I think that's fair.
Speaker 1:Let's go with Rise of the Ronin here.
Speaker 2:Let's go with Rise of the Ronin here.
Speaker 1:I'll sleep tonight. Everyone's found that one.
Speaker 4:It has been out many years, hasn't it?
Speaker 2:To be fair, I think that was 2015. So I think it was 10 years old, to be honest, when you said Rise of Ronin.
Speaker 1:I thought you were going to say Rise of the Robots and I was like RGT simmer down.
Speaker 3:Oh, it's a hidden gem.
Speaker 2:It really is All right. So everyone, this part is a crazy one, right. So we have at the number seven spot expeditions. This crazy sounding game was the par lap horse racing challenge and that was. And it's all. Both of these are tied with MLB 24.
Speaker 4:I wonder who that was. Another great guy. Respect that, george.
Speaker 1:Nice choice. I had it a bit higher, but I like what you've done there.
Speaker 2:All right. So, gentlemen, what so, scotty, I want to give the floor to you. You voted for par lap horse racing challenge, now hold on.
Speaker 4:I had to google, I want at least say it of a straight face, ed. Come on, have a. Have a sip of water and try something.
Speaker 1:Challenge yes, tied for number seven that sounds like a voiceover from the game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was trying to use my best gran turismo voice.
Speaker 1:It's great well for the gran turismo of horse racing games. Um, you've got to admit, far lap has shown its teeth. It's an evolution of the g1 jockey series and scott fell in love with it. We both have a soft spot for a horse racing stable simulator.
Speaker 4:Quite, I was gonna say riding, we've got a soft spot for a horse racing stable simulator. I was going to say riding, We've got a soft spot for riding. I was going to say we're both equestrian lovers.
Speaker 1:Make of that what you will. Didn't even know this was a real game, but I as much as I love the idea of Farlap being here, I do believe in fact, I don't believe, I know it to be fact that it is a bastardised port of a mobile game which is available for free of charge. Incorrect, incorrect, okay. So what is it?
Speaker 4:okay, so I knew this was going to come up so I downloaded the game. I downloaded the game. I played it. Completely different, so much more. There's different gameplay is in the control. So on the phone you just tap literally like a rhythm game and that's how you go about your races. That's just the gameplay of the race. So in the actual game I'm defending this to the ground. Hold on, he's on fire.
Speaker 3:We've already lost Charles. He's rolling around the floor, hold on. So you've got stamina. He's got stamina as well. He's got stamina versus Trump.
Speaker 4:Right, you've got stamina as well to manage. You've got all different horses that you can breed. We'll save the breeding for the after 9pm show, because that gets real freaky. But you've got different stables, different trainers. The game is Do you know what? I've actually got one of the actors just with me now. He's just going to say a few words quickly, is that all right? Yeah, straight from one of the actors there, from.
Speaker 1:Farlap Horse Racing Challenge. Straight from the horse's mouth, scott, don't leave a joke on the floor. Straight from the horse's mouth.
Speaker 4:That's it. But I think, right, everyone loves a horse racing game, g1 jockey in the arcade, even at home. Everyone loves it. It has not been. You know, when you get a game which is like a perfect between simulation and arcade a bit like Burnout did for racing games you know you get that crossover. Some people prefer simulation, some people prefer arcade, and Farlap nailed that. So if you're serious and you want to, you're into like your betting and horses and things like that, you've got that management aspect. If you just like the fun racing, it was a hybrid, perfect thing. It just blended those two together and I played that game for like 30, 40 hours, went through all the races, different cups, competitions, there's rivals, there's different awards and parts it's got. It's got a really in-depth story mode. It's got a really good.
Speaker 4:I'm going to say it, it's got a solid career mode.
Speaker 3:Fine, okay, that's Scotty's tirade and you can go online.
Speaker 1:That's Scotty's tirade of praise for Pippa Funnell's horse racing stables. What was the other games?
Speaker 4:I'm sorry, can I just?
Speaker 1:say one more thing Go ahead.
Speaker 4:One more thing, just a quick one. I've got to ask a question to you quickly. Okay, it's a rhetorical question. Okay, what do gay horses eat?
Speaker 1:Hey, that's all I want to say I'm going to have to edit that out, aren't I?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's gone, that's gone I thought we was allowed one.
Speaker 2:I thought, we was allowed one. I said shit at the top of the episode. This is a great. It's another one. Just have to do a disclaimer at the very top viewer. Discretion is advised. Um, all right, so another simulator game expeditions. I'm guessing this is the mud runner game, right, yes, okay, rgt okay. Rgt. Why does this deserve to be in the number seven spot?
Speaker 1:yes, why?
Speaker 3:I put 130 hours into this. Oh my god, oh my god shirtless or fully clothed? Oh no, completely in the bath, does Mrs?
Speaker 1:RGT pull on your nipple rings when you play that to simulate the ground moving beneath you make it more realistic.
Speaker 3:That's the only way.
Speaker 2:That's the only way I play if she's not in, I'm not playing, so no kidding, you got 130 hours out of this. Yes, yes, yes, yes, wow.
Speaker 3:I was a big fan of SnowRunner. Me and George played that a lot online. We really enjoyed that. We had some great times on there, got expeditions. I mean, george didn't bother.
Speaker 1:I've been playing Mud Runner lately BTW.
Speaker 3:Oh really, thanks for letting me know. Wow, I don't even think it's co-op. Oh no, but no, so obviously I followed up with.
Speaker 2:I love Snow Runner so much.
Speaker 3:So I pre-ordered this, played it from day one, really enjoyed it. It's that bit of a twist on it. So it's taken it from the more sort of trucking and in the mud and doing deliveries to going out and doing literally expeditions four-wheel drives, customising them so you can get to different areas, different terrains had a nice twist on the game. There was that much different. That was almost like a new title. Um, I will, and I shouldn't down credit the game that I've put in myself. Um, the, the online mode was. It might be different now I've done a few updates, but for when I did play the online mode was was not great. The online mode they hadn't. It wasn't as good as what snow runner was. They might have as a record. I might have corrected that since then, but as a single-player game I just loved it. I loved plotting the routes. Wow, I'd really customised the four-wheel drive I had to the maximum.
Speaker 1:If I make, if I make it in. I think a lot of the sort of anti-praise that was lumped on the expeditions multiplayer mode was really based around what happened to you and I in snowrunner so it must be a series built into the series is that people weren't progressing their own maps on there if they weren't hosting, and that happened with you and I with snowrunner didn't.
Speaker 3:It did. But this was even worse because it wouldn't. So if you went into a game together and you would say there was a mission to go and get a truck that was drained in a lake, you'd drive all the way out there, block your route, get the truck out, and then, if you didn't get it back to there, you couldn't then just save and then come back and play the game. It'd just reset it.
Speaker 1:It's always. Those games have always been a bit like that, though, haven't they?
Speaker 3:you and I are a bit more used to it, but yeah but you know, don't forget, though, when we play snow runner, we would come halfway back, wouldn't we? And when we stopped, we'd be able to save, come out of the menu, and then we, you couldn't do that, and it was very, almost like special missions, just for a co-op mode that wouldn't affect your single player ways. You wanted to progress together through the modes.
Speaker 1:you see, that's the complaints I heard about.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it was very and that sort of knocked it down a few notches for me, but as a single player game I absolutely loved it. I just got lost in that world where you'd plot your route and you'd go off I mean, some of the missions just to deliver something or collect some data. Some earth seismic data would take me three hours in our time, you know, and I loved it just that. Working your way through and getting fuel and bits. It's brilliant, absolutely brilliant game.
Speaker 4:There was a period on sorry, there's a period on the show where you was talking about it rgt for a few weeks, like very weeks, like very, very passionately, exactly like you are now. So it's good that it's like with these awards. It makes you go back and look and you forget about some of the games. You know it might be months ago and you forget about it. You look back and you realise there was a period where that was all you was obsessed with playing for a good few weeks. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:I think if a game sets out to you know, give you a feeling, or set out to what they want to do, that does it. It wants you to be in the wilderness trying to find your way through, and it does it perfectly. You feel you're alone, you feel you got your truck, you feel you have to try and get some more fuel, and they do it perfectly. Um, so yeah, I think it's like. I say, 130 hours in, I thought it was fantastic game.
Speaker 2:So that was why I think it was worthy of that RGT. One question for the listeners when did you play this on PS5. Okay, gotcha, gotcha.
Speaker 1:Does it have a Switch port? Seriously?
Speaker 4:I think it does. I played one of them, I think, on a Switch SnowRunner on a Switch.
Speaker 1:SnowRunner and MudRunner are on there, but I didn't know if Expeditions has made it. I used to have a lot of screenshots on our Discord, because it does.
Speaker 3:That's another thing.
Speaker 2:It runs really well and it does look really good, so I pulled up the official site for it while you were talking and it's for PC Nintendo Switch, ps4, ps5, xbox One Series S and S.
Speaker 1:Wow, so yeah, expeditions on the Switch. Get me a front row seat to that car, graeme.
Speaker 4:I loved it imagine playing it handheld in a truck.
Speaker 1:Imagine, couldn't get any realistic imagine nailing the Switch to your steering wheel while you're out back playing six axis controls alright, George, you're up.
Speaker 2:Why should MLB24 get the nod over both of these other games?
Speaker 1:It shouldn't, but if you want a passionate defense of this game, I'll give you one Once again. The updates have been updated and the rosters are there. There's been a switch up in your progression through the road to the show mode, which I was grateful for at least. Now I'm a bit maddened. You kind of get a little bit of a rough cut scene of your character doing something different. Uh, you normally just sit in the um stadium locker room and that was about it.
Speaker 1:Other than that, there's there's very few meaningful changes to me. I play as a picture and that feels very stale. I have heard that they're trying to shape it up and rework it for the next iteration, which makes me nervous because I only play it one way and that's like I play MLB, very much like a turn-based Japanese RPG, basically. And if they take that away from me, I will never play it again. And if they take that away from me, I will never play it again. But stacked up against the premium-looking likes of Expeditions, which I doff my cap to and do appreciate as a great game not only gameplay-wise, but in looks.
Speaker 2:May I say something, though before you sacrifice MLB, keep this in mind everyone the top three games have already been decided. The MAF won on those top three, so you can actually have some fight and not save it for those top three, because those have already been decided. Four, five, seven, four, five and seven. The ones we're at right now are the only ones remaining that have a tie.
Speaker 1:Well, I will sacrifice MLB to the Expeditions gods. It's a game that I've had my eye on and I think it's great. As for far lap racing, I don't know. I guess we'll have to push RGT and Scott in a room and let them duck it out. Horsepower versus horsepower.
Speaker 2:Very good. Scotty, you're All right. So Expeditions 130 hours. You played far lap horse racing and you said it was an immaculate 30 hours.
Speaker 4:I want to ask you no, no, I'm preferencing this listen. The only reason why rgt played over 100 hours is because he forgot to turn off the playstation. He left it running that's a fair point that's a fair point.
Speaker 2:So, guys, um, would y'all like to tie and then have a 0.5 deficit going into the rest of the, the rest of the categories going forward? Listen.
Speaker 4:I played MLB the show. I'm assuming it's the show. I thought it was a cracking game. Now I just really wanted to. I know Farlap's not going to win. I just wanted to raise awareness for what a great title it is. I feel like I've achieved.
Speaker 4:He's so humble, Fine it's winning is I feel like I have achieved so humble, fine, it's winning. I feel like, no. I feel like I've come on and I've raised awareness for far lap horse racing challenge. Everyone's heard it. Go and play it now. I'm happy to put it to one side. We can move on and you two can decide which game goes forward.
Speaker 2:Fine in that case it's expeditions hey, sounds good to me, wonder winner chicken dinner. All right, so moving on. Now we have a another three-way tie between ship of fools an excellent game, if I do say so myself yakuza like a dragon, if you know the original one, not infinite wealth and bellatro oh everyone oh big, and we're now getting into some heavy hitters. Hang on.
Speaker 1:Let me do the noble and decent thing. Look at this. Yakuza is done. It was not this year's game, it was the previous year. Yeah, I loved it. I thought it was great. Actually, 2020, by the way, george Ugh, it shows how long I've been playing it. I racked up an insane amount of hours on that bad boy. In the end Listen, in the end I was sick of it, but when I've called on reflection, yes, it was nice. Do I like the JRPG turn? It's taken? Not exactly, but it does make it more of a a couch play, less stressful game, which I can see would attract a larger audience. But, um, yeah, for the sake of it not really being a modern title, I'm quite happy to slit its throat at the foot of Mount Solaire.
Speaker 2:All right. So that leaves Ship of Fools, which was nominated by Scotty, and Bellatro, which was nominated by myself. Before we begin RGT, do you have a tie-breaking vote here?
Speaker 3:You know I haven't played any of these either. Vote here. You know I haven't played any of these either. I would say out of the two if I was gonna, if, if I had to go between ship of fools or black tro, what I was gonna play. Um, black tro, being poker based, is not really my sort of game, even though people say it's a very addictive game. It's a very that sort of roguelike element to a card game. But I've always been interested, ever since I saw Scotty show Ship of Fools on his channel. So if I had to pick a game to play now I would pick Ship of Fools.
Speaker 1:But whether that sways the boat or not, oh, okay, so it's down to Ship of Fools versus Bellatro.
Speaker 2:Yes, George, your tie-breaking vote. What say you everyone?
Speaker 1:I can help persuade you no, I'm gonna, I'm lobbing it out there. I actually think, yeah, scotty, give your, give me your kind of, give me your pitch, I'll give you a quick little 90 second great game, everybody gather around. Scotty's got a great game, best game ever man.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna ask a favor. Can you give permissions on the call for me to show a video.
Speaker 1:I thought I already had, but, yes, two seconds, leave it with me, thank you.
Speaker 4:So Bellatro is a very, very good game, and rightly so. It's had all of its praises and got everything it deserves. So at the end of the day, is it going to benefit from a ucp poncy sticker on its box? On the cover? Of course it would.
Speaker 4:We're the biggest show out there yeah, that's the highest exactly however, team 17 ship of falls is going to be the lesser known team 17 do not miss a beat. I'm not even going to name some of their titles. They are the king of putting big swings up on that base. Hit that one in the crowd with your mlb game. They hit it out the park every single time. They do not miss a trick and that game is absolutely solid in terms of not just co-op, but you can have as much fun playing it on your own, like I did.
Speaker 4:It's just a hell of a lot more challenging. It's a really, really good road like game um, and I did so many runs on it again. I probably did 30, 40 hours on it and I still I got to the final boss only a few times. There's so much replayability. It's such a genius game and I quite like some of these um, just say Nordic, what you call the sort of sea life, not aquatic, but you know I mean those sort of nautical. That's the right one, isn't it? Those games? They are really fun sea shanties if anyone's listening right now, and they're parked up or in a safe place just while I'm waffling on, check the trailer out and you'll be swerved straight away.
Speaker 4:It's a really, really good game. Anyone that plays it goes. One more run, one more run. It's the sort of game that makes you late for work or late for school goal because you won't be going to bed on time. As soon as you play it and finish a run, you'll go. Oh, maybe if I did this, I had a different loadout or a different perk. It's really, really good. It's punishing if you make the wrong mistake, but it's a perfect balance where it's not too hard but there's enough challenge. Um, I honestly could talk about it for a very long time, but I feel like that's enough out there to to tell you what's up, baby, I baby, I like that.
Speaker 2:I like that. Speaking of a game, that makes me say one more run on a lot of different platforms. As you said, multi-award winner Bellatro has taken the hearts of millions. You can play it on mobile now, which you know. It won Apple's Game of the Year this year.
Speaker 2:So we're going to say it's a mobile game and that's what we had against first came out first came out on pc, by the way, first came out on pc made by one guy as well. So, wow, speaking to the heart of rgt made by one game guy also. You know, multi-million dollar game now also has a collaboration with tons of other indie projects. It put so much on the map that other indies, higher indies, david the Diver, you name it said hey, we got to work with this guy. Can we put our faces on your cards?
Speaker 2:Going forward, bellatro is a game that I think, I think like. Even if you don't like poker, the roguelike elements make you want to play more of it. It made people who don't even like doing math actually want to do math. It is an incredible, incredible piece of art. It is one of those games to where I think, like I. If there's only one game I would dominate this year for the hall of fame, I think it'd be bellatro, because I think, like I, I do think, out of all the games we we're going to talk about going forward in this episode today, bellatro is the only one that I think like has a a good shot at being a game of the decade contender, like one of those games to where, wow, no, I'm like yeah.
Speaker 2:Like one of those games to where wow, no, I'm yeah like one of those games to where, like, if we look back from the in, you know, 2030, and we said what was the most revolutionary games of the of the 2020s, I think belatro is going to come up on a lot more people's list than any other game yeah, or you know I mean I might be being a bit salty yeah, I might be being a bit salty because I had a bit of a bad experience with Bellatro, because I played strip Bellatro with Pasta.
Speaker 4:Obviously it didn't end well. That's probably why I'm being a bit biased.
Speaker 1:It did end well for one of you though.
Speaker 4:Yeah, Pasta had a good time. I ended up with a pink eye again. Who's the real loser All?
Speaker 2:right, everyone. Would you like to tell you your vote? Scotty, are you sticking with your guns here?
Speaker 4:um, I I am aware that it won so many awards last year that it does deserve really to be higher up in any award list. So with that, he's still thinking about that pink eye. With that, I'm happy to pass Bellatro through. I just think Ship of Fools is a hidden gem. Maybe you guys will play it and it will be on your 2025.
Speaker 3:Well, the only reason I haven't played Ship of Fools yet is because I just forgot to buy it. But you've just reminded me.
Speaker 2:I'm going to pass. I'm actually going to do the opposite. I'm going to pass Ship of Fools through because I've played both of these games and, scotty, I love your humble nature here and I do think Ship of Fools is an underrated game that people should check out, and Bellatro has gotten many awards, so I'm passing Ship of Fools through everyone. So our number 5, number 4 of 5 category, can we have a?
Speaker 1:can we just have, for the late arrivals, a recap up until number five? Sounds good. We're halfway now, aren't we? So let's just see what we've already put through this pile of mediocrity that we've already selected at number 10, we have space marine 2.
Speaker 2:At number 9, we have dave 2. At number 9, we have Dave the Diver. At number 8, rise of the Ronin Gosh Expedition got our number 7. Spot Ship of Fools has number 6. And number 5, we are going to hit the real murderer's row before we get to some of the heavyweight contenders. Gentlemen, how are you feeling about our list so far?
Speaker 4:I think it's solid.
Speaker 1:I think In a universe where solid is a different matter, yeah, for sure I'm living in a world where I'm very glad, based on what Scotty just said about the Christmas activities at the Longhorn Ranch that we got out. But other than that I'm some of the picks. You know I could tell who's they are on the way in. But up until this point I've been very pleased by the games that have been put forward and mentioned. I like everyone's impassioned defence, apart from me, who's just rolled over like a scared dog. At every single point of opposition has come my way. But you know I'm playing the long game. If I get to number four spot you're done, guys. Basically.
Speaker 2:He has been very gracious. You know he's been very gracious.
Speaker 1:Let's hit it. What's number five then? What's the score here? Seb, Take it away.
Speaker 2:Seb keely okay, all right, so I this one's gonna be crazy, all right. So number five we have horizon forbidden west path of exile 2, undisputed v rising and Vampire Survivors.
Speaker 1:Which one of those was mine. I've got two in it.
Speaker 2:I don't think you had a dog in this race, George.
Speaker 1:Because you were so humble on the way in then, wasn't it, vampire?
Speaker 4:Survivors was last year as well, I think at the Ponzi's, so that's again a two-time. That's a returning contender.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So to break it down a little bit, break it down, let's see. Let me make sure I have this correct. All right, rgt voted for Horizon, which didn't surprise me. I think he was loving that game, like this year, right, mm-hmm?
Speaker 1:You've played Forbidden West, now finished it.
Speaker 2:Did you finish Horizon Forbidden West Me yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah finished it, it was good.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's amazing.
Speaker 1:Just for my own personal intrigue have you got Burning Shores yet?
Speaker 3:I have, but I haven't played it yet.
Speaker 1:Play it before you get skill fade. Uh, I have, but I haven't played it yet. Play it before you get skill fade. Play it before you get skill fade because everything is you did say that to be fair everything is apexed and if you go back to it after, you're gonna get absolutely hounded, you're gonna get wrecked yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So give me one second, everybody all right. So all right, here we go. Rgc had Forbidden West Path of Exile was Bobby, Undisputed. Marathon Gaming V Rising was myself and Bobby also had Vampire Survivors.
Speaker 3:I had that as well. Vampire Survivors.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the reason why I got up here, because two people voted for it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think me and Bobby. We've been on it, played it the last two or three months, I think yeah, which is obviously why we, we were.
Speaker 2:I told you I love vampire survivors yes, I'd.
Speaker 3:Originally I'd sort of got into that um, um style of gameplay when scott had recommended to me bro tato and apps. Oh, it just got me hooked. And then vampire survivors was out and I carried on with bro t got me hooked and then Vampire Survivors was out and I carried on with Bro Tato for ages. And then once I jumped on because Seb had recommended Vampire Survivors yeah, that game is so addictive for just using one analogue stick. Yeah, that game is Dick knows how to. It. Is that one more play game? It is, yeah, superb. It is that one more play game?
Speaker 1:It is super. Yeah, did you say it knows or dick knows? Sorry, did you say it knows or dick knows?
Speaker 3:Sorry, what would you think I said?
Speaker 1:Dick knows.
Speaker 3:No, well, I said it knows. Okay, are you sure?
Speaker 1:No reason to drop that in there, but my God, I know a guy called Richard Knows and I just wondered if you knew him.
Speaker 3:No, no, I'm not familiar with Dick.
Speaker 1:Okay, it's the Ponce, isn't it? It's the Ponce, it's going to get silly.
Speaker 3:It's going to get silly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but have fun. Talk to yourself at 4am.
Speaker 3:Do I have to push the case for Forbidden West as well?
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, you do.
Speaker 3:None of us have played this indie. Yeah, forbidden West to me, is the ultimate and best open world RPG ever made. Yeah, wow, off-played, without a doubt, it's the best looking. It's the nice, unique story that carries on from the first game. It's so well acted. The controls are really good. It's again a beautiful game to look at, great, yeah, even to the stage where Mrs RGT would come in the room and look and just say, wow, that is superb on the PS5. That looks fantastic and I just think, yeah, it's. I've played a lot of Assassin's Creed games. I've played a lot of open world games, but this one. I'd loved Horizon Zero Dawn, but george always said to me, once you play forbidden west seriously, you won't you pay forbidden west. And yeah, he was absolutely 100 right and, like I say, the best open world rpg I have ever played, just a complete rounder, superb.
Speaker 3:So vampire survivors was, uh, yeah, I've always said that uh, breath of the world was my ultimate, but I so Vampire Survivors was. Yeah, I've always said that Breath of the Wild was my ultimate, but I think when you can take it to the next level, like this game does through acting, which obviously Zelda doesn't have, through the graphical style, it is just phenomenal that game. And I've spoken to people before who are big fans of Assassin's Creed and things and I've said, seriously, if you love Assassin's Creed Origins, this game is for you. If you like the open world, assassin's Creed, whoever, this gameplay is, by the way.
Speaker 1:They're playing it like me. They're going full on everything.
Speaker 2:I love it this is my gameplay by the way is.
Speaker 3:It is this how you play it.
Speaker 1:yeah, for sure, perfect.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's brilliant, absolutely brilliant game and I know I've got two votes in this and I love them for different reasons, but you know superb.
Speaker 1:Which one of your two.
Speaker 2:Which one of your children are you keeping?
Speaker 3:Yeah, forbidden West. Forbidden West, vampire Survivors is gone wow so what's left in this? What's left?
Speaker 1:in the fight then. So we've got Horizon Forbidden West versus.
Speaker 4:I'll tell you what's left in the fight. The most anticipated boxing game of a generation wow that's what we're going with this one, yeah, undisputed that link was seamless. Listen Now I can't, you know, say anything negative about what RGT has just said there about that game, and I was about to praise it.
Speaker 4:Then I remembered hold on a minute. I'm still in this race, undisputed Now. Everyone loved the Fight Night franchise Fight fight night champion arguably one of the greatest of the franchise, and that came out back in 2011. It was such a long time since we had another boxing game. People like myself traded the game in re-bought it, traded it in, re-brought it about three times. It got ditched by ea. They went on to do ufc as it got more popular. We waited so so long for a fighting game. It was rumored for years, I would say probably since about 2015. It was you have another game. They finally came it come with such a high expectation. Of course, people are going to moan about it and say it's not quite what it should have been, igt yourself included. But we're still friends. It's fine. Don't hold it against you Now. Online, I agree it is very, very glitchy, but to play it just solo on yourself offline career mode solid.
Speaker 4:I am a multi-weight divisional champion. People will argue that there's not enough boxers in the franchise. Now you've got to think how much money and licensing there is to get all those boxers on there. Um, it would cost a hell of a lot of money and there is still. In each weight division there's like 10 you know, licensed boxers. Of course you get the odd fantasy mixed match one and there's a few legends. But that's what you want. Sometimes you want to get a legend in there.
Speaker 4:But I've done heavy. I've done heavyweight championship, cruiserweight, welterweight, featherweight. I've played it again for a good 20, 30 hours. I even thought about going for the platinum, going for silly things like 10,000 jabs. I thought it was a really, really solid game. There could have been more mini games with training and stuff like that, but in terms of if you wanted to scratch that itch, which you haven't had since Fight Night Champion, it delivered. I've tried lots of indie games in terms of boxing and not one of them has been able to come close. Is it what we wanted? Perhaps not. Are we satisfied with it? Yes, I'm just grateful that someone brought this to the table and I just think it hasn't got the respect it deserves. I think it's a real, real solid game up against horizon. Yeah, of course it's going to struggle, but you know, if you want to make a subcategory for best sports game, I'll put that and file that horse race challenge straight at the top to be fair last year, um, to go over some things from last year.
Speaker 2:Last year we did have some categories that we voted for to kind of flesh the award show out a little bit. That was to appease the sponsors. Seb, yeah, that's for sure. You got to go where the money takes you.
Speaker 4:You got to go where the money takes you. The Saudis in Riyadh have got a lot of money. So you know, sometimes, guys, you've just got to say I'd sell out for sure For what my humble opinion is worth.
Speaker 1:Horizon Forbidden West. I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought it was a gangbusters game, but has it shot its bolt? I think it might have done.
Speaker 2:Undisputed is RGT or the game Shot its bolt, that's fine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, rgt's a withered husk. He's shot his bolt that many times over the last year that he there's nothing left of him.
Speaker 3:he's a desiccated coconut pile I have played both this year. Um, I bought undisputed day one. We were lucky enough to have early access to that at wasd live. Yeah, um, which showed great potential when we played it. There was something there. What came out wasn't that. In my opinion it was. If this game came out 15 years ago, it would have been a great game. On the system it was on, I found it quite shallow. I found the career mode very. There was not enough depth, One dimensional. Yes, you know, you didn't have very many arenas. The cut scenes were all a bit the same when you knock someone down After a while. I played all day through and got world champion defended. I'd done all that. I put a good 20 hours in I think 15, 20 hours and I did enjoy the game. But I think if that game had come out at 25, 30 bucks, I think it would have been about where that was. I think it only done as well as it did because it was the only boxer game there was.
Speaker 1:So where is this settling down? Because is this the last two titles we've got in this race?
Speaker 2:Seb, Give me one second I'm working some magic here.
Speaker 4:RGT, if you played it in a hot tub with a jar of peanut butter, would you think any highly of it? Oh God, yeah.
Speaker 2:Is peanut Butter that much a commodity?
Speaker 1:Is it on Switch Scott?
Speaker 4:No, this may be the only non-Switch game that I actually brought to the table.
Speaker 2:I don't speak volumes.
Speaker 4:Do you know what? I played Undisputed and Spider-Man 2 this year and one of them made this list and the other didn't. That's mind-boggling.
Speaker 2:You put Undisputed and Spider-Man 2 this year and one of them made this list and the other didn't. That's mind-boggling.
Speaker 3:You've put Undisputed on and not Spider-Man 2.
Speaker 2:That is mind-boggling y'all.
Speaker 4:Stay in school. Kids Stay in school.
Speaker 3:That's a great thing about games, though, isn't it? Because some things you know hit harder for some. Yeah, they do you know they hit harder for some yeah, they do you know it's brilliant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely brilliant, Give me one second. Y'all my UCP's own sorting hat. There in his Hogwarts hoodie he's deciding which one of these games is going to go through, and I don't know what is. Which one it is.
Speaker 2:Well, all right. So we have we have Horizon Forbidden West Path. Well, all right. So we have. Um, we have horizon forbidden west path of exile 2, undisputed v rising and vampire survivors. I think v rising is better than a lot of these, but I'm going to take my my pick off the board here. Um, I want to throw something out here. So horizon forbidden west won our game of the year a couple years years ago, so can we remove that one from the board?
Speaker 3:I was late to it. So yeah, that's why.
Speaker 2:I think not so most. Bobby voted for Path of XL2, but that's an early access game, so can we move that from the board?
Speaker 1:Yeah, if it's not finished.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think this comes down to Undisputed versus vampire survivors at this point. Uh, you know, I think the passion there is there for undisputed Um, but on the other hand, two people voted for vampire survivors.
Speaker 4:And, in all due respect, not everyone's a boxing fan and they are quite niche. You know that sort of title, so it might upset a lot of people if it goes through, but hey.
Speaker 1:Well, before we get to the top three, we could just run through some categories. What's our best sports game? All that sort of jazz, what do you reckon? Yeah? That comes down to MLB and this then and college football if we drag it out of the honorable mentions. No, no, no, no, I'm horse racing and hello kitty roller cruiser I think, okay, so full disclosure.
Speaker 2:Everyone, like he voted for undisputed pretty high. You voted for mlb pretty high. Under, like college football was my number 10, so I'm like I it was on the outside looking in, so I would probably move college football from that.
Speaker 4:Let's do rock paper scissors.
Speaker 1:No hang on a minute because Undisputed is our top sports game of the year, based on that math, speaking of MLB and the others, and therefore Vampire Survivors becomes our, even though that's a 400-year-old game. Vampire Survivors becomes our fifth game. Seb, are we at?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's fifth, let me type that down. Sports game of the year.
Speaker 4:Scott's happy.
Speaker 1:I'm happy.
Speaker 4:Eddie Hearn's happy.
Speaker 3:He needs an eating game.
Speaker 4:He needs an eating game that's all I need to do is get it in the charts, and then it looks like I'm going to be granted that big fight against marathon gaming versus jake paul coming soon on netflix oh, you destroy him.
Speaker 2:God, you, man. That's a lot of exercise. There's a lot of exercise, all right. So our last and final time before we get down to the nitty gritty, the big three as I like to call it.
Speaker 4:All right, this one is going to be like he's not ready for it.
Speaker 2:I'm not, I'm really not.
Speaker 4:It's like he just looked and realized what was there.
Speaker 2:I think one of these should automatically be eliminated, but you know we'll get to this All right. So we have silent hill two. We have Star Wars Outlaws Under the Waves, red Dead Redemption Re-released on the Switch, and metaphor Re-Fantasio oh come on, get rid of the waves and strays and let's get this down.
Speaker 1:It should be higher. Can I use my half vote? Oh wait, I saved earlier. Moonfest. Star Wars Outlaws up to number three, or is this at seven?
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no, this is number four, yeah, it should be seventh.
Speaker 4:You said George, seven out of ten game. It was on the thumbnail this is number four, by the way.
Speaker 2:So I'm like hmm, In George's defense, he set up a lot of goodwill. He did set up a lot of goodwill. Has anyone ever you know, before we get started with the debate, though, has anyone played any other game on this list?
Speaker 1:What were they? Again, Because I saw.
Speaker 2:I heard Star wars outlaws seven after me I flatlined yeah, star wars, uh, metaphor, re-fantasio um random redemption and re-released. For the switch it was specified the switch version silent hills 2, star wars outlaws and under the waves um, under the waves was mine.
Speaker 3:I've played Red Dead originally two or three times through when it was originally released in about 1937, but I haven't played the Switch version.
Speaker 4:Game in a decade.
Speaker 1:To be honest, weighing in for what it's worth. I've got the Switch version and it plays really well. It's a full-fat, no compromise. Admittedly it's a 360 PS3 era game, but it's a full fat, no compromise. Admittedly it's a 360 ps3 or a game, but it's a full fat, no compromise game as well. And it does look incredible. Uh, and if the switch is lacking, kind of gritty, open world as this, this scratches that itch really really well. Um, they're missing a GTA. They've got this GTA 4? I don't they need that. It's not easily dismissed, is it?
Speaker 4:If you line people up, it's 20 tiers. Look, if you went through a dozen games and you said which one of these is the most memorable or greatest memories with, I guarantee you over 90% of them would choose Red.
Speaker 1:Dead.
Speaker 4:Redemption.
Speaker 3:Star Wars no. Red Dead Redemption is an absolutely fantastic game.
Speaker 4:Look up the reviews for Star Wars Outlaws and look up the reviews for Red Dead Redemption and I'll rest my case, god.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's a good point. That is a good point. I'm sure they'll play Red Dead Redemption on all these games. But then again you told me it was the Switch version.
Speaker 4:I was like, oh God, please, no, Listen put your cowboy hat on pour the bath, get your peanut butter out and play it on the go, vertically, horizontally, whatever way you want. You can play it in your loft, you can play it in your conservatory Wonder where that was going. Then you can play it anywhere and it plays fantastic, fantastic On the Switch. Over 30 hours I was on that, I completed it and I was still running around.
Speaker 2:You're not even playing with the right button layout, so when can I A and B, X and Y? All of it's backwards.
Speaker 1:There is that, but when can I do my?
Speaker 2:That's true. He's got a point there. He got me on that one. All right, George, would you like to pitch on Star Wars hat?
Speaker 1:laws? Of course I would. A long time ago, in a galaxy far away sometime in the 70s, there were a cult of people born that were raised up in the Star Wars ethos. Now that lore surrounds us, it binds us, it holds the galaxy together, and for years we've waited for this opportunity to skip through the sounds of Tatooine at our own leisure. We want to be able to take stormtroopers down. We want to be in the Star Wars universe, but not necessarily a Jedi. We want to be a scoundrel, we want to be a rogue.
Speaker 1:That's probably the best content you've ever submitted to the show RGT, so keep it up. Wow, the game for me was the ultimate Star Wars sandbox. Yeah, if you don't like Star Wars, then yes, star Wars has took one hell of a kick in since it moved to Disney and maybe before, but with all that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. I'm gagging to get my disc drive for the pro so I can go in and play dlc. I'm even tempted to buy it again digitally just so I can get on with uh facing the mighty lando today.
Speaker 1:Oh, what's this like a blooper reel where she just constantly oh no, it's playing. Okay, now, this is this is my gameplay for it. Nice, okay. Well, as you can see, I think it looks great. The open world, the, the way that you can just indulge those fantasies, uh, you can place the back, you can do literally anything you want to do, and I thought the story actually when it finished was pretty half decent. It didn't have the weight of Jedi Fallen Order, but does everything need to be that weighty to be enjoyable?
Speaker 3:is it better than Jedi Fallen Order?
Speaker 1:it's not better than Fallen Order, but it's better than Survivor so it's not even the best oh no, knights of the Old Republic is still sitting right there.
Speaker 2:One and two.
Speaker 4:Was it made by Rockstar? No, this is Ubisoft.
Speaker 1:I've got a full voting point to use here. He really does.
Speaker 2:He really does. He's stacked up this goodwill fam. He's using it. He's cashing in money in the bank right now.
Speaker 4:Look, look, at the end of the day. Rgt said that george is director of the show and we know um the old salary reviews are coming up, so let's maybe just keep quiet and just let him have this one I'm gonna be I'm gonna be fair here, as the host of it, george, is cashed in and I'm and I'm marking it down right here 1.5 markers of the vote.
Speaker 2:So he almost has two votes left.
Speaker 1:oh, that was never my scum or villainy can I be cautious?
Speaker 3:can I just put a little um video out for my uh under the way under the waves.
Speaker 2:Yeah sure, give me one second, let me pull it up, all right how many snore noises do I hear during your uh?
Speaker 1:I'll tell you what mine was the most impassionate one and it actually flowed. It went from galaxy. As I was saying it, I was like this is gold and you were like you were just killing me.
Speaker 3:I was like you were literally in salesman mode selling the game a seven out of ten because you've got glasses on for star wars while I pull up the the video for under the waves, can you?
Speaker 2:can you at least tell people what um stores outlaws is about, for the people who don't know what stores outlaws is?
Speaker 1:You're a rogue cave S. You're out there, um, you're trying to set up the biggest heist uh ever in the history of you in your life, without giving too much away. That, at least that's the opening blurb. Uh, and for that reason, those kind of roguish activities are what really makes the game. It's set between the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, so you can visit Jabba's Palace and look at Han frozen in carbonite on the wall. You can fight a Rancor, you can even go and have a little snoop around Luke's Tatooine home. It is the best Star Wars game ever made.
Speaker 4:I was with you until I went yeah yeah, best Star Wars game ever made. In 10 years' time, if you said to people will you remember Star Wars Outlaws? They're going to go. Which one was that? But it's already been 10 years and you could say do you remember Red Dead Redemption? And they'll go. What a game, exactly.
Speaker 3:Now, as you can see on here, playing is under the waves. Now this isn't a game which is used, an engine from an open world system they've used for about 20 years using a popular ip. This is a game.
Speaker 1:It was a mistake to go teeth out for outlaws, because what you've shown me there is you're scared.
Speaker 3:No, I'll tell you. What I'm showing you is this is my number one game. This is my number one game Because it's a beautiful story. It's about a man who's troubled mentally, who is going down under the ocean to do his job, to work for the rigs, and you can see, between doing your work and living his troubled life, the issues that he faces. So you have that coalition between doing your daily work and also trying to get him to deal with the issues that have been facing him for a few years. Beautifully done, looks, really good. I love the world. It's unique. They've tried something different and the story's just very well written. It's lovely, acted and what I always say, especially like expeditions, if a game sets out to give you a feeling, this one was to be alone and solitude and be completely detached from everyone, and this game does it. Um, I thought it was brilliant. I think it's very, very underrated. Not enough people have played this game what platform is it on rgt?
Speaker 3:that's on ps5. If you've got the premium, you can download this for free. So it's on the premium, it's on every platform.
Speaker 2:I think it's available. I don't know about switch because I don't keep up with switch like that, but I know it's on pretty much every other.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's, it's, let me, it's different and that's why I like the game. It's. It's a different, it's a different story in a different setting, and I thought it was fantastic. It had me very close to tears at points, and I think when a game can do that, when it's telling you the story, then there's something special about that game.
Speaker 4:You were chopping onions again, were you, while you were playing it yes, may I make a suggestion everyone?
Speaker 1:can I just say one thing, my piece, if I may. We had to give our GTs time because that was his number one game. But Seb, what was my number one game?
Speaker 4:it was Outlaws as well and what was my number one game, seb? It was.
Speaker 2:Raid to Redemption for the Switch. Oh, my yeah this is Murder's Row and also my number one game was Metaphor, refantagio.
Speaker 1:But who's got voting rights?
Speaker 2:left. Now here's what I'm proposing, though everyone All right.
Speaker 1:So here's how I think this is going to play out. Let me tell you how it's going to play out. Hold on, hold on.
Speaker 2:Hold on, hear me out. All right. Silent Hill 2, you. You know, bobby's vote is going to win horror game of the year for the UCP awards. Yes, under the waves, I'm going to give narrative game of the year. Red Dead Redemption 2 so sweet Switch game of the year.
Speaker 4:Yeah, oh no yeah, better than Tears of the Kingdom, better than any of those Mario IPs, he's not wrong. Oh no, yeah, better than Tears of the Kingdom.
Speaker 2:Better than any of those Mario IPs. He's not wrong. Switch, I think that's absolutely okay, but all right. And then I'm going to put RPG of the year to Metaphor Re-Fantasio.
Speaker 3:Oh, well done.
Speaker 2:I thought you were gonna say so and then star wars outlaws is going to be our fourth game.
Speaker 1:I fought hard for it to be number four on this list. Let you just remember that. And out there, if you're watching star wars nerds, come support me on the discord, because it's obviously you don't like the game and the only reason I'm giving it outlaws, because this, this is not.
Speaker 4:It doesn't taste good, but george does have two months I was about to run over, to be honest and throw it in the bin and I haven't had to use it yet, so you better be nervous oh no, that can't, oh, no like no, this is you?
Speaker 2:cashed me in now all of it, cashed it in oh yeah, I mean it doesn't matter. 1, 2 and 3 have already decided oh this is a hill worth dying on, then yeah, yeah, so like this is the final, I've never fought so hard for 4th place in my life look how happy he is look at him sitting there all royal, regal.
Speaker 4:Look at him, glowing from ear to ear, grinning.
Speaker 1:I am just stoked that this game, actually, in our recognition of it through my own hard work and childishness, has actually crawled itself into the number four position.
Speaker 3:If you love a game and it's not their fair play, you loved it.
Speaker 1:You enjoyed it it was your little baby, you enjoyed it. It was your little baby, you enjoyed it. It was freaking great, so good.
Speaker 2:It was so good, it's going to kill off a company.
Speaker 3:I don't think it's responsible for that. It was so good.
Speaker 1:Ubisoft is about to die and get bought up. Rest in peace. Assassin's Creed Rogue.
Speaker 3:I love you keep doing this.
Speaker 1:It's for the YouTube video. You've got to do the throat shot. Give them a reason to go there.
Speaker 2:It was so good it killed off an entire company. Everybody. Are you ready for the big three? I am here we go come on, come on.
Speaker 4:Are we having a recap countdown or are we going straight in?
Speaker 1:let's do a recap countdown let's do a recap countdown at two and then we'll sort of maybe have a little guessing game which is two and one oh okay, vodka. Yeah, it's the only thing that's got me through this to be fair, if you're listening if you're listening or watching at home and you're under the age of 18, go grab your parents vodka from the cabinet drink responsibly. Everyone, here we go, yeah, I was gonna say that's monetization gone if you earned it, you're earned it if you're not say crazy stuff.
Speaker 2:All All right, everybody, here we go. Does anyone want to take a guess? Our third place spot, rotator. Okay, that's a good guess, Dredge.
Speaker 4:Dredge. Yeah, I was going to say dredge.
Speaker 2:No, no, our number third spot goes to can y'all see it? I'm waiting for it. Yes, it is dredge. No, our number third spot goes to Can you all see it? I'm waiting for it? Yes, it is dread everyone.
Speaker 4:And that is a two-time Ponzi-ranked game. This was featured in 2024. Sorry, 2023. I made the list and now it's back with a bang. Is it moved higher up the list in 2024?
Speaker 3:It probably is Virtual high-five. Scott Virtual high-five.
Speaker 4:But in terms of DLC, yeah right, back up your RGT.
Speaker 1:What a game this beats Star Wars Outlaws exactly that's the way he thinks about it, doesn't he?
Speaker 3:the funny thing is this Star Wars Outlaws is that high to start with.
Speaker 1:It's even on the list this is the day where the show fragments. I go off and you guys just do what you do. I can't even contemplate this anymore.
Speaker 3:That's a brilliant, brilliant game.
Speaker 2:So everybody, you know, when I first saw the list and this was the point in the list where I was like oh God, we're recapping a lot of old games but then I thought to myself I'm like I should be proud of myself because I put these guys on to dredge yes, I talked to dredge up.
Speaker 3:And I was like well, you got me on dredge, and then I got Scott on dredge. Yeah, that's how it followed along. Yeah, am I the new?
Speaker 2:pastor.
Speaker 1:That's what I thought to myself have you ever not been pastor?
Speaker 2:Oh, that's the deep cut. That's the deep cut. I was just like I was just like I.
Speaker 4:Guys, before this game I didn't know what the word dredge meant. I thought it was either a haircut or a long leather coat? I didn't know. I had to get the dictionary. So also educational, educational game of the year.
Speaker 2:So everyone you know Scotty voted for this. Rgt voted really high for this as well. Do y'all want to talk about why y'all voted high for this game?
Speaker 1:I want to talk about this third place cover. I love it.
Speaker 2:Oh, do you like this? By the way, I love it.
Speaker 1:This has added another level of production value to the Ponzi's that I could never achieve, so I'm very happy it looks great.
Speaker 2:So guys never achieved, so I'm very happy, it looks great so guys, what do y'all think?
Speaker 3:you voted for, it got third place. How you feeling right now? Go on rgt. Um for me. Um, I think it is again. I think it's what some of these indie devs do. They, they have an idea and they run with it, and they do it differently. You haven't always got to do an open world rpg. You ain't always got to do turn based. You ain't always got to do a sports game. They had no idea and they went with it.
Speaker 3:And if you talk to anyone and say, well, you know what's this game about, you say, oh well, you're on a fishing boat and you're catching fish. You're like, oh well, that sounds boring. No, it isn't. Artistically, it looks good. It runs really well. It's got a very lovely almost storybook story to it. But then you've got things added in like upgrades. You want to grind a bit to upgrade your boat and upgrade what you can catch and then and I just think that they lure you into that world I think it's a lovely world you want to try and upgrade your engines to get to further islands, to then progress the story more. Um, and if it's a game for me, if it's a game that you just keep thinking about during the day and you want to come home from work and you want to put on and try and progress some more and you just love it that much, then I think it's got to be in the top three and and dredge is for me scott, what about you?
Speaker 4:say no more. He summed up perfectly that the game is beautiful and when you even describe the game or people see it, they think, oh, that just looks really relaxing, lovely story. There's loads of upgrades. I remember when rgt described it he said it again it was a perfect balance. Where it gets challenging, but then it's sort of there's a little carrot dangled. You're able to work out what to do, upgrade your ship, you know, upgrade things to carry on. You end up going further out and being able to explore even further of the um of the story. And that's without getting on to the main twist in the tower that there's actual. There's a monster out there, guys hunting you when it's dark. So it's so much originality to it it really is, and it's kind of it's not been done before, but not even close. There's nothing like this nothing. It's a really really before, but not even close. There's nothing like this Nothing.
Speaker 4:It's a really really solid standalone inventive game, very creative, very beautiful artwork. It's so original and again, it's a bit of a hidden gem for a lot of people, even though it's been around for a long time. And look how well it's supported with the DLCs and crossovers. It's phenomenal. Honestly, I can't say a bad word about it. I've got a friend who's played so many hours because he's trying to get every single fish species he did. This is go-to game, you know, like animal crossing. He's done the story but he's just playing it each night, plugging away because that's, you know, that's his go-to game.
Speaker 3:So I think you're right with. If it weren't for the the show and having to swap games a bit, I I would have done the same thing. That game hooked me in that much Pardon the pun that I would have done that. I was going to be looking at getting all the fish, doing everything, getting the platinum, but obviously I moved on to different games, you know. So that's it, and it's on Switch, have you?
Speaker 2:played Dredge, yet why Dredge? Yeah, have you played this? I didn't vote for this, this, no. No, I know you didn't vote for it, but have you played it?
Speaker 1:I haven't actually. No, I've had it on my. I've had it on the back burner for a while it's. It's always intrigued me. I've just never got around to it. I don't object to it being here at all. I mean the fact that it's a double timetime top 10 award nominee at the Ponzi's. It shouldn't make me angry. It speaks for itself. If cream rises to the top, it does. It makes me a little bit intrigued to see Knights of the Old Republic in at one, Halo 2 in at two.
Speaker 4:I'm pretty sure it's also got the mummy mummy sticker, I think.
Speaker 2:On the case guys it also like it did, one of the things that kind of like made me chuckle while I was calculating all the like, tallies and all that kind of stuff is like you know I mean aquatic based games are in this list this year like between under the waves dredge, dave the diver, I've got one, two, three.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I've got three in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was just like wow, Too much time in speedos.
Speaker 4:It's dry January, so you've got to get some moisture somewhere, haven't you?
Speaker 2:All right guys.
Speaker 4:Are you?
Speaker 2:all ready for the number two spot.
Speaker 4:Make it rain, baby. I'm intrigued.
Speaker 1:I'm nervously excited about what this might be.
Speaker 4:I'm damp at the pants.
Speaker 2:Anybody got any guesses?
Speaker 1:Well, seeing as we're stratospherically high above my Star Wars Outlaws, which is my number one, I can't even begin to imagine what you bunch of Neanderthals have put through higher than that, honestly. Okay, hell Divers 2, I should imagine.
Speaker 2:God, can you imagine, Scotty, your guess you got anything.
Speaker 4:Super Mario 2 for the NES.
Speaker 2:RGT you up.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't know. I've still got one of my top four in, but I think that's going to be number one, to be honest alright, let's see, gentlemen, are you ready?
Speaker 4:oh, maybe I'm wrong could be Bobby's Diablo making a number round.
Speaker 2:I think I'm here, gentlemen my number two game of the year? No way.
Speaker 4:I know what number one is then. By the time I got this, there was no one online. They're back on it now.
Speaker 1:they're back on it now, Scott, Because of the new franchise.
Speaker 4:If there's anyone listening, please add me as a friend. I've got no one to play with.
Speaker 3:I haven't played it yet. I'll jump on with you, mate.
Speaker 2:Thanks, mate so this was uh another game that was uh multi-voted, which is the reason it got in. Bobby voted this extremely high. Um, he voted this extremely high and you voted george. You were the actual like nail in the coffin for star wars Outlaws not being higher than this.
Speaker 3:Wow, and you're not a multiplayer guy, george.
Speaker 1:No, let me, if I may, take the microphone for a moment and just say admittedly, it's cooled down now. When this game first dropped, it was hotter than the surface of the sun. It was an enjoyable romp with friends. I don't play multiplayer, but I would jump on with some faceless no-ones and play this for hours. There was something about the camaraderie. There was something about the way the missions played out. I've talked about it on the show.
Speaker 1:When you first start playing it anyone that's played the game prior to you when you join, you treat them like a god. You follow them around and you worship them. But then you become that guy that people join and worship because you know what you're doing. It's it's a fun game. The baddies you're literally putting them down one inch away from your right, from your rifle at some points in the game. It's it's frantic, it's pressured, it's exciting. Um, the multiplayer element of it adds a whole new dynamic to it, which I never thought I'd enjoy but did. There's so much little. There's so much sort of fun to be had with it.
Speaker 2:You look at it here and you think, oh, this isn't fun, but it's ridiculously crazy fun when you're in it and it's got that um fallout style charm to where, like they're so comedic and they're so like they're not like super serious, they not?
Speaker 1:that, to me, is the kicker. If you looked at this as we are now with the sound off, you just think it was another brochure. But when you get into it and start playing it, you realize it is exactly the opposite of that. You customize your loadout how you want with your perks. The game is incredible like, yes, the fire is dampened down a little bit, but the resurgence of the um, extra alien species from the first game on Vita and PS4. This is how you take a game from a 2D top-down isometric game and make it 3D and make it awesome. I would actually go out on a limb and say if we'd done the Ponzi's mid-year last year, this probably would have won the fact that it's made a strong enough impression on us in the first yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, in the first few months months it made such a strong impression that it's hung around and stayed this high in our circulation. I didn't think this. I honestly thought this was dropped down in the honorable mentions. The fact that it's here I think it's great to see it makes me wonder what the hell number one is the crazy thing is, george.
Speaker 2:The crazy thing is, if you were devoted for this as high as what you would have done, star Wars Outlaws. Number one is the crazy thing is George. The crazy thing is it's like if you were devoted for this as high as what you would have done, star Wars Outlaws would have been higher.
Speaker 4:Can I ask a question, george? How did you submit your list to Seb for of your game nominations?
Speaker 1:I just wrote my games down from one to ten, one being the one I like the most and ten being the one I like the most On paper, or how did you send it to him? Just out of interest.
Speaker 4:How did you send it to him?
Speaker 1:Was it on the phone? I sent it on the phone digitally.
Speaker 4:Because all it was. When this came up, I wasn't sure if it was autocorrect and you actually tried to put in muff divers. I wasn't sure if it.
Speaker 1:You know Muff divers To be honest, I tried to rent that from Ray when he picked us up.
Speaker 4:It's a hentai game.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh God. No, it's far from a hentai game.
Speaker 2:I thought it was going to be about cars.
Speaker 3:No About mufflers. I think getting back on track to the game, getting back on track to the game, getting back on track to the game, noah George as well as I do for him to vote a multiplayer online game as high as he has that is praise enough for me because, although I haven't played Helldivers 2, if this is the first time you're watching or listening to this, george is not a multiplayer game, I hate it. So for him to play this and then vote this is one of his top games, I think. Fair play, then.
Speaker 1:That proves how good I was to him. Can we also say that this is our multiplayer game of the year?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a great shout, Gotta be. Yeah, give me a second. What about Mario?
Speaker 3:Great shout, sure, if you want to. Yes, I think that's a good shout.
Speaker 2:George Got to be, yeah, got to be. Give me a second Let me cook.
Speaker 4:What about Mario and Luigi Brothers, though? That was a very good multiplayer game.
Speaker 2:I don't think you even voted for it, though. Nah, of course not.
Speaker 1:You don't play Nintendo like chelp on his Switch. You don't want a part of it? No, not one bit.
Speaker 2:That is crazy though you have the switch and didn't even I like to play all the games you guys play, but a scaled down, lesser version, that's my style.
Speaker 3:I call it a cataract version.
Speaker 1:Good lord, Wow. Cataract simulator.
Speaker 4:You know, when you try on someone's glasses at work and you think they look funny, that's not me lying innit. That's what it's like when I'm playing on my Switch. I might as well be drunk while I'm playing it. It's all over the shop.
Speaker 1:Perfect Note on the Switch store as well. There's some sort of random cash-in for Helldivers on there. It's probably called Muffdivers Sky.
Speaker 3:Del Hojvers. Del Hojvers won.
Speaker 1:Del Diver Bell Divers.
Speaker 2:Here we go, the number one game. This has got to be, this has got to be, and.
Speaker 4:GTA 5.
Speaker 3:Here we go PS3 version.
Speaker 4:The Trevor DLC. Oh, there we go.
Speaker 2:It's going to be. It's going to be the number one game for you audio listeners, and the winner of the Game of the Year Award for the UCP is Ash, drowned by Brilliant. The only game, by the way, this year that had three nominations. The only game. I voted for this. Yeah, I did.
Speaker 1:I did too. What is this?
Speaker 3:odyssey dlc.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is in nintendo's dreams is the most technically like sound mario game ever invented. Yeah is what I would probably say like the most high-tech mario game ever invented.
Speaker 4:For the audio listeners. Have we said what it is yet?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's Astro Bot everybody, the 2024 version of Astro Bot. So, RGT, why'd you put this on your list?
Speaker 1:Whose is this footage? Is this yours? Yeah, this is me.
Speaker 2:You haven't died yet.
Speaker 3:It's very good. Obviously, that's why you didn't like it, george. That's exactly why I think I've always loved Astro Bot, even from the VR days getting George to play the VR when he was quite critical of it and loved it on VR. It's one of them games that you just know it does everything correct. Not only that, it looks gorgeous as well. Not only that, if you're a PlayStation fan, there's loads of that little legacy tucked in there. There's the characters you can pick up. There's old games that are mentioned Little nods isn't there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know not only that, the controls are brilliant, it's very tight. You know, Dan, if you die, I don't know, no, not at all this game is tight, you know it.
Speaker 2:That's only because you're rubbish at it.
Speaker 4:I just said, your footage is tight, isn't it? Yeah, very, very impressive.
Speaker 2:I've tried hard on this.
Speaker 3:I think if you have a 3D platform like this, you need oh, that's Brappa the Rapper man you need a mascot that he's, everyone really loves, and I think everyone really loves mass. Yeah, exactly, but even so, my missus, my daughter, they don't play astrobot, but they, they love, they love astrobot. I think he's. He's really cool, he's cute, he does really cool things and you know, when he dresses up or does the different stuff, it's really funny and I just think he's a lovable character. I think he's great for playstation. I think the games as a 3d platformer is nearly perfect. Um, fantastic game, absolutely fantastic game, and rightly so.
Speaker 2:Game of the year george, why, after all of our conversations about you not quite loving astrobot but you respecting it, why did you put it so high on your list? Because I think this was like four or five for you.
Speaker 4:There was no kayak VR this year, so I had to put Sub it in.
Speaker 1:I did and sadly Sub Merge or whatever it's called, was too late. No, let's be honest here. I liked the original Astro Bot the pack on on ps5 it was. It was perfect and very much this um. Now, the only reason why I held back on this a little bit is because I've played every single one of astrobots other entries. I played playroom. I've played astrobot vr, I played the packing. I played the um the packing where we really saw him for the first time, where people fell in love with him on the vr1 headset demo disc, where he was literally just a throwaway experiment to see whether this style of gaming would work. In vr um, I think they discovered themselves that they had a little bit of something going on with this guy and you know, he's replaced sack boy in people's eyes. Uh, in many ways dead now he's replaced.
Speaker 2:Sackboy in people's eyes in many ways.
Speaker 1:Sackboy is dead now.
Speaker 4:He's dead because of the AstroPie.
Speaker 1:Listen, Sackboy was doing all the mascot shtick on the PS3 before this guy even got out of bed.
Speaker 4:That's true, I thought Sackboy was Stingray's pet Pet. He had on the leash His little gimp.
Speaker 1:He had in the level suit Gimp, I thought you were going to say it was his pet bed sock, I was like wow, wow, no Astro Bot, though you know. All joking aside, you can't take away from the fact that it is a tight control in fun game, with a nod to PlayStation's history. If you haven't burnt yourself out on Astro Bot and I shouldn't think anybody else even has other than me this game came at the right time. It was the right size, it was the right price. It was the right sort of dollop of fun that I think that gamers were looking for in a year that's been a little bit barren of games. In some ways it was kind of indicated by our list. In all honesty, this game was the kind of breath of fresh air, palette cleanser that maybe not only gamers needed but the industry needed. So there's my 10 penneth worth on Astro Bot.
Speaker 4:And it did kind of shadow drop as well, didn't it? It didn't come out of nowhere.
Speaker 2:No, no, it didn't shadow drop, they just had like a short.
Speaker 4:Oh, I just had no internet on that week or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it just sounded like a short kind of lead up to to it, because I think they only talked about like three months prior to it. So, like yeah, like I, I think this game is fun. I do think, like as george said, I do think there is a little bit of like, a little bit of repetition.
Speaker 3:It's like we've kind of seen all 3d platforms have exactly it's what it's about and it's it's the genre really exactly.
Speaker 2:But uh, you know, like I do think this pushes the genre forward, especially on a technical level you know exactly yeah what we expect of like 3d platformers.
Speaker 2:I think nintendo has kind of gotten into this kind of like stale repetition to where I'm like we've. We were kind of like oh, we've seen that, we've seen that they have to come up with fun gimmicks now to kind of like, to kind of like push out a new 3D platformer, but Astro Bot. I think the gimmick is just the high quality of it, the fact that you know, like this isn't just, oh, this is good, good, but it's being bottlenecked by the switch. Now, this is like what if we had a high budget, unlimited, unlimited frame rate version of a of a 3d platformer that also can have like the best controller on the market, the best like gyro sensors on the market? Like this is what? Honestly, this is like the, the dream nintendo game for a lot of people in the way of like, oh, what if we actually had a 500 console versus a tablet? That's been on the market for 10 years? And I'm not even throwing trying to throw shade at the, the switch, I'm just trying to speak to like why people really resonated with astrobot.
Speaker 2:It's not just the quality of like each level presenting something different to where, like, each level does have its own gimmick. That doesn't overstay its welcome because it's only presented in one individual level, and the fact that it's also a love letter to playstation as far as, like it being a museum of different characters and all those different characters kind of like culminate and play well within the main, like central hub world, you know, like you collect those and they also unlock different places, and the fact that they keep upgrading this game. Like we haven't even talked about the fact that they added like christmas themed levels into this game. That, and you know, like time trial runs and such like that I, I, I had this midway on my list but honestly it was like a fight between it metaphor and um v rising for me to where I was, like this is the perfect company to.
Speaker 1:This is a perfect game to tie a pretty bow on playstation's 30th anniversary celebrations this year. This is basically the gaming incarnation of that 30 year celebration. The fact that there are so many bots to collect they are so instantly recognisable suggests to me that they're doing an absolutely bang up job. Fair play to them. And another, I would say an award that they're so desperate to add to the sideboard at Mumsy's at Sony Towers, that this is the one that they're most desperate for the Ponzi.
Speaker 4:This is what Crash Bandicoot 4 should have been.
Speaker 1:Literally.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, like I think this is going to be a like the mascot for them moving forward. Because I'm like I don't see a world where they are enthused on Sackboy's sales and you know, know, sack boy's critical response and reception, and think like, hey, we're just still going to bring that back. I'm like I think this is astrobots world and everyone's just living in it.
Speaker 3:Now, in the place, I should decide, you know, I think also, you got a member of astrobot at the time. It come out. Everyone is so obsessed with ray trace and graphics 60 frames per second, 120 frames per second, massive open worlds and sony had gone. Well, you can have nice graphics, you can have good controls. Here's a little. Here's a little 3d platformer for you play. That, you know, at the time, when no one was talking about 3d platformers, you just think do you know what? That's how it is done if you want a 3d platform and that's why I voted it so high, because for me it is the best 3D platform I think it is just done so well. I think I loved, you know, from music to the layout of the stages, to how many stages, to the characters, to the love letter to play. So everything is just really well done. And you just think, yep, that's how you do it.
Speaker 1:I'm just grateful it's not true true crime. Streets of la. If I'm honest, I'm number one spot because we've lost all our credibility.
Speaker 2:How dare you discerning the name of?
Speaker 1:true crimes. I'm sorry, I'm researching true crime at the moment and I didn't mean it as a well, I did mean it as a slight one minute you're fighting crime.
Speaker 3:Next minute you're fighting the devil. That's true crime honestly you know I would love a day like game like that.
Speaker 2:Right now I feel like that's sort of missing in the market. But anyways, like I guys, I want to thank y'all for giving me your list, by the way, because I know like no thanks for doing this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's kind of hard to calculate and formulate. You know your feelings of the, the cumulative year. I want to ask you that, before we move on and say, or you know, bid adieu and such like that, how did y'all feel about this year? Like, how you know, was it hard coming up with your list? Like can, can you give a little inside track for the? Yeah, I mean I'll hit there.
Speaker 1:I, to be fair, I found it a year where I've had some personal distractions. I've got a few bits going on um, and the games just didn't seem to come as hard and as fast. Certainly there were games this year, but were they to my certain palette? No, not really. So I've been kind of making do with my backlog and the things that came along. And the things that did come along that intrigued me Star Wars, last Robot, obviously, mlb, you know Helldivers they hit hard and they've ranked appropriately. The other chelp I've been playing is me, as you said eloquently at the start of the show, was me cleaning out my backlog. It's a pretty deep and devilish backlog, to be fair, as you can tell by some of my nominations, and I'm glad I bought F1 24 Manager on the Switch yeah, you heard me correctly January this year because, well, I'm going to save this talk for another day. But let me tell you now.
Speaker 4:I was going to at one point, if I had 15 games, I was going to put in there. What was the game I really enjoyed this year, but I thought I can't bring that to the table. Oh, that was it Anime Girls, son of a Beach. I don't know what.
Speaker 1:I'm looking at the stats here, and so that's what we've ended up with. Is it Star Wars Outlaws? Yeah, tale Divers 2, no, that was my here and uh. So that's what we've ended up with. Is it star wars outlaws? Yeah, tail divers too? No, that was my list. That was the game.
Speaker 4:That was the pontes as far as I'm concerned can I can I share with you my um careful selection process of how I wrote out my top?
Speaker 2:10. Yes, so I got. I'll tell you so it.
Speaker 4:It involves a lot of analytics, going through different research and looking at hours played. So, very, very thorough. So I got five Frisbees, five paper planes. I walked into the games room, I spun round 10 times clockwise, 10 times anti-clockwise. I threw the paper planes and said Frisbees around the room and whichever game they landed closer towards. Those were the 10 I thought I'll bring into the Poncies that explains horse racing he loves that, though he loves that I know he does.
Speaker 1:I've got 10 copies of it mate guys, I want it physically they were a very expensive game if you've got 10 copies, and I want pictorial evidence. That's insane.
Speaker 4:That is insane that's the reason they're only expensive, because I brought 10 copies there's one out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I live in hope.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I live in hope of finding it in the wild guys, I want to propose something to you all, since it is award season right now. Um, you know, I've been keeping track of, like, the games we we nominate and vote for. I don't. You saw the spreadsheet. There's a lot of tabs now going forward. Um, I would like to propose every year we have a nomination for the hall of fame, the UCP hall of fame. Wow.
Speaker 1:I agree, you know this did we put one in last year, or?
Speaker 2:not. Yes, yeah, so, um, I think let me see if I can pull up the Hall of Fame list for so far and whether or not we had anything in the Hall of Fame going forward. Give me one second, y'all. While I'm bringing this up, you know, I want to ask each of you.
Speaker 1:No RGT needs to tell us how he picked these games. Oh yeah, for sure, RGT needs to tell us how he picked these games.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, for sure. For me, there's a lot of mainstream games that people play, and I jump on as well, but I sometimes like to look at games as something that's that little bit different. I mean, there's games that didn't appear on the list that I've really enjoyed Signalis, or Signalis, however you do it, for the Switch.
Speaker 2:It got to the honorable mention part.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I really loved that. I thought that if you're a Resi Evil fan, I thought that had that in space. I loved that. That was really good. Trine 5, and I'm a Trine fan that was on my list as well. That's just that puzzle platformer Brilliant. No one else does it that way. I think it's really good. You could keep shaking your head, george. You had star wars outlaws at four. So, um, at least I can play quietly. So it's I've.
Speaker 3:I did have a lot of indies on this year and I think that says a lot for where we were this year. If you remember last year, guys, we were swamped with games last year, what we had on our list, big time. I mean, I even had Halo on there because I was playing so many games and Halo stood out to me because I played it the first time. But yeah, I think it was games I put the most hours in and really enjoyed, and games which were different that Dredge, that Signalis, that Dave the Diver, the Mindis that you sort of thought, oh hang on, there's something here, and you put the hours into them. That's how I sort of done my list this year. What about you, george?
Speaker 1:I've done my bit.
Speaker 2:Oh have you. Yeah, you were zoned out.
Speaker 3:You were zoned out. Sorry, I thought he was talking about Star Wars.
Speaker 4:Outlaws. He was choosing his list for next year. I think I'm the only one who hasn't told everyone about my little process here.
Speaker 2:I just write reviews for all these games throughout the year and I keep a tally on what number I gave everything and then I just basically sort by that number and whatever is the highest and if there's a tie I kind of let my heart decide. At the moment, you know, but like outside of that, you know I don't, I haven't written or given anything a 10 in a very long time. So like all these were deciding between, like I think, one, nine and the rest of them were eight, eight, sevens and sixes. So I'm like outside of that it was pretty easy, pretty much an easy sort for me. I think the only ones I had like a hard time deciding was like I voted Star Wars out.
Speaker 2:I think I gave like Star Wars Outlaws, college Football, indiana Jones and the Great Circle and a lot of those games. I think I gave them like roughly around the same score. So I was just like I'll let my heart decide on that one. And if, if this would I put my list in like a week ago, but like if this would have been like a couple of days ago, I think star wars, outlaws or indiana jones, would it be college football, because like college football now has like an error to where I cannot play my dynasty mode at all, like they deleted from the server oh dear they deleted it all from the server and, like a lot of people, are complaining about that right now is that because they're getting ready to bring out the new college football, or was it just a faux pas on their side?
Speaker 2:I think it's. They said like they're looking into it. They didn't say why. You know people have, you know, complained and and complained. They've whined. They've basically talked to ea like I have a screenshot on my computer where a lot of people were chatting with like the ea chat box and they they screenshot their little conversations and ea just said you know, we're looking into it, we advise you, just start another dynasty mode. And I'm like one guy was just like I'm in year 17, you know. I put like and you just want me to start over. I'm like people are ripping EA a new one right now. So I'm like, had I yeah, yeah, I think it's well-deserved as well. But like, if I would have known that like a week ago, I would have probably put like Indiana Jones or Star Wars Outlaws higher Question for you.
Speaker 1:I've recently been playing a hell of a lot of Madden 23. Oh, yeah, okay. Is it worth me getting the new one, or am I just going to get the same experience?
Speaker 2:It's the exact same experience. There's very minute differences. The only thing I think I think they're taking a lot of the Madden servers offline as well. So I'm like I would probably, if you have Game Pass, I would just wait for the new Madden to come on Game Pass, because they always do Super Bowl weekend. You know, if you can wait that long and just wait for Super Bowl weekend, I would just wait there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's end of January anyway, so it's two weeks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so that's exactly what I would do. Do.
Speaker 2:I was like wait, wait, get it on um game pass and go about your business. Because I'm like I think 23 was one of those to where they say, like the server, they might take that server offline.
Speaker 1:Let's get it on game pass. If we, if, if we recorded- this.
Speaker 4:Um, if we recorded the poncies just one or two weeks later, my top top game might have been changed, because, seb, guess what I downloaded this morning on the Switch before a little indie game Was it an indie game? I downloaded Pizza Tower, the one that you were telling me about. Yeah, yeah, it's currently on Sound. Well, it's not. By the time this airs, it was 40% off.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Cheaper is on.
Speaker 4:Steam. So I thought do you know what? I'm going to go for it. And I went for Peglin as well.
Speaker 1:Well, hold down, guys, because I recently downloaded Yakuza for the Switch, so you may find that that's their Switch port.
Speaker 4:Which one I'll play it at the same time. Which one did you go for?
Speaker 1:The only one that's out, is it Yakuza?
Speaker 4:Kiwami, yeah Right okay.
Speaker 1:Is it on sale, or I can't remember if it was. I think it was about £15 in the sale when I got it. It's good, though it's good.
Speaker 2:So, guys, do y'all have any games y'all feel like are Hall of Fame worthy Right now? We have In the Hall of Fame. Right now we have two games Marvel's Spider-Man, and we have God of War, ragnarok. Horizon. Forbidden West was nominated but we didn't push it through.
Speaker 1:I think based on the year, being quite lax and it having a unquestionable number one position. I would like to and this is me saying this and it burns me, considering I have to make a sacrifice for Star Wars Outlaws, but I would like to nominate Astro Bot for that position.
Speaker 3:I think you're right, definitely.
Speaker 4:Here's my thing though I was going to say Bellatron, oh yeah, I didn't even vote for it earlier. I'm just thinking of how much it cleaned up over the course of the months.
Speaker 2:I want to push this, I want to. I want to ask this to the, the collective here. I think game, I think the hall of fame we should keep as prestigious as possible. I think we should put a rule there that at least two or more people have to play the game in order for it to be nominated and they'd like actually accepted. So that's why I even though I think bellatro is well deserving, I don't think I much I would like to see y'all actually like play the game and then get your own, formulate your own opinions and then then be able to nominate it like astrobot. I I wonder, because I'm like I think three of us play the game, lacks the game, but all none of us put it in our number one spot. It just cumulated to where we had three votes to where. So I'm like I think RGT is high, I think RGT was highest on it and he put in number three, right If I'm not mistaken, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then I think George was around that four or five marker and I was five, yeah, yeah, was around that four or five marker and I was four or five, yeah, yeah. So that's why I was just like god of war, the we put that through and it was like number one with a bullet and because, like we had, I think two or more people put that number one spider-man two or more people, I think, put that number one. So that's why I'm like I I hear you about astrobot, but I think there's a conversation there. I'm like did it just win because it was the best, the best all-star, when, like, nobody else showed up to the all-star game?
Speaker 1:So then, if that's the case, what's the one we all voted for the most?
Speaker 2:It is Astro. It is still Astrobot. We voted for it the most. It's just didn't put it at Horace. Yeah, it just it was voted for the most because more people, like three people, voted for it.
Speaker 4:I thought it was RGT's game of the year in October.
Speaker 2:I thought you said I think RGT's game of the year was that in October there's a man who listens to the episodes.
Speaker 1:There's a man who pays attention. There's a man who listens to the episodes. There's a man who pays attention. There's a man who's calling out this show for the diabolical mediocrity that it is.
Speaker 3:He's absolutely right, that's because afterwards I played Under the Ways and that got dropped out a bit.
Speaker 4:I remember making the thumbnail for YouTube. I'm pretty sure I quoted Game of the Year. So what? The?
Speaker 1:hell is going to be our Game of the Year. What's going to be our hall of fame from this year? Because I'm I'm a bit sixes and sevens, I feel like it has to be Astro Bot. Hmm, Cause we can't put we can't put hell divers in, can we? And if we're going to get, if we're going to get spicy, I'm going to terminate this call and shout Star Wars Outlaws. And that effectively makes it the Hall of Famer.
Speaker 2:Why don't we?
Speaker 4:put it to the community in Discord.
Speaker 2:I think there should be a community Hall of Fame and then a panel Hall of Fame as well. I want to propose something. I think the Hall of Fame in most sports are not just what wins the game of the year. It's also like we've marinated on it for a little bit and we want to. Then we come back on it and we decide, like a couple years later, to give something. It's golden jacket in the NFL.
Speaker 2:I hey, I was gonna say, oh yeah, I was gonna say we have. We marinated on a game and decided it's Hall of Fame worthy, and I was just like Dredge comes to mind and Red Dead Redemption comes to mind, because I think If we do put Red Dead through, it has to be open brackets.
Speaker 1:switch port it has to be closed brackets.
Speaker 3:I think you're right with that. I think for a game that's that old, that was so good originally, has come out on the Switch and smashed it again, I think you've probably got. I mean, I love Dredge but I love Red Dead. I think you've probably got to go with Red Dead.
Speaker 2:I'm just saying I think it's a majority rule sort of thing. Do we have any games that most of us have played over the past? You know, like throughout our gaming history, that we would like to nominate for the Hall of Fame. I think that's the way we should go about it, la Noire.
Speaker 4:Good game, completed it. All three discs, rockstar's finest behind Red Dead Redemption, yeah.
Speaker 2:And San Andreas, ah, rockstar's finest behind red dead redemption. Yeah, and san andreas, because I here's. Here's two that I would uh. So I would like to nominate four games here, because I think we should actually have a solid hall of fame list here. Okay, four games, and hear me out, everybody all right. I think dredge, because it showed up multiple years on our, on our ballad list. Uh, more than one of us have played it and more than one of us agree. It's more, it's higher than an 8 out of 10 game. So I think dredge should be one one of them. I think red dead redemption, just across the board. Red dead redemption because most of us love that game and no matter the, no matter what we play it for, most of us love that game. No matter what we play it for, most of us love that game. I think we should have, because we have the sequel on there. We should have the original on there God of War from 2018. Okay, so what's your fourth hit? And my fourth hit is MLB.
Speaker 3:I knew you were going to say MLB.
Speaker 2:And it hurts my heart to say this Breath of the Wild, op. I knew you were going to say MOP. And it hurts my heart to say this Breath of the Wild. Yeah, I think Breath of the Wild because Bobby adores that game. Our team thinks that game is a masterpiece as well. I respect the game but don't necessarily love the game. It's not a me game. That's my hurdle. It's not a Sebastian game because I'm super hard. My hurdle it's not a meet sebastian game because I'm super hard in a narrative when it comes to, like, open world games. So, like other than that, I think that I would nominate that because more than one person loved the game and also considered it a masterpiece. George scotty, what say you?
Speaker 2:well, that was a nomination this year no, no, not just on the years I'm. We're talking about Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1:You want to pad out the Hall of Fame? Yeah, pad out the Hall of Fame. I'll tell you what. Let's get controversial here, because I think we should let me have my say.
Speaker 2:Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 1:I think we should pop Astro Bot through and then we should have an episode in February where we have a Hall of Fame induction episode. Astro Bot goes through as a nominee from this year a nominee no as the UCP Hall of Fame induction for 2024, but what we'll have is a special UCP Hall of Fame induction for 2024. But what we'll have is a special episode Hall of Fame induction episode, a little bit like the Ponzi's, where we all get dressed up.
Speaker 2:Hopefully we can get us all in a room. Are we wearing blazers? Guys or are we just wearing our finest bathrobe.
Speaker 1:Bathrobe. Yeah, perfect. We all turn up like Hugh Hefner and then we come with our top five games of all time, and then we, we submit that.
Speaker 4:How about we do a game of the year? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's how we'll do it, but we'll do top 10.
Speaker 2:We'll do top 10 games of the year. Y'all submit them to me.
Speaker 1:I'll calculate games of all time, of all time in our opinion. And then we can pad out all the hall of fame and have an in.
Speaker 3:We can have an induction ceremony for them all as they go in through george george, can you imagine, can you imagine sam trying to find footage on jeff cramp and jeff ron grand prix on the amiga?
Speaker 1:well, that's there, mate can I can.
Speaker 4:I can I ask one question? Yes, um, because me, rgt and stingray have actually time traveled. Are we allowed to bring games from the future?
Speaker 2:no, no, you physically have to have played these games. You physically have had to play these games. What?
Speaker 4:the hell would that be fallout and well I mean, it's for me, stingray, to know, and you to find out, I suppose this is also our first major episode of the the year, our first big one.
Speaker 2:I want to also propose are there any? I think we should have a tentpole games. List of these are the games like we're guaranteed, most of us are guaranteed to play this year like a games to play shirtless category that sort of thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, kind of kind of like the book club, so to speak. But like I think they're like, because this year is a big year, like this year is actually like the big one, you know, like I, you guys, of games, yeah, gta switch to switch to, you already know, civilization seven, but no, it's all seriousness, though I think there's certain like tentpole games we might have to like say, hey guys, as a collective we need to come together and that'd be good to do an episode later down the line, once we've played them.
Speaker 3:So the excitement to see what the excitement was before and how we got actually after that'd be okay.
Speaker 4:Sea monkeys vr listen.
Speaker 1:If that's on vr2, I'll get it, because there's nothing else that'd only be.
Speaker 3:That'd be his second game all right.
Speaker 1:So guys, no mate there's a game on there at the minute where you're a diver phenomenal no not guys one last time for the
Speaker 2:bloody fish feed. One last time for the listeners. I I want to thank y'all for listening here, um, and bearing with me throughout all this award, this award episode here. Let me go through the list one last time, all right, and uh, number 10 spot. We have space marine 2. Number 9 we have dave the diver. Number 8 we somehow got rise of the ronin. Number seven we got expedition ship of fools got our number six spot. Number five vampire survivors undisputed won our sports game of the year category. Um, we have stalwart outlaws and also we have best narrative game for under the waves horror. Our horror game of the year went to Silent Hill 2. Red Dead Redemption 2, red Dead Redemption 1, excuse me re-released for the Switch, got our Switch game of the year. Metaphor Refantasio got our RPG of the year. And our top three goes as follows At number three, we have Dredge. Number two Helldivers 2. At number one AstroBot.
Speaker 1:And everyone At Helldivers 2, also.
Speaker 2:It's so good. Helldivers 2 is also a multiplayer game of the year. So, everyone, thank you so much for bearing with us and hope you enjoyed the UCP game of the year. Slash Ponzi episode. Guys, what did you think of the list?
Speaker 1:I actually thought it was probably our least controversial list of all time, even though it potentially was the most controversial going in. I'm happy with how things fell through and I'm equally as excited to start foisting upon you my top 10 games of all time. So we can. That's going to be a big episode and I'm looking forward to scrapping it out. I think we also need to get the UCP community to start to nominate their game of a Hall of Fame recommendation as well, so we can do that.
Speaker 2:Can we make another tab in the discord Cause? That might be like a lot to go through if everyone posted on the regular channel.
Speaker 1:Good show. There's a way of doing it, isn't there that, uh, I'm sure our wonderful moderators uh did you, monkey and Boba will make happen yeah for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I don't see that being a problem. So we need their nomination for their game of the year and we need their nomination for the Hall of Fame, and we shall independently work on our Hall of Fames, and I'm very excited for that episode. I think we deserve it and I think the UCP Hall of Fame is something that is worthy of the accreditation we're going to dispose upon it. So, yeah, if that's us all wrapped up, seb, I just want to take the time to thank you personally, on behalf of the team and the community, for what you've done by ratifying and pulling all of our what basically looks like dog sick, and you've actually formed it into something that looks beautiful and actually has respect and command within the industry. So fair play to you all being, uh, you've done an absolutely smashing job and thoroughly enjoyed this episode, probably not quite as cutthroat as it's been in previous years. We went to blows, yeah, we went to blows and I was saving everything up for Star Wars Outlaws, but it couldn't get it past the four. So, yeah, I mean I think I quit, but once I've reinstated myself in the show, I just want to thank everybody. It's that kind of end of the year scenario. We haven't got Bobby here but, uh, thank you to Bobby, thank you to you, rgt, scottie and Seb.
Speaker 1:Um, you've carried this year. Uh, you've independently. Obviously you're all stars in your own right, but you've independently grown within yourselves, within the show. You've brought a whole new spirit of the law. Really great senses of humor from all of you. I have to admit, basing an episode or a series in a cult in Texas was always going to be a tough gig, but do you know what guys? You smashed it. And nomination for Scotty for Lawmeister of the Year was always going to be a tough gig, but do you know what guys? You smashed it. And nomination for Scotty for Lawmeister of the Year I don't think anyone single-handedly cooked up that much storyline since the guy at Emmerdale took an LSD tab and went crazy. But fair play to you. And I've loved every single minute of you with your gentlemen and I look forward to another year in your presence and a peace and love to you.
Speaker 1:And I've loved every single minute of you with your gentlemen and I look forward to another year in your presence and a peace and love to Bobby. He's resting up after liberating us from pastor's commune. I mean I think he broke his spine landing from the the jump over the wall, but he grew and bared through it. So you know, right now he's probably in traction, probably looks like a carry on matron, probably in traction, probably looks like a carry-on matron. He's probably from head to toe in plaster, but he's happy and looking forward to welcoming him back as the new year progresses as well. So thank you to all of you. Thank you to everyone that's listening as well. Most importantly, I must thank you for those that contribute financially so, so grateful. I sometimes wonder if we deserve it, but you think that we do so. Fair play to you If this is your first episode. Thank you for listening. We welcome you to the family as well. I think that wraps us up. So have a wonderful 2025, gentlemen, and I wish you all the best.
Speaker 1:I put this video on to let y'all know El Paso's always lurking in the background well, we've still got to get Scotty out of there while we're kind of chilling in Stingray's Bayou shack. We've still got to liberate Scotty. So yeah, peace out here's to a great 2024, and fingers crossed for an even better 2025. Thank you, everybody thanks you guys.
Speaker 3:Thanks Seb for that super, thank you adios. Bye, fingers crossed for an even better 2025. Thank you everybody, thank you guys.
Speaker 2:Thanks, seb, for that Superb. Thank you, Adios, bye, bye.
Speaker 3:Bye, yeah, bye.