Sacred Symbols, Episode 239 | Forgetting Bruce Straley
Added 2023-01-27 17:00:06 +0000 UTCThink back a ways, to the lead-up to The Last of Us' launch on PlayStation 3. There wasn't one name -- but two! -- oft-invoked in media: Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. The duo's work was well-established in the Uncharted series, and they would later rescue Uncharted 4 from development tribulations as a team. But the team split apart, and these days, Druckmann is the focal point of PlayStation's internal development efforts while Straley is a ghost of times past. A recent LA Times piece allowed Straley to elaborate on the situation, which led us to a Sacred Symbols-style deep discussion on Naughty Dog, credit, Neil and Bruce's seeming divorce, and what's fair and isn't when it comes to game development. Of course, news also plays a central role in this week's episode, as it always does. Square Enix is finally squashing its questionable Avengers game, BioWare loses arguably its most prolific writer, Spider-Man 2 rumblings have everyone excited, Forspoken launches into a questionable environment, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Have we ever managed to score a game at retail before its street date? What would a modern Nintendo and PlayStation collaboration look like? Would Colin ever interview Adam Sessler on Sacred+? Are people making up tall tales specifically to be included on our show?
Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Intro
0:20:33 - LIVE SHOW
0:22:37 - Stop making stuff up for attention
0:28:49 - Could Colin listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks at 5x speed?
0:31:27 - A foul lesson from an Englishman
0:38:38 - Has Colin ever been too high for a show?
0:41:51 - Dustin = Thirst Trap?
0:44:52 - What house do we want to be a part of in Hog Leg?
0:48:10 - What’s with the controversy over Forspoken?
0:57:57 - Microsoft has subpoenaed Sony
0:59:47 - We have new Spider-Man 2 details
1:06:17 - The Washington Post has shut down its gaming vertical
1:18:15 - Skull and Bones pre-orders are being refunded
1:22:50 - Super Stardust Portable has gotten Trophy support
1:24:19 - Atomic Heart has gone gold
1:27:24 - Detroit: Become Human has surpassed 8 million copies sold
1:31:30 - Jim Ryan keeps crying
1:32:4 - Guerrilla gets more help with Horizon
1:33:32 - What have we been playing?
1:50:50 - The future of The Last of Us?
2:06:31 - Marvel’s Avengers is shutting down
2:16:26 - Mac Walters is leaving BioWare
2:24:53 - Why didn’t Bruce Straley get credited in HBO’s TLoU?
2:37:53 - Which SIE studios would be a good fit for Nintendo’s IP?
2:43:56 - What would Colin do if he actually bought Beyond?
2:54:38 - Have we gotten games early at retail?
3:12:35 - Would Colin have Sessler on SS+?
3:23:13 - Should you ship a PS5 to Japan?
Comments
=)
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:11:06 +0000 UTCIndeed.
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:11:03 +0000 UTCYes.
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:10:53 +0000 UTCBrutal.
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:10:48 +0000 UTCThere's something about that place.
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:10:44 +0000 UTC=)
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:10:32 +0000 UTCThe game was Neil's idea, no doubt. But he had a hand in characters and writing, no doubt.
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:10:29 +0000 UTCIndeed. Should be easy.
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:10:10 +0000 UTCIt's a bummer!
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:10:02 +0000 UTC<3
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:09:58 +0000 UTCThat's true.
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:09:55 +0000 UTCPoop!
Colin Moriarty
2023-02-03 22:09:44 +0000 UTCQuez youre fired!!
There’s No I in LLC
2023-02-02 11:09:44 +0000 UTCColin, you did nothing wrong on social media. You are treated like Adam Sessler should be and he is treated like your infamous joke should have been. Completely ignored.
Greg Hommel
2023-02-01 21:26:41 +0000 UTCI mean... Chris' entrance robe HAS to say "Stand Down" on the back, I would think.
Kevin Cooper
2023-02-01 18:11:59 +0000 UTCA hilarious amount of misspoken words this episode. Dustin called Samus “Somus”, Chris stated he couldn’t think of a reason but said “risen”, and Chris then said Twenty One Pilots instead of Stone Temple Pilots. Has the LSM crew taken to day drinking?
Gabriel Baker
2023-02-01 06:07:29 +0000 UTCGreg Miller added to the San Francisco outdoor poop counter?? Outstanding
Alec Davis
2023-01-31 16:20:38 +0000 UTCSweep the leg, Chris.
Sam Lee
2023-01-31 14:08:22 +0000 UTCBruce Straley took the gameplay of the last of us on his part. Druckmann the story,... I don't think Straley was heavy involved in the story of the last of us. Maybe that's why he doesn't get any mention in the serie? But ok, why don't give him a small mention, pretty strange to me...
Big Boss Games
2023-01-31 11:53:00 +0000 UTCIf Colin dies, just get a hold of some fancy voice modulation tech, make sure his body is well-preserved, and Weekend at Bernie's that shit, problem solved.
Javin Mather
2023-01-30 23:57:43 +0000 UTCMannnnn, All this BioWare talk makes me sad.. One of the biggest falls from grace in history. Mass Effect series and KOTOR will always have a special place in my heart. Ps. Did anyone notice how Dustin pronounced Samus at the end? He said it like Sah-mus 😆 Much love
Whitewinwolf
2023-01-30 22:45:26 +0000 UTCChris on 1/2 speed is the best Colin! The Best!
Joe Nace
2023-01-30 21:20:52 +0000 UTCThe Seinfeld episode that might have been referenced by the poo-stain story is "The Couch," (S6E5), when Poppie, who has a gastrointestinal disorder, comes to Jerry's apartment and accidentally urinates on Jerry's new couch. That episode is also the one where George watches the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's for his book club because he doesn't have time to read the book (appropriate given the discussion about listening to podcasts at faster speeds to save time), but it turns out the book ending is different than the movie ending and he makes a fool out of himself.
Trebor Treebeard
2023-01-30 20:37:30 +0000 UTCEvery time I've ever been within San Francisco city limits, which has happened many times since I used to live outside San Jose- I've seen a human IN THE ACT of defecating in the streets. Now I know that any one of those instances could have involved Greg Miller. Not actually surprised.
Jack Sibert
2023-01-30 19:31:41 +0000 UTCColin, I have an entire extra box set of Harry Potter if you want. I’m sure you already acquired them however.
SnipaMasta
2023-01-30 19:18:27 +0000 UTCYou may find this to be sacrilegious, Colin. I personally feel that Dead Space 2 is superior to Dead Space in almost every way. That's not to say Dead Space isn't a masterpiece, which it is. Just that Dead Space 2 improved upon it across the board, especially when it came to Isaac Clarke as a protagonist. I could maybe see how the USG Ishimura was a scarier and more iconic setting than The Sprawl, but the nursery and church areas in DS2 really stood out to me. All I'll say is I implore you to revisit it someday, as I believe you'll have a similar newfound appreciation for it like you did with BioShock Infinite. I do agree it would be awesome for Motive to carry on with their own Dead Space sequels after Dead Space Remake but I'd be just as happy with a Dead Space 2 Remake too.
Jack
2023-01-30 16:06:41 +0000 UTCThat could be cool.
Colin Moriarty
2023-01-30 00:07:10 +0000 UTCAn Insomniac Star Fox game would be dope as hell.
yosh_wah
2023-01-29 22:22:41 +0000 UTCBecauae strategy helped create the universe. Bill finger didn't write any of the recent Batman comics or TV shows or films- but as one of the co-creators of the character and Gotham and he is credited on all of it. For example.
William Rudrum
2023-01-29 14:10:39 +0000 UTCWhat's the fuss? Bruce Straley did not work on the television adaption. It makes sense to me why he's not credited. He is credited for TLOU videogame. Neil is credited as the sole writer. Bruce and Neil co directed TLOU and Left behind. Neil wrote TLOU2 with Halley Gross. Neil wrote the screen/TV adaption along with Craig Maizen. Respectfully, Bruce can kick rocks. I understand the framing of this Bruce topic but it's a non issue. He co directed one of the best videogames of all time, but he did not write it. Bruce has his appropriate credit. It's just ironic to me if it's true Bruce feels forgotten. At the height of success didn't he leave and become a monk in Tibet or some shit? Then he lived his life quiet for years and now seemingly chasing clout? Ultimately I just see this as throwing underhanded hate towards Neil, that a section of media tries to feed.
OrochiNewsTeam
2023-01-29 11:51:23 +0000 UTCI work at Walmart. Early games won’t go thru on the register. It will say can’t be sold until the date it comes out.
Taylor kazemba
2023-01-29 05:58:27 +0000 UTC
