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Sacred Symbols, Episode 151: Agreeing to Disagree

The last week in our beloved gaming industry has been interesting, and of course we're going to delve into all the news that's fit to print (well, say) here on Sacred Symbols. Many, many people wrote in to ask us about IGN, Israel and Palestine, and the general drama surrounding all of that -- and we oblige, complete with timestamps so you can skip the politics at your leisure -- but the core of this week's episode has much more to do with PlayStation itself. Returnal isn't selling well, but it's growing on us (and audiences) a great deal, and Housemarque seems to be primed to keep running forward if a recent interview is any exception. Meanwhile, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has gone gold while The Last of Us: Part II is finally running at 60 on PS5. Plus: Hades is coming to PS4, TimeSplitters is being revived, AT&T is splitting WBIE up after all, and much more. Then: Listener inquiries! Can we please stop talking about game pricing? Is it time to kill the QTE once and for all? How should Square Enix celebrate Dragon Quest's 35th birthday? Has Colin turned Red?


Timestamps:

0:00:16 - Intro

0:06:38 - Intro questions and corrections.
0:13:51 - A few announcements and smaller pieces of news.

0:32:55 - Israel, Palestine, and IGN.

1:09:16 - What have we been playing?

1:30:50 - A patch targeting 60 FPS (as well as other features) for The Last of Us 2 has launched.

1:37:33 - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has gone gold.

1:40:59 - New details have been revealed about the production of Returnal.

1:49:48 - Hades is coming to PlayStation 4.

1:54:33 - Free Radical Design is reforming and will pursue the TimeSplitters series.

1:59:04 - Outriders has had more than 3.5 million players since launch.

2:03:46 - Electronic Arts has created a new internal team that has yet to be named.

2:08:30 - It appears ATT is selling part of its media holdings to Discovery.

2:13:46 - Sony has submitted a patent to allow viewers of live streams to bet on matches.

2:18:29 - Take Two Interactive have revealed their yearly financials.

2:27:20 - A discussion of some industry financials.

2:28:36 - News Wrap-Up.

2:30:22 - How do we feel about quick time events?

2:35:42 - Do gaming journalists play too nice?

2:41:07 - What’s up with Elden Ring?

2:44:52 - Should reviewers tell consumers if a game is worth the price?

2:48:57 - What do we want from the next Dragon Quest entry?

2:50:36 - What development team that has closed down disappointed us greatly?

Sacred Symbols, Episode 151: Agreeing to Disagree

Comments

How can Colin say he hates cRPGs but wants to play Disco Elysium?

Fred Rumig

What the hell! Comparing SMT3 to Monster Breeding games lol Damn it Colin!

Gean Fortuño

Howdy gents, The Mass Effect 3 multiplayer is my, and my group of life king friends, favorite multiplayer experience. While I don’t doubt it was middling at launch, they added unique characters and abilities over time that made for a really fun experience. One example being a krogan warlord that wielded a giant hammer, or the massive geth juggernaut that could sap shields from enemies around him. There is a cult following for the ME3 multiplayer out there. I know that MrMattyPlays is one of us, among some other notable Youtube creators such as a Bricky. My friends and I have been hoping and praying that the multiplayer would return. I’m not normally one to buy into microtransactions but I would personally fund EA’s 2022 fiscal year with the amount of loot boxes I’d buy just to get all my favorite characters the day it drops. In regard to the multiplayer affecting the single player story, there was a feature called galactic readiness. It was represented by a meter on the main menu and would go up depending on how many side quests you did or how many multiplayer missions you completed. This affected which party members survived the final mission. You could even have Shepard survive if you had it high enough and chose the “destroy” ending. You DID NOT have to play the multiplayer to get it high enough for everyone to survive though. My original playthrough of the game I didn’t touch the multiplayer, and I still had all my squad and Shepard survive. Thanks for all you do and for being so handsome. The worst part about being an audio listener of your podcast is not being able to stare into your eyes.

Daddy Dilkers

Good discussion of the Israel-Palestine situation. I don’t know what’s true, because our news media are terrible, but it’s actually easy for me to imagine that even Israel could commit genocide. In fact, their story does have some parallelism with pre-Nazi Germany. The censures against the country after WWI helped inspire the mindset that allowed WWII and the Holocaust to seem like the right course for Germany. And I think that’s very parallel to how Israel could feel, with historic anti-Semitism and feeling surrounded by enemies. Both have had ample opportunities to feel like the world’s scapegoat. And just in general, I think having suffered a genocide does not preclude you from committing one; I think it would suggest the opposite trend, actually. The only criteria I can think of that’s missing from other genocides is a sudden political shift in power—that seems to be common, that a weaker political group suddenly comes to power, and finally has the means to lay down some vengeance. Whereas Israel’s level of power has been stable for some time. I just rewatched CGP Grey’s Rules for Rulers video. It’s partly relevant, when imagining the incentives at play pertaining to how a state is ruled. Worth a watch.

Walt Duncan

Man I gotta be honest Colin I feel like you really just bowed down and took it right in the butthole from Chris in that whole Israel discussion and I just heard you say you were a good debater (master debator if you will) but you just kinda crumbled there man. SAD!

Kevin DeBruin

I agree with you on the Hades tip. The Elysium section in that game is quite punishing and I felt like all I was doing was just dashing and shooting dashing and shooting like an absolute mad man, while being confined to a tiny room/arena. I got to the final boss once and died upon realizing he had a hidden second health bar. I still think the game and story is excellent but I enjoy Returnal significantly more. You have more control over your Arsenal and environment in Returnal.

The Eclectic Gamer

Regarding the QTE disgust, Does this mean no one at Sacred Symbols is considering any future dark pictures anthology games. House of ashes looks very intriguing, I hope it drops in the summer like the past two

The Eclectic Gamer

Hey Guys! Just wanted to chime in with my Returnal experience. I just beat it yesterday and ended up with 7 deaths at 23 hours of play time. I have to say... while I understand what RNG inherently means, I never felt like the game was EXTREMELY difficult. Throughout each of my runs, I may have had a shit shotgun or something for one room but shortly after completing that room I'd find a Hollowseeker or Carbine. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones (and believe me I'm not trying to be the "well I never had a problem so there aren't any problems" guy) but I never felt like the RNG held me back. Hot take: the gameplay of Hades was much harder than Returnal. Thanks for reading, if ya did.

The Great Santini

Nice discussion on the middle east conflict. Was happy everyone was so respectful. Love the podcast. I think Chris needs to maybe learn a little more about the history of Israel and the goal and charter of Hamas though. But was a nice discussion.

I have a job that ends up being very political in nature, so by the end of the my workday, my tolerance for political conversation can sometimes be very low. That said, I'm nothing but impressed with how respectful and reserved you all were on the Israel/Palestine conversation. You didn't avoid any topics to appease anyone, but you also didn't drag out the discussing to try and over persuade one way or another. Well done and much appreciated.

Paul Andrew

You cannot have it both ways with Returnal, you just can’t…the premise of the game, as is, centers around the dread of being stuck in a hellish world where even death is not an escape. The protagonist is cognizant of the loop and must push forward—getting ever so closer to the goal with each attempt. If the game included 10 biomes and had a save system and the other trappings of a 3rd person shooter, then the premise of the game needs to be entirely reworked. You are supposed to feel frustrated…that is the hook of the game. The game is great because it challenges you to be better and overcome your situation. I would not consider myself an expert game by any stretch…I died nearly 100 times, but after 40 hours I rolled credits and then took another 5 hours to get the true ending. It be done if you internalize the challenge and keep at it.

The Eclectic Gamer

Never said it, but I love the addition of Dustin, permanently!

Peter Pham

This was by far the best podcast yet. If the world could hold conversations the way you guys do, the world would be a much better place. Love you guys. Keep up the incredible work.

Cory Towler

Great podcast, loved having the differing opinions while being respectful of each other and remaining friends. Props to Colin for allowing Chris that freedom while owning the company, and props to Chris for sharing his personal views despite his differing from Colins.

Listening a second time after doing some reading has been an interesting endeavour. You can see how the media each host views has influenced their opinion. I’m very glad this was discussed and brought forth different opinions. Sam Harris also recently did an interesting discussion where I learned some very interesting facts as well. When you read up you’ll be surprised how it’s tough to support certain opinions which I feel are based in a more optimistic view of people rather than the raw facts. Again, very happy this was discussed with such respect.

Greg Mocha

For reference, it was called “Galactic Readiness” in regards to the multiplayer affecting ME3 story endings

Paco_Luigi

“Reasonable minds can differ.” Richard Hoeg

BlindRiot

Regarding the Returnal discussion, there is a place for every type of game. I was always turned off by Rogues and more so with Souls type games, but felt compelled to keep trying considering the title was built solely for the PS5 and I kept getting better and eventually you get that blessed run and are able to push through. Interestingly enough, the game kept weighing on me (in sometimes not so great ways) to a point where I felt uneasy when away, as I knew the challenge ahead…which I can’t say was good all the time, but it sure was a motivator. It’s like I knew I couldn’t allow myself to play any other game until I beat the biome 6 boss. Very unforgettable experience, made me think of Hellblade and is only remedied when you beat the game and feel that weight off your shoulders…it’s like I became invested in the plight of the protagonist in a physical sort of way.

The Eclectic Gamer

Donating to a cause that helps kids in Palatine is not going to them they take the resources to fund their agenda, also the Biden administration started giving money back to the palatines that’s when the rockets started again. Why isn’t Egypt, Jorden and Lebanon helping the Palestinians? I’m sorry but chris is spouting news is coming from one side that’s the problem we have in today’s society. Ask Chris we’re he is getting his info from I can certainly tell you it’s from one side

Hose A Contra Razz

I know. I'm trying. =\

Colin Moriarty

Thanks!

Colin Moriarty

I just hope they're not forever locked on the Wii, is all.

Colin Moriarty

Always.

Colin Moriarty

I think all QTEs added something to gameplay at one time, because it was unique. Now it's just a crutch, though I think designers have long-since realized this.

Colin Moriarty

Sounds wonderful.

Colin Moriarty

Welcome back! Thanks for being here.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you. <3

Colin Moriarty

No livestreams, but I promise we'll cover it intensively on the show.

Colin Moriarty

To each his own. =)

Colin Moriarty

I don't think he typically does.

Colin Moriarty

Spelunky, that's another good shoutout.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you. <3

Colin Moriarty

I side with peace!

Colin Moriarty

=D

Colin Moriarty

Come on Colin, I have faith. The last couple Biome's are AMAZING. Returnal? you must, you can finish this game.

Vince

Lego Seinfeld needs to happen. Great show boys, I appreciate you three jumping into the Israel Palestine nightmare. This style of coverage is invaluable to me. Keep it up!

BlindRiot

Wow, The Conduit is a blast from the past. I'm 22, but when I was real young me and my friend would play that (in middle school?) and I have very fond memories of it. If it got ported, I don't know if I'd play it though since it does not appear to have aged very well. Graphics were still pretty uncanny valley back then. I'm pretty sure the multiplayer was also super fun at the time.

Tristen Wilbers

Yes!!!! A new episode.

Derek Alcott

Regarding QTEs. The one I always remember is in God of War 3, when your finishing off Posiedon and it make you click in L3 & R3 to gouge his eyes. Only time I've ever felt a QTE add anything to the game play.

When I tried to Ape Escape 2 on PS5 using PS Now, the game has really bad graphical glitches. I looked it up and it's not the only one. Assassins Creed Syndicate and Prey (2017) also have problems. From the article I read, Prey wouldn't even start the game.

FluffyNeko

Really great episode! I unsubscribed from here over a year ago due to a massive burnout on games, however with the next gen I have come back and am so happy to see (now) Last Stand Media is still doing incredible. Keep up the fantastic work fellas.

Murray. M

What a fucking fantastic discussion boys. Really bizarre that a gaming podcast has one of the most level headed discussions about the Israel/Palestine conflict. LSM is unparalleled

Ivan Donato

Really hope you guys plan on doing a livestream for whatever Sony event happens in June. I love those kinds of reaction videos and would love to see in the moment impressions.

Sam Strajack

I'm with Dustin 100% on the Gaza situation. It's hard to care about something I have no relationship with.

Anthony J Sanchez

Chris, are you playing with headphones? Those suicidal enemies become trivial once you can hear where they are coming from

Daniel Maynard

I absolutely love Returnal. But then again I've been a roguelike fan for many years since the original Spelunky. Being unfairly hard at times comes with the territory so i think people are thrown off by that. Maybe the world isn't ready for a mainstream big budget roguelike like this. Also you guys really gotta get past the 3rd biome. I'm not going to say why but just trust me.

Luke Silletta

Really great show, we should be able to talk about difficult subjects with nuance and respect, this show did that. Job well done.

Brian

I side with the Jews. They’re surrounded by countries that wouldn’t care if they were nuked off the face of the earth. Acting like they’re the bullies in this situation is crazy to me. Israel calls the buildings before they’re about bomb them. And the Palestinians say go ahead we love death. Kids get killed because the adults don’t give a fuck.

Dennis Parker

Eh. I'm not gonna use weapons I don't want to use.

Colin Moriarty

Our intent is not to make political proclamations or endorsements, and to remain apolitical (apart from the 'politics' of, say, Made in America merch). I think we do that successfully. As we said, we're all entitled to make personal proclamations, and I encourage everyone to do so. You're upset about something I never said, so obviously there's nothing I can do about that.

Colin Moriarty

Do you think John Oliver is fair? I like John Oliver, but why does it matter how he defined whataboutism? Of course it's a race to the bottom; that's the entire idea.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you. <3

Colin Moriarty

I really don't remember anyone talking about it, but I guess I am wrong!

Colin Moriarty

I can't beat the third, either.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you!

Colin Moriarty

That would be my preferred method of playing, too.

Colin Moriarty

I don't think I've ever stuck with the shotgun at all.

Colin Moriarty

Thank you! I also love that.

Colin Moriarty

Write into the show next week (but truncate your thoughts).

Colin Moriarty

=\

Colin Moriarty

I see.

Colin Moriarty

This is true.

Colin Moriarty

I remember virtually nothing about Mass Effect 3.

Colin Moriarty

Thanks for listening!

Colin Moriarty

Ultimately, why does it matter what Chris thinks? Certainly there was some perspective on the show that you could agree with; taking umbrage with Chris seems misguided.

Colin Moriarty

Thanks for listening!

Colin Moriarty

Yes.

Colin Moriarty

Politics have their place... but the more you embrace them, the more you open yourself up to reasonable critiques.

Colin Moriarty

Bruce Willis isn't Tom Cruise.

Colin Moriarty

I think that's a fairly reductive synopsis of what I've said on Jaffe's show or elsewhere on the subject.

Colin Moriarty

Someone can understand every facet of something and not like it.

Colin Moriarty

You're welcome! Thanks for writing in.

Colin Moriarty

I will literally never see the fifth biome. I'm comfortable with that.

Colin Moriarty

Thanks!

Colin Moriarty

Thanks for listening. =)

Colin Moriarty

Write into the show on the next thread we pull from if you want to be brought into the next episode (possibly), but in a much more truncated way! <3

Colin Moriarty

Don't worry.

Colin Moriarty

Yeah, would be a fun series to revisit.

Colin Moriarty

<3

Colin Moriarty

I knew that depression write in was gonna make it. Totally agree. 😄

NeO JD

Song was better than the game for sure lol

KoRnTOOL

Speaking of Haze. KoRn had a song called Haze that was used to promote the game. It was alright, nothing crazy but you guys should check it out

KoRnTOOL

I hated the shotgun as well as a few others BUT I’ve found the best auto-unlock that carries over from run to run is the gun perks. If you never use the other guns, they stay shitty and you’ll pigeon hole yourself to where you legitimately CANT advance further with those guns. There’s a perk with the shotgun that gives it a ranged shot, as well as full auto. When I unlocked those, the shotgun is actually the gun I beat the game with for the first time. Not every gun is great but the hollowseeker, shotgun, and thermogenic launcher become OP when you unlock enough perks. Just offering another viewpoint! I’m not saying “you’re playing the game wrong!” In fact it’s probably a design flaw that it doesn’t emphasize the importance of the gun perks. But I was hard stuck in this game until I just made every run have the goal of “just unlock a few new gun perks and it’s a success.” That’s how I encouraged myself to dive in for multiple runs.

Maxx Lazos

Pfft Colin. I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time and still am, but it’s blatantly clear you have very strong opinions on most subjects you talk about. Don’t claim ‘your intent is to not make political proclamations’ and be ‘apolitical’... absolute rubbish. You are extremely political. To say that ‘if Hamas stops shooting rockets there will be peace’... umm what? You’re thankful that the death and destruction is not much more even? You think it’s better that one side has ten times the death of the other? How is apartheid not an appropriate term to use in this situation? Do you have some other definition of it? Obviously it’s a very complicated situation but one party is suffering far far far more than the other. Removing all ideology, that is a fact. You wonder how people ‘treat you about the things you say’, and no doubt a lot of that is bullshit, but you seem to think it’s ALL taken out of context or skewed... maybe listen to what you’ve said on certain topics, because some of the criticism is very valid.

Rob

Great conversation about the Israel/Palestine conflict. I basically agreed with Chris all the way through. It should be noted that Whataboutism is not as Colin described. John Oliver did a great piece on it several years ago. Whataboutism taken to its natural conclusion just leads to endless litmus tests that eventually no one can pass. Imran Khan is the new news editor at Fanbyte. Given his previous work at GameInformer I wouldn’t assume reporting on the Uyghur camps when it’s relevant is out of the question despite Colin’s suspicions about Ten Cent.

Matthew Kohlman

Another great episode. Well done In not shying away from a complex issue, good to hear divergent opinions. Also, Returnal would in no way be better as a linear narrative shooter 😆

Elliott Morgan

I'm not usually one of these people, but my friends and I got really into Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. Played it every night together for weeks. It felt like a Mass Effect version of Horde Mode in Gears. Had a really good time with it.

Matt

I really am enjoying returnal but 35 plus hours in and I haven't cleared the 3rd biome is ridiculous. I just beat the 1st mass effect in the legendary edition on insanity in that amount of time.

Wayde

Lads great episode, that is all

I am a big fan of squad based multiplayer against AI. I don't play pvp but I will play something like mass effect multiplayer

Wayde

I think everyone hated the naked shotgun in Returnal, but once I unlocked slugs I could use it as a ranged weapon simultaneously. I never took the the shotgun until I found a level 4 shotgun w/slugs and cleared 2 biomes in a row. Now I'm a fan.

LaFlex

Love that not everyone has the same opinions. Chris was very eloquent this ep. Firing on all cylinders

Maxx Lazos

Hello Last Stand Crew. As someone who has played GTA Online since it's disastrous launch back in 2013, I can say without a shadow of a doubt it is my most played game of all time. I've put over a thousand hours over the almost past 8 years ranking my character up and having more money than I know what to do with. This is without having to buy a shark card to this day. I have friends I regularly play with who are close but not quite to the same level as I. Mike Po has pretty much laid out why people do play this game to this day but there is another reason why the Expanded and Enhanced version of the game is going to sell. To answer Chris's question as to why people will buy the Expanded and Enhanced version. As the game gets annual updates the amount of memory needed by the game has increased. Mostly due to the absurd number of weapons, vehicles, properties, locations, and missions/heists and other intangibles Rockstar has added over the years. Back in 2015 they had to abandoned the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game due to their memory limitations. Though those versions are still playable to this day, they only have roughly about 10-15% of what the current version of GTA Online has. That being said if Rockstar plans to keep updating GTA Online, they will have to eventually abandon the PS4 and Xbox One version's of the game as well. As currently playing it on a base PS4 or Xbox One can at times be an......experience to say the least. From FPS drops to the single digits due to the chaos happening in freemode at any given time. To sections of the game world freezing to load assets (I'm looking at you Diamond & Casino resort). The current versions of the game on console are practically bursting at the seams. Though playing it on the PS5 and Series X/S alleviates some of these issues. These are still versions bound by the limitations of 8th gen hardware. So Chris, fidelity and FPS increase to bring the console versions more in line with the PC version of the game is a nice cherry on top. The main reason Expanded and Enhanced will be purchased will be for future updates to GTA Online itself. As people who have invested time with their characters will want to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Ever since the Lock Mort edits I can't listen to Colin saying "Last Stand Media Dot Shop" the same way again.

Clay Layne

I was about to throw in the towel on 5th biome but finally beat it. But it took a run with a lot of health consumables and a sweet hollowseeker with the portal beam. Those damn rocket firing suicide druids and teleporting sword ladies are too much on limited resources so the portal beam was crucial in taking them out

Alec Shaner

Y'all really wanna know what makes people play GTA5? In the height of the pandemic me and my friends literally played it everyday, so we could make enough money to recreate the cover of the Italian job with Mini Coopers, we then proceeded to drive around the world chucking sticky bombs out of our cars at random people screaming "ITALIAN JOB" and blowing them up.

James

I completely agree with Dustin. You see all these people making snap judgments on the Israel/Palestine conflict, which is very complicated, but somehow these people have figured it all out and have come to an opinion on it in seconds after seeing a Twitter post about it… 80% of these people couldn’t tell you where Israel is on a map.

Keenan

The Synergy ending on mass effect 3 was the ending that you can get only if you played the multi-player. I never got the synergy ending because of this.

Jose Horrach

Thanks for the fat 3 hour cast to get me through my Friday night shift. I'm glad these fellas are enjoying RE8. It's a special game.

Chris I love you my man but you are like hysterically ignorant about the Israel/Palestine conflict. Almost 90% of what you stated as facts is wrong. And this “one side has more death” argument is so ridiculous, you’re basically saying “more jews need to die to justify that”. Which side had more civilian losses in WWII my man? Look that shit up. When you are fighting (an actually genocidal) terrorist organization which uses their own civilians as human shields, while you are investing billions in defending yours (while still suffering many injuries and death still, not to mention having your country completely shut down), you are going to get that imbalance obviously. That doesn’t change right from wrong though. Or should Israel just sit there and take it I guess?

FootLover69

Was gonna say the same thing, but I’m pretty sure it was a joke.

Brandon Soto

I work on Saturday’s, have for over 10 years. This helps me get through those days. Much appreciated! 🤘

Donny C

Not surprising at all. Thats what these platforms do, censor.

Travis B

God of war had quicktime events 🤨

Travis B

Ign gets the death threats to developer and voice actor crowd. I can see keeping political discussion far away. Personal accounts or independent creators are a little different.

Bruce Willis was in a PS1 game called Apocalypse and fun fact: the game's by the same guys who made Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Neversoft)

Jakub Pirochta

I’m a big fan since the beyond days. Long time patron and I would never unsub for political reasons. But if I can be honest, I’m not sure why you said the stuff on Twitter when you basically said on Jaffes show that you think what Israel is doing is unacceptable. What’s wrong with games media also saying that? Isn’t it like Black Lives Matter? What’s wrong with orgs standing up for a cause? Especially one you seem to agree with. Why start Twitter flame? Seems silly

Robert Graham

Bar the crashing and lack of a proper save state, Returnal isnt broken. If it sounds arrogant, whatever, theres just things you are not understand about the game yet. The Lobber is probably the most OP weapon in the game. Use your ether on the replicators in each Biome, its an extra life. Once you decrypt data cubes and unlock items, only then do they get added to your increasing pool of RNG items. But yeah the shotgun is shit. And dont use the randomised item generator at the start of the run. Save your ether for the replicators.

Phil Walker

Thanks for answering my Dragon Quest question Colin! First time my write in has been answered and it felt surreal 😁

Alan Hardee

I think I am on the 5th biome and it's kicking my ass. Just wanted to tell Dustin that while the lobber doesn't feel that good I used it for an amazing run on the 3rd biome. The corrosive damage over time was a life saver many many times as I could hit them and hide. It wasn't ideal for the boss fight, but fortunately the Alt Fire was really good. I died a billion times in the first 2 biomes, but somehow I beat the 3rd boss on my first try (not the biome, but first time i fought the boss)

Alec Shaner

I've tried posting a comment about my opinion on the Palestine situation and it has disappeared two times already. Just wanted to let you guys know.

Romeo

C(olin)D(ustin)C(hris)!!! Great episode.. very nice job navigating a challenging topic. I'm certainly more on Colin's side with this issue but I give Chris a lot of credit for his counterpoint to Colin.

Scoopski_TheBand

Great show guys really enjoyed all topics even the political aspect as it was a story in the gaming space which I agree should have been included as everyone's got a view on it but shoutout to Chris saying pandemic studios and that logo really did resonate with me Mercenaries was class

Sweatymitt

I finally beat the third biome after 20 deaths. Felt I got better by trying so many times but now I’m stuck again in the seemingly impossible 5th biome and haven’t played in two weeks. The rng is the most frustrating like the guys said. The carbine is hands down the best gun and then the pylon gun after that but it’s almost impossible to get. It makes the game really frustrating. You also cannot beat the third boss without a range weapon, it’s virtually impossible so there are a few design choices in this game that really hinder it from being so much better unfortunately.

Adam

Great episode, and I thought the Israel-Palestine discussion was pretty reasonable and well-handled. I wanted to speak more to your call for write-ins from people that regularly play GTA online, because I am one of those people! Hopefully I and others can give some insight into why it keeps me coming back all these years after its original release. I don't know much experience any of the three of you have with GTA Online, but the short elevator pitch for it is that it allows you to create your own character in Los Santos and establish your own presence in the city. You can buy your own apartments, vehicles, and most importantly, businesses. If you want to make money in GTA online, sure you can buy the shark card digital currency, but you can also participate in half a dozen different types of businesses and run missions as part of those businesses to earn money. The businesses include gun running, sourcing stolen vehicles, manufacturing and selling drugs/counterfeit cash, and more. Further, there are eight extremely detailed and fun to play heists exclusive to online, and (assuming you have a good group of people with you), these heists can be a blast to play, and they pay out very decent money in the online mode. And oh boy, the whacky and zany things you can buy with all this money you earn! Here are some gadgets I have acquired over the years: a batmobile knockoff that shoots rockets, a jetbike that shoots rockets, a flying car that shoots rockets, a jetpack that shoots rockets, and a tiny pink smart car with a goofy horn. All of these whacky fun vehicles can be used in heists and missions, or if you want to just be chaotic, you can grief other players with them. Sure it sucks ass to be griefed yourself by an asshole on a flying rocket bike but the few times I'm feeling evil, it is fun to cause chaos with all these whacky tools at your disposal. Overall it's just a fun world to play in and get rich in. Oftentimes if I'm not feeling like playing a deep single player game and I just want mindless fun, I hop into GTA, turn on a podcast, and just run some missions or get into whacky shenanigans with all my fun toys. Apologies for the length but hopefully this has helped shed at least some light on why this game speaks to so many people. Edit: Upon a reread, I realize I overused the word "whacky." Apologies, I will try to expand my vocabulary in the future.

Mike Po

Whatcha talkin bout, Willis

Cameron Box

Dude thank you for the Fun Bits! shout out! I really loved their games, Fat Princess is really something special. Brought back great memories

Real Radec

Ahoy CDC Men of Legend, Sir Dustin has sounded the horn and I as a huge ME3 Multiplayer fan I am here to answer. First to answer Dustin’s question, the Multiplayer was used to boost Galactic Readiness. This was a sort of minigame to boost your ability to win the battle for Earth and defeat the Reapers. As you could not engage the reapers until your readiness was at a certain percentage. However, this could also be accomplished by playing the single player and boosting readiness via side missions. In the end this had no effect on the ending, just offered an alternative way to reach that ending. As for Multiplayer overall, if you have time, I think the video linked below covers it well. Suffice to say this Multiplayer never hit COD numbers but still had a huge following. Support by the dev for over 2 years with 5 free expansions. Not just map packs, but new characters, game play, alternate map modes. How many devs can say that? This was in the end the ultimate evolution of Horde Mode and with 306 hours played it was a great ride. The 360 & steams servers are all still live today and I occasionally jump in, wait times for a full 4-person squad is between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. The multiplayer is also available with Xbox One Back Compat though your earned gear and characters are not available. So, inclusion with Legendary? I do not think it is needed. For no other reason than we know Legendary is being used to fund Mass Effect 4. Any resources spent on bringing ME3 Multiplayer back is less resources for the next game. Let those who wish to play dust of their old hardware. Thanks gents and be well, Rob https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfFLG5zkdzc

Rob Aitken

What the hell is wrong with you guys what does breaking Dustin even mean? Stop sending negative energy towards this beacon of light, this perfectly round headed piece of jewel, y'all leave this innocent man alone I tell you whaut.

Asique Alam

Legends was a surprise for many people, no doubt.

Colin Moriarty

Chris can speak for himself, but nothing he said seemed particularly unreasonable. I just don't agree with a lot of it, and I certainly don't agree with the premise. So it's hard to find common-ground in those types of scenarios.

Colin Moriarty

Surprisingly it was Ghost of Tsushima Legends that scratched the itch that Mass Effect multiplayer had. Honestly I think they missed the point if they add it later because I would’ve bought the remaster already just to play with my friends who have it right now but instead I’m waiting for a sale because what’s the difference waiting a few more months for something that’s already years late.

Oliver Johnson

I know chris has a his views about what he hears Israel officials say and I understand that. However and I have to say this. A lot of countries in the Middle East and such have no issues wanting to say that it’s bad cause the government of one says people are bad when the other side also say it’s bad. If you wanna break it down it’s hard for me to ignore the massive need to kill all the jews in Israel from many countries surrounding them including hamas. You want to help people but if the rolls reverse would Palestine peoples be cool with Israel without a hamas government? I’m not sure and this is a massive gray area I have when I listen to this stuff only in this particular area. It’s like damn man it’s all messed up from ever angle cause everything here seems justified and unjust

Adamthm

Nowhere.

Colin Moriarty

Good! With three of us, they're going to trend longer.

Colin Moriarty

Call-In With Colin

Colin Moriarty

You gotta call the live calls "Colin's Call-ins."

David Graham

I love these long episodes

KomakiKhaos

Where the fuck is the Bloodborne 60fps patch!

Jeremy Seal

That's why we talk.

Colin Moriarty

It really is. But addictive...

Colin Moriarty

https://support.patreon.com/hc/en-us/articles/212055866-Subscribe-to-your-Audio-RSS-link-on-the-Patreon-app

Colin Moriarty

I think the accusation of whataboutism wouldn’t have happened if a stance was made to begin with instead of calling out another website for taking one. It was said on the show Colin agreed with pretty much everything Chris said and it was the wording of these websites that bothered him. If it woulda started like “what’s happening is wrong, etc etc… BUT Genocide?!” Like I think the whataboutism goes away. Maybe I’m wrong and people are going to go after LSM anyway (we know they will) but I know I had a problem with this Twitter interaction because I know Colin doesn’t want people to die and suffer but the only thing that was happening was calling out ign and fanbyte. Anyway good discussion boys. Be well.

Owen

How do I get episodes to play in my podcast app?

Alexander Dean

Returnal is far more punishing than Souls games. In souls games there are bonfires, and reprieve. Returnal is just brutal.

Jeremy Seal

Just seems weird to pretend like you're really interested in making that a reality.

Colin Moriarty

Shut up.

Colin Moriarty

Thanks! <3

Colin Moriarty

Maybe.

Colin Moriarty

Expand your mind.

Colin Moriarty

Enjoy.

Colin Moriarty

You'll have to ask the RSS gods.

Colin Moriarty

Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer was much better than Mass Effect Pinnacle Station (though its loss is still missed). Plus, EA could cash in on a free client for ME3 multiplayer since the original one had loot boxes. It’s a fun enough horde mode that I actually checked out when legendary edition was announced, just not as good as Gears Horde or Halo’s Firefight

Stephen Forgione

Why has the RSS been going up so late recently?

Jake Z

You forgot to mention the Photo mode update that came out for Destruction All-Stars :) But great episode so far!

Real Radec

Good convo on the IGN Palestine situation. Glad to see you and Chris have different opinions and respectfully talk to one another. This is a life skill we've all got to start practicing. We can't live without the other side. Communication is the way forward. These are our growing pains in a connected world.

Benito

I think Deathloop and Ghostwire will be shown at E3 but they will say coming to PC this year.

john spatta

Definitely this!

Ricky Coogan

Please don't take phone calls. It's never good ever on any show. The caller is never ready to go and you have to repeat there name over and over and you will consistently be talking over each other.

Piston Pants

Would rather 30 minutes about Dragon Quests 35 anniversary.... but politics gunna politics.

Tim J Weckwerth

Perfect timing for this road trip I’m about to take!

Peter Medema


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